Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti knows Maryland QB Billy Edwards Jr. well

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – If you've been following the Big Ten in recent years, you may have assumed heading into the 2024 season that Maryland might be taking a step back given the departure of longtime quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa had been at Maryland since 2020 and was promoted to the starting lineup in the second half of the season after transferring from Alabama. He finished his Maryland career with 11,256 passing yards, 76 touchdown passes and a 67.1% completion rate.

Tagovailoa was particularly tough on Indiana in the annual Big Ten East Division meetings between the two schools. In four games against the Hoosiers, Tagovailoa completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,311 yards and 10 touchdown passes against 3 interceptions. All picks were made in the 2020 competition.

Tagovailoa's eligibility has expired and he is playing in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. So Indiana can breathe a little easier as it prepares for Saturday's game against Maryland, right?

Think about it again.

Tagovailoa's successor, Billy Edwards Jr., has picked up right where Tagovailoa left off.

Edwards, who served as Tagovailoa's backup for two years, is making the most of his role at the helm of the Terrapins' offense. He leads the Big Ten Conference with 1,155 passing yards. He has thrown 8 touchdown passes against 2 interceptions and his 288.8 yards per game average trails only Oregon's Dillon Gabriel among Big Ten passers.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is very familiar with Edwards — he tried to recruit him when he was the head coach at James Madison.

“I’ve known Billy Edwards for a while. My first year at JMU, he was the guy we had in our sights. I sat in my office with his dad a few times,” he said.

Cignetti didn't get Edwards, who went to Wake Forest before transferring to Maryland, but he still respects his game.

As he should. Edwards' hallmark in 2024 has been his consistency. He completed at least 65.1% of his passes in every game. Even in the Terrapins' only loss – Michigan State defeated them 27-24 at Maryland on September 7 – Edwards completed 76.5% of his passes for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Edwards' quarterback rating of 162.8 is seventh-best in the Big Ten. Among the quarterbacks Edwards follows is Indiana signal-caller Kurtis Rourke, who has a rating of 194.1 – just behind Penn State's Drew Allar at 218.3.

“You know, he can make all the throws. He’s got a lot of snaps under his belt,” Cignetti said. “They're going to attack him too, and obviously he's a threat when he comes out of the pocket, but also when he drops back and escapes the pocket.”

Edwards passed for 296 career yards. He has 69 rushing yards in 2024.

It helps that Edwards has some impressive goals. Wide receiver Tai Felton has already recorded 41 catches for 604 yards and 5 touchdowns in just four games. Felton's catch percentage is second best nationally, behind San Jose State's Nick Nash, who has 50 catches.

Wide receiver Kaden Prather has 21 catches for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. Four other Maryland players have at least five catches.

“It will also be the best receiving team we have seen to date. Probably the best quarterback we've seen so far. “So it’s the best football team we’ve seen so far,” Cignetti said.

The Terrapins (3-1) will come to Bloomington with confidence from battling the Hoosiers (4-0) in recent seasons.

Maryland has won three straight in this series and has totaled 472, 442 and 503 yards of offense in the last three meetings. After narrow losses in 2021 and 2022, the Hoosiers lost 44-17 in College Park, Maryland in 2023.

“You remember the game last year. It wasn't a big game. So I'm sure they'll come here pretty confident, and they have a lot of the same people. So I’m looking forward to playing,” Cignetti said.