BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – If you’ve been watching the Big Ten in recent years, you might have assumed going into the 2024 season that Maryland would take a step back given the departure of longtime quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa had played at Maryland since 2020 and rose to a starting role in the second half of that season after transferring from Alabama. He finished his Maryland career with 11,256 passing yards, 76 touchdown passes and a 67.1% completion percentage.

Tagovailoa was particularly tough on Indiana during 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 took place in the 2020 match.

Tagovailoa was ruled ineligible and he plays in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. So Indiana can breathe a little easier as it prepares to face Maryland on Saturday, right?

Think again.

Tagovailoa’s replacement, Billy Edwards Jr., will pick up where Tagovailoa left off.

Edwards, who spent two years as Tagovailoa’s backup, is taking full advantage of his turn 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 average of 288.8 yards per game is second only to Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel among Big Ten passers.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti knows Edwards well: He tried to recruit him when he was head coach at James Madison.

‘I’ve known Billy Edwards for a while. My freshman year at JMU, he was the guy we targeted. I sat in my office with his father a few times,” he said.

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

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

Edwards’ quarterback rating of 162.8 is the seventh-best in the Big Ten. Among Edwards’ quarterbacks is Indiana signal-caller Kurtis Rourke, who has a 194.1 rating — second only to Penn State’s Drew Allar at 218.3.

“You know, he can make all the throws. He has a lot of snaps under his belt,” Cignetti said. “They’ll chase him too, and it’s clear he’s a threat when he comes out of the pocket, but also when he drops back and escapes the pocket.”

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

It helps that Edwards has some impressive targets. Wide receiver Tai Felton already has 41 catches for 604 yards and 5 touchdowns in just four games. Felton’s catches are the second-best in the country, 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’s also going to be the best receiving corps we’ve seen yet. Probably the best quarterback we’ve seen yet. So it is the best football team we have seen so far,” Cignetti said.

The Terrapins (3-1) will come to Bloomington with the confidence they’ve handled the Hoosiers (4-0) in recent seasons.

Maryland has won three straight in the series, pushing its total offense to 472, 442 and 503 yards in the last three meetings. After close losses in 2021 and 2022, the Hoosiers lost 44-17 in College Park, Maryland, in 2023.

“You remember last year’s match. It wasn’t that kind of game. So I’m sure they’ll come in here pretty confident, and they’ve got a lot of the same guys. So I’m looking forward to playing,” said Cignetti.