BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Perhaps more than any other position in football, wide receiver is one that is fueled by ego.

The stereotypical wide receiver wants the ball. He demands the ball. He lets his quarterback know, he lets his coordinator know, he lets his head coach know he’s the guy to move the sticks.

If a team has a talented receiver, he can take them far. One need only look at Maryland, Indiana’s  opponent on Saturday.

Terrapin wide receiver Tai Felton gets the ball in ways most receivers would dream of. He has 41 catches for 604 yards and 5 touchdown catches. Per game, that works out to 10.25 catches, 151 yards and 1.25 touchdowns per game. That makes Felton one of the most productive receivers in all of college football.

Accepting that we don’t know about Felton’s ego or how much he demands the ball, his level of production would be the envy of any receiver motivated by such things.

Meanwhile, Indiana does things differently.

In contrast to Maryland, where Felton accounts for 37.2% of the Terrapins’ total receptions, Indiana spreads the wealth.

Elijah Sarratt leads the Hoosiers with 15 receptions, but three other receivers – Myles Price (14), Omar Cooper Jr. (12), Miles Cross (12) – are right behind Sarratt. Two more – Ke’Shawn Williams (8) and tight end Zach Horton (7) have also been frequent targets.

No one Indiana receiver accounts for more than 19.4% of the Hoosiers’ reception total. It’s receiver-by-committee, just as the running backs operate under the same principle of sharing the ball.

It only works if you have buy-in from a position group where the individual players often demand the ball. So far, Indiana has been able to achieve that goal.

“It’s not as difficult when you’re about the team and you want the team to be successful,” Williams said. “We have a group of guys in our room who are extremely talented. Anybody that’s on that field can go out there and start and make plays.”

Price, who came to Indiana after four seasons at Texas Tech, said putting his ego aside isn’t a problem.

“It’s about winning. Everyone wants to win. When you win, everyone gets looked at,” said Price, who peaked at 51 receptions while he was with the Red Raiders.

So suppression of ego for the good of the team can also be good for the individual? Price thinks so.

“You look at those teams that go on to win championships. They have 15-20 players that may get drafted and that’s just because they’re winning,” Price explained. “So it’s bringing more attention, it’s bringing more eyes. That’s how we look at it.”

Williams said he’s used to the dynamic of sharing the ball. He played regularly at Wake Forest from 2021-23. Williams never had less than 27 catches in any of those seasons, but he never ranked higher than third on the Demon Deacons in receptions.

“If you’ve watched over my career, I’ve been in crowded receiving rooms since I’ve been in college. I’ve been surrounded by great receivers,” Williams said.

For Williams, who is a fifth-year receiver getting his last chance to prove himself, he admitted it can be tough to be in sharing mode.

“Being a fifth-year guy, it’s definitely challenging,” Williams admitted. “You know, if I don’t go about it the right way, I only do nothing but hurt myself and hurt the team. Me doing the right thing while waiting for my turn allowed me to be successful and help the team win games once I got out there.”

Price, who led Texas Tech with 43 catches in 2023, believes the high tide of team success raises all boats in the end.

“We just continue to win. If it’s in God’s plan (for individual success), it’s in his plan. So I just kind of let that work itself out,” Price said.

Indiana football’s disciplined approach under new coach Curt Cignetti has Mike Locksley’s attention. Locksley previewed Maryland’s showdown against the Hoosiers (4-0; 1-0 Big Ten) earlier this week. 

“The things that jumps out to me, they are not going to give us this game,” Locksley said. “They are going to make us beat them.”

The Terps 44-17 win in 2023 over IU was a cakewalk. 

Former starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw a 62-yard completion on the first play of the game to set up an early touchdown. They led 27-3 at the half and Tagovailoa finished the game with six touchdowns (five passing). 

Locksley expects this game to be a bit more of a chess match. 

“They will figure out who to take away from us, and our complimentary players are going to have to step up,” Locksley said. 

More: Indiana football: Why Curt Cignetti is familiar with Maryland QB Billy Edwards Jr.

Maryland football coach Mike Locksley has deep respect for Curt Cignetti

Locksley is one of the many coaches in the Big Ten conference with a deep respect for the Cignetti family name. Cignetti’s father, Frank, is in the College Football Hall of Fame and his brother, Frank Jr., is a well-traveled coach with experience in the pros and college. 

At the conference’s media days back in July, Greg Schiano, Kirk Ferentz and James Franklin all talked about how much the Cignetti name resonated in the midwest. Locksley reiterated the point on Monday. 

“I know his family, his dad was a legendary coach at the other Indiana University [IUP], at Towson we played them every year,” Locksley said. “He comes from a football family.”

Towson was 0-4 against IUP during Locksley’s playing career white Frank Cignetti Sr. was the head coach. 

He crossed paths with Curt back in the early 00’s when the two were both assistants in the ACC. Locksley was Maryland’s then running backs coach while Cignetti coached quarterbacks at NC State. 

They both have experience coaching under Nick Sabana at Alabama as well. 

“I can just tell you, they are a well-coached team,” Locksley said, after mentioning that connection. 

More: Mind Your Banners: Priming the pump for IU’s crucial visit from Maryland

Maryland football coach Mike Locksley worried about IU’s offensive weapons 

One of the big questions Locksley has to answer this week is how to slow down an Indiana offense that’s one of just five teams currently averaging 50-plus points and 500-plus yards a game. 

“We got a big challenge on our hands,” Locksley said. 

He was complimentary of quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who he described as someone with “moxie”, a “big arm” and “playing at a high level.” He also praised IU’s stable of running backs that have averaged a combined 5.8 yards per carry and leads the FBS with 18 touchdowns. 

The player that stood out the most for Locksley on IU’s offense is tight end Zach Horton. Horton has modest numbers in the receiving game this season — seven catches for 67 yards with a touchdown — but Locksley sees him as integral to the team’s overall success. 

“He is the glue for them on offense,” Locksley said. “This is a guy that’s really talented in the run game. You get enamored in catches and production there (at receiver), but as a coach when you look at things as I think of things on offense, he’s the heart and soul of it. His style of play is what you like. I respect the way he plays.”

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

Indiana football is getting some national attention.

CBS college football analyst Aaron Taylor said he believes the Hoosiers are for real and can be a factor in the Big Ten race.

“My goodness, they’re playing some really good football right now,” Taylor said, before ticking off a few of IU’s accomplishments:

∎ Coach Curt Cignetti is IU’s first coach to win his first four games.

∎ They have rushed for 200-yards plus in three games.

∎ IU has committed 0 turnovers.

∎ All of their wins have been by at least 24 points.

Touchdown machine: Hoosiers ‘just think: score, score score.’

“Beginning of the season, (Cignetti) said, ‘I win.’ We all said, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s got that false bravado,’” Taylor said. “He wasn’t lying.

“I know it’s early, but you can’t talk about a better start to a season. They’ve turned the corner and are going to make things really interesting down the stretch.”

The Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) host Maryland (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday.

Indiana football vs. Maryland start time

Noon ET Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana

What channel is IU football on vs. Maryland?

BTN

How to stream, watch Maryland-Indiana game

The Indiana-Maryland matchup will stream on the Fox Sports app at noon ET Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. The app is available in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

How to listen to IU-Maryland game on radio, streaming

Radio: Indiana Sports Radio Network, 105.1 FM in Bloomington, 93.1 FM in Indianapolis, with Don Fischer (play-by-play) and Buck Suhr (analysis)

Streaming: SiriusXM Channels 195, 957

You can also watch the game on Fubo (free trial)

Indiana football tickets

How to find seats at Memorial Stadium.

Indiana football schedule 2024

With date, result or location and opponent, time and TV, if available

Aug. 31: IU 31, Florida International 7

Sept. 6: IU 77, Western Illinois 3

Sept. 14: IU 42, UCLA 13

Sept. 21: IU 52, Charlotte 14

Sept. 28: vs. Maryland, noon, BTN

Oct. 5: at Northwestern, 3:30 p.m., BTN

Oct. 19: vs. Nebraska, TBA, TBA

Oct. 26: vs. Washington, TBA, TBA

Nov. 2: at Michigan State, TBA, TBA

Nov. 9: vs. Michigan, TBA, TBA

Nov. 23: at Ohio State, TBA, TBA

Nov. 30: vs. Purdue, TBA, TBA