IU football's defense was supposed to be reliable. Against Maryland, it was anything but.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Through three weeks of the 2023 season, defense appeared to be Indiana's calling card. After a 44-17 loss to Maryland (5-0), IU’s defense doesn’t seem as reliable as it once did.

The game began with Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa finding Jeshaun Jones wide-open up the left sideline for a 62-yard completion. Whether IU’s defensive players admit it or not, their spirits were demoralized from there. Tagovailoa threw a 13-yard touchdown to Tai Felton two plays later, and the rout was on.

“There weren’t any heads dropping,” senior linebacker Aaron Casey said about Indiana’s demeanor after Maryland’s 25-second touchdown drive to begin the game. “Just guys wanting to come back out there and show what we can do.”

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After IU's offense softened the blow with a field goal, the defense forced Maryland to punt. But those stops were few and far between for IU.

Maryland’s next two drives produced touchdowns again. The Terrapins started the game with a three-play drive. They scored two more touchdowns in the first quarter on a one-play drive and a two-play drive.

Indiana lost the game in six plays. By the time the first quarter concluded, the game was essentially over.

Maryland scored 30 consecutive points before IU added a consolation touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Saturday was by far the Hoosiers’ worst defensive performance of 2023.

Tagovailoa had his way with the Indiana defense. Whether it was vertical routes, deep crosses or play-action fakes, Indiana had no answers for Maryland’s passing attack.

“They definitely put you in a lot of conflict vertically and with the way that they structure things,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “But at the same time, we’re disappointed with the way we played those (deep passes).”

Tagovailoa completed 24 of his 34 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns. The five passing touchdowns set a career-high for the senior quarterback who already holds every major Maryland career passing record. Tagovailoa also rushed for a 19-yard score on Saturday.

Indiana’s defense began the year with a promising showing when it held No. 3 Ohio State to 23 points. The next week, IU limited FCS Indiana State to no offensive points in a 41-7 win. The IU defense then delivered a second-half shutout in a one-score loss to Louisville.

But last week, Akron (1-4) ran the ball all over IU’s defense. The Hoosiers escaped with a 29-27 win in four overtimes, but Akron ran for 263 yards.

The disappointing defensive performance against Akron, led to the unit unraveling on Saturday. Maryland ran for 120 yards to complement Tagovailoa’s massive passing performance. The Terrapins earned 8.3 yards per play against the Hoosiers.

Indiana’s offense is credited with much of the blame and criticism for the team’s 2-3 start. While the complaints are justified — the Hoosiers are averaging just 15.8 points per game against FBS schools — IU’s defense has not been anything to brag about lately either.

The beginning of the season gave fans hope Indiana would have a fantastic defense Allen was known for at the start of his tenure. Heading into the bye week, it’s unsure if this unit is nearly as complete as it once appeared.

“I'm gonna do a really hard evaluation of our defense to be able to help us not give up those explosive plays,” Allen said. “As long as we don’t give up those explosive plays, it gives you a fighting chance.”

With a road matchup against No. 2 Michigan in two weeks, life doesn’t get much easier for the Hoosiers.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football: Maryland exposes Hoosiers defense in blowout