The Maryland Terrapins (7-5) and the Stanford Cardinal (7-5) will meet in the Foster Farms Bowl on Tuesday. The game will begin Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN.
Stanford won easily over UCLA 31-10 in its last game. Kevin Hogan had a huge game passing the ball in the victory, connecting on 16 of 19 passes for 234 yards and two TDs. Devon Cajuste had 50 yards and a TD on two catches. Maryland got nipped by Rutgers 41-38 in its last game before the bye. C.J. Brown had a good game throwing the ball for the Terrapins, completing 14 of 24 pass attempts for 195 yards and two TDs. He added 107 yards and a TD on 13 attempts. Brandon Ross had a big game as well, totaling 108 yards and two TDs on 10 carries.
The Cardinal, a 13-point favorite, will be looking to hold down their home field when Maryland comes to town. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 49 points. The Cardinal enter the game with records of 7-5 Straight Up (SU) and 5-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Stanford is 3-2 both SU and ATS. Stanford’s scoring defense, which only allows 16.0 points per game, will have a chance to build upon its numbers against the Terrapins. Expect the 11th-ranked Cardinal run defense to cause headaches for the Terrapins running game. The Cardinal give up only 111.8 rushing yards per game. A vital part of the game will be if the Terrapins can protect their quarterback from Stanford’s hungry defense. It averages the sixth-most sacks in the nation with 3.3 per game. Stanford can top most teams in terms of time of possession. The Cardinal have an average time of possession of 32:48 per game for 17th-highest in the nation.
On the other side, the Terrapins have a record of 6-6 ATS and 7-5 SU. The Terrapins went 2-3 both SU and ATS over the last five games. The Terrapins only give up 23.2 points per road game and will be pushing their defense to climb even higher in the rankings. Maryland’s eighth-ranked road pass defense has given its competition fits. Opponents have only thrown for 169.7 yards per home game against this terrifying bunch. The Cardinal should be leery of ball security against the Terrapins. They rank 25th in the country in fumbles recovered with one per game. Maryland can really return the ball on the road. The team averages 46.8 return yards per away game, the 11th-most in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – STAN, ATS Winner – STAN, O/U – Under
Notes
Stanford is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games.
Stanford is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Stanford’s last 11 games.
Maryland is 4-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Stanford is 6-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Maryland is 4-1 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Stanford is 6-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
This season, Maryland is undefeated (4-0 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and an even 3-3 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Based on overall FBS ratings, Stanford holds the upper hand in the passing game. Its passing attack (ranked 60th in the nation) will face the 80th-ranked pass defense of Maryland, while its seventh-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 74th-ranked passing game of the Terrapins.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Stanford is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 74th-ranked rushing attack will face the 100th-ranked run defense of Maryland, while its 11th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 106th-ranked running game of the Terrapins.
