Maryland and West Virginia have met every year since 1980 and the all-time series is tied at 21-21-2. Even as this series has been, my first instinct is to take the 16.5 points Maryland is getting, but the Terrapins have lost two straight to the Big East powerhouse. However, the Mountaineers haven’t won three straight games over the Terrapins since 1996-1998. Maryland was in good position to undo any winning streak from its Big East rivals last season before giving up 24 points in the fourth quarter to lose 31-19.
With getting more than two touchdowns, one factor that seems good for Maryland is the fact that West Virginia hasn’t been tested at all in their first two games. Running back Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White didn’t even play the entire game against Eastern Washington last Saturday. These two highly touted skill players will likely start off slow in their first real test of the season.
Because it played two extremely weak opponents early in the season, West Virginia has the best rushing offense in the nation, third in total yards and sixth in points. Maryland’s offense has been rocked. The Terps turned the ball over four times in their season opener to 1-AA William & Mary and were blown out by Middle Tennessee last Saturday. However, Maryland has shown that its defense will be a formidable force this season. It was Maryland’s defense that held the Terps through almost every game last year. The Terps will be pumped to play a team they beat last season. We’ll see his best effort of the season thus far and a much more aggressive offensive approach from coach Ralph Friedgen. Hollenbach played one game of his career last year against the Mountaineers and that will give him an extra confidence boost in this one. The Maryland quarterback passed for 291 yards on 20 of 31 passes in last year’s matchup, and I like that he’s having a big game again this year as West Virginia only returns 1 starter in the secondary.
The fact that this game is being played on a Thursday night also allows me to give the Terps a thumbs up as it will give the Mountaineers less time to prepare for their first test of the season. Maryland also has to deal with the same time constraints, but preparation won’t be as critical for the Terrapins as they know what to expect with West Virginia. The Mountaineers are going to run the ball on almost every play. The most important factor for Terps is to simply play like they have nothing to lose because they don’t. Also, not having to wait until Saturday gives Maryland’s passing attack the upper hand, as West Virginia’s inexperienced defensive backs won’t see the Terps’ offensive teams as well as they would on a normal week.
There is no question that West Virginia is a good offensive football team and will move the ball against Maryland even though Maryland has a solid defense. The Terps will be able to pass the ball against West Virginia, though, and I’ll take them on this one as better than two touchdown dogs with one small play.