The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Maryland Terrapins will collide on the turf at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. This conference matchup will get going at 12:00 p.m. ET and Big Ten Network is in line to televise the action.
Betting Preview: Minnesota Golden Gophers at Maryland Terrapins
Minnesota is projected to play the role of underdog and is currently getting 4 points in this Big 10 game. The Golden Gophers are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Terrapins are -175. If one school can create a bunch of points early it’ll result in a nice live betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 49 points.
The over/under has not moved after it was initially placed at 49. Having said that, the line opened at -2 and the early action has leaned in favor of the Terps.
The Golden Gophers are 3-0 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.0 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 1-2.
The underwhelming Terrapins have lost 5.5 units this season. They’re 2-1 ATS and also have an O/U record of 1-2.
The Golden Gophers have gone 3-0 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any Big 10 competition yet. The Terrapins are 2-1 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
These two programs faced off last year with the final result being a 31-24 victory for Maryland.
The Golden Gophers are looking to remain undefeated following a 26-3 win over Miami (OH) last week in which the Golden Gophers completed 14-of-26 passes for 177 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Zack Annexstad went 12-for-20 for 142 yards and two touchdowns while Tanner Morgan completed one-of-five for 28 yards and one interception. Bryce Williams (141 yards on 33 rush attempts) led the ground attack while Tyler Johnson (nine receptions, 133 yards, three TDs) and Rashod Bateman (three catches, -6 yards) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Maryland just dropped an ugly 35-14 game to Temple. The defensive unit allowed the Owls to eat up the clock by rushing for 165 yards on 52 attempts, including two rush TDs. Ryquell Armstead put up a good showing, posting 118 rushing yards on 26 attempts for Temple. For Maryland, Kasim Hill completed seven-of-17 passes for 56 yards and one interception. Anthony McFarland (107 rushing yards on 11 attempts) spearheaded the running game as DJ Turner (four receptions, 38 yards) and Taivon Jacobs (two catches, seven yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Minnesota’s run the ball on 61.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Maryland has an overall rush percentage of 64.7 percent. The Golden Gophers have produced 181.7 rush yards per game and have five scores on the ground this year. The Terps are logging 239.7 rushing yards per game and have seven total rush TDs.
It appears that the Terps might have an advantage when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game, since their running backs has generated 5.5 yards per carry while their defense has allowed 2.8 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Golden Gophers have ran for 4.0 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 2.9 to opponents.
The Gophers offense has averaged 193.0 yards in the air overall and has five passing scores so far. The Terps have recorded 149.3 pass yards per contest and have three total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Minnesota seems to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 72.0 rush yards and 184.3 pass yards per game. The Maryland D has allowed 223.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 107.3 yards per game on the ground. The Gophers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.24 to opposing QBs, while the Terps have allowed a 5.64 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Annexstad is up to 362 yards this season, and has completed 53 percent of his 53 attempts with four passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. Annexstad has a 7.52 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.60 over the last two games.
Kasim Hill has connected on 24-of-46 passes for 278 yards, one TD and one INT for Maryland. His ANY/A sits at a less-than-stellar 4.53 for the year and 3.76 over his last two outings.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Maryland Terrapins Free Pick
SU Winner: Maryland, ATS Winner: Maryland, O/U: Under
