Maryland Terrapins

After a 2 year hiatus the border war has been renewed. Maryland and West Virginia have met 46 times (WVU leads 23-21-2), including each season from 1980 to 2007. As you can see this rivalry has been a close one. Neither team is able to pull to far ahead of the other. It has been a streaky series though. One thing that this game use to mean was whether or not the Eers were going to go to a bowl game. This game was the gage to determine that event. In recent years it hasn't had the same prognosticating properties but it does still portend on good or bad things to come. I for one love this series and hope that it continues to be a staple in the schedule. The series has been renewed until 2017.



Maryland had its worst season in history losing 10 games last season. I would caution against looking to last season to define this years Terp team. They have started off the season with 2 straight wins over Navy and Morgan State. While Morgan State may not get your attention the win over the Midshipman should. Maryland exhibited a running prowess that is indicative of eating clock while scoring points. This team will try to beat you on the ground and with there defense. It should be noted that the Terps are known for their linebackers and this years team is no different.

So who is getting it done for Maryland? Who do we need to watch this week? With the caveat that we don't have a lot to sample from with only two games to look at here is who I think you should be on the look out for Saturday:

They have decided to platoon at the quarterback position. Jamarr Robinson will likely start and he has completed 8 of 19 pass attempts for 81 yards and 2 TDs against 2 interceptions. Likely to see a lot of time as well is Danny O' Brien who has completed 5 of 10 passes for 79 yards and 3 TDs against no interceptions. Between the two QB's they have a combined 43.3% completion rate and a combined QB rating of 129.8. This is an experiment and while not the focus of the offense it can be an effective tandem.

Those two quarterbacks will be throwing the ball to primarily 3 receivers each of whom has scored this year. They are Matt Furstenburg who has caught 3 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Torrey Smith who has caught 4 passes for 47 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adrian Cannon who has caught 2 balls for 24 yards and a touchdown.

The running backs would constitute the bulk of the offensive output. They have four threats at this position. Davin Meggett has carried the ball 16 times for 155 yards with a touchdown. Jamarr Robinson has toted the ball 17 times for 128 yards. Da'Rel Scott has carried the ball 18 times for 100 yards with one touchdown. He has also caught 3 passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. And finally D. J. Adams has contributed 12 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns. All four of these backs will likely see the ball at Mountaineer Field. They are good and they are the focal point of this team.

The overall scuttlebutt on this offense is that they are young and talented. They didn't face much of a defense in Morgan State last weekend but Navy was formidable and they scored 17 on them. The question is what will they do against a West Virginia defense who is playing without its shut-down cornerback. I am hopeful that the Mountaineer defense will show Maryland a look that they haven't seen and will for the most part keep them held at bay. We shall see.

The kicker, Travis Baltz, is more than serviceable, kicking at least one field goal in the first two games. He kicked two 47 yarders in the effort against Morgan State. He is perfect thus far on extra points as well. Finally, he serves as the punter and kickoff guy.

The Terp Defense has given up a total of 17 points all year making them the current 10th rated scoring defense in the Country. That number is quite impressive when you consider one of those teams is a notoriously high-scoring Navy team. Against Morgan State, Demetrius Hartsfield and Adrian Moten both had picks and Joe Vellono registered a sack. This defense is young as well as talented. Look for them to be a great challenge for the Mountaineer offense.

Overall this game will be a solid test of the the Mountianeers. They need to come to play and play hard. If they do I see it being a great day to be a Mountaineer. If not it could be a long day.

See ya Saturday in the Blue Lot.

Go Eers!!!

Da Geek