The No. 21 Maryland Terrapins (-13.5) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights will go toe-to-toe on the turf of SHI Stadium. BTN will televise the action and this daytime game is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Maryland Terrapins at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers is a big underdog in this Big 10 game and is currently receiving 13.5 points. If they want to take the moneyline, gamblers would currently have to wager $600 in order to win $100 back on the Terrapins (-600). The Scarlet Knights are getting +425 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 54 points. If Maryland gets behind early, it will probably result in a reasonable live betting scenario.
The Terrapins are down 2.4 units so far in 2019 and 2-2 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-2.
The Scarlet Knights have lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-3 ATS and also have an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Terrapins have gone 2-2 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against Big 10 opponents. The Scarlet Knights are 1-3 SU overall and are also 0-2 SU in conference play.
The Terps came up short to Penn State 59-0 in a blowout where the defense allowed the Nittany Lions to pass for 421 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 198 yards and five scores. KJ Hamler had a good day for the opposition in that one with 108 yards and a score on six catches. On the offense, Josh Jackson completed only 10-of-21 passes for 65 yards and two interceptions. Tayon Fleet-Davis (three receptions, 11 yards) and McFarland Jr. (three catches, seven yards) shared the receiving duties.
On September 28, Michigan shut out this Rutgers crew by a score of 52-0. The Scarlet Knights defense let the Wolverines pass for 335 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 141 yards and five scores. Ronnie Bell put up a solid outing in the win, recording 83 yards on six catches for Michigan. For Rutgers, Artur Sitkowski completed 17-of-24 passes for 106 yards. Isaih Pacheco (23 rushing yards on 10 attempts) handled the ground game in the defeat while Raheem Blackshear (seven receptions, 55 yards) and Paul Woods (three catches, 20 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Maryland has run the ball on 56.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Rutgers has an overall rush percentage of 50.6 percent. The Terrapins have produced 223 rush yards per game and have 12 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Scarlet Knights are averaging 101.5 rush yards per game (62 in conference) and have four total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Terrapins should hold an edge in terms of RB efficiency, as their running backs has logged 5.2 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 2.9 YPC to opponents. The Scarlet Knights have recorded 3.4 yards per carry and allowed 4.6 YPC to opponents.
The Terps offensive scheme has logged 212.3 yards/contest in the air overall and has nine passing TDs so far. The Scarlet Knights have produced 201.3 pass yards per outing (77 in the Big 10) and have three total pass scores.
Defensively, Maryland has allowed 104.8 rush yards and 273.8 pass yards per game. The Rutgers defense has allowed 214.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 199.5 yards per game on the ground. The Scarlet Knights are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 6.45 to opponents, while the Terrapins have given up a 7.03 ANY/A.
Sitkowski has completed 21-of-35 passes for 125 yards, zero TDs and one INT. Sitkowski’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at a very poor 1.78 for the season and 6.29 over his last two games. In the other locker room, Jackson has amassed 606 passing yards this year, and has connected on 46-of-83 attempts with seven passing touchdowns and three interceptions. Jackson has a 6.57 ANY/A for the year, although that number is 1.31 over the past two outings.
When these two squads met last year, Maryland knocked Rutgers off soundly 34-7.
Maryland Terrapins vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA Prediction
SU Winner: Maryland, ATS Winner: Maryland, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Maryland defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks 13 times this year. Rutgers has recorded just four sacks.
- The Rutgers offense has lost three fumbles this season while the Maryland offense has let one get away.
- The Terrapins offense has tallied three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Scarlet Knights have accounted for two such plays.
- The Maryland defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Rutgers has given up two such plays.
- The Maryland offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Rutgers has created three such runs.
- The Terrapins defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Scarlet Knights have given up five such runs.
- The Over/Under for Rutgers’ last matchup going into it was 50. The over cashed in the 52-0 defeat to Michigan.
- Over its last three matches, Rutgers is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Over its last three matches, Maryland is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Maryland’s last game was 61. The under cashed in the team’s 59-0 loss to Penn State.
- As a team, Maryland has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over its last three contests and 2.8 over its last two.
- Rutgers has averaged 2.6 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 2.2 over its last two.
