Maryland
vs
Oregon State
Dec. 28 / 8:30 p.m. ESPN
vs
Oregon State
Dec. 28 / 8:30 p.m. ESPN
I can't imagine introducing this bowl game better than cfn did:
Neither of these two teams are in the top 75 in the nation in total offense with both teams struggling with the passing game. Neither are that great running the ball, but they at least rank higher on the ground than through the air. This could pose a problem as the Beavers rank 2nd nationally in rush defense. The Beaver front seven is definitely the strongest part of the team and the veteran group will get after the ball and try and cause turnovers.
Maryland opened the season 4-2 and started getting talk as a darkhorse team for the ACC crown. Injuries to some key players ended all championship hopes, and the Terrapins had to hang on just to make bowl eligibility. Coach Ralph Friedgen's squad only lost two games, to West Virgina and Clemson, by more than a touchdown. Without a steady hand under center, look for the Terps to rely on tandem backs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball, who combined for 1,552 yards and 25 TDs on the season (better numbers than Clemson's dynamic duo of C.J. Spiller and James Davis).
If Maryland is to pull another upset they'll have to do it the same way they knocked off Rutgers and Boston College, with the running game. Chris Turner, the young Maryland QB is not going to strike fear into the Beaver defense so the ground game will have to take the focus off of him so he can make smart decisions and manage the game instead of trying to win it. Oregon State will be trying to play mistake free football and hang on to possession. The Beavers threw 17 INTs over the first 6 games of the year compared with only 3 over the second half of the season. Maryland's hopes lie in getting a lead and using their talented running backs to hang on to the lead and neutralize the athletics Beaver front seven. Friedgen is a great coach when given time, but I just don't see the Terrapins being able to get enough offense to win this game, even in a low scoring affair. Look for the two teams to be in the high teens/low twenties.
Line: Oregon State -5.0, Total: 47.0
Maryland and Oregon State have combined for ten losses, lack any national star power, and sport vanilla offenses. This is for hardcore college football fans, but it could be more entertaining than the rest of the sports world will give it credit for.Sure this is the #3 team from the Pac 10, but after USC were there any decent teams left in the Pac 10 at the end of the season? Once Dennis Dixon went down, and coupled with Notre Dame going 2-1 against the conference, the Pac 10 is quickly turning into the 2007 version of how people looked at the Big 10 in 2006. Already the Pac 10 is 0-2 in bowl games. Having Arizona State lose to Texas in the Holiday Bowl is one thing, but UCLA falling to a BYU squad they already beat was a little embarrassing for the league. If the #3 Beavers fall to a mediocre ACC team the Pac 10 might have to start worrying about pulling an ofer outside of USC.
Neither of these two teams are in the top 75 in the nation in total offense with both teams struggling with the passing game. Neither are that great running the ball, but they at least rank higher on the ground than through the air. This could pose a problem as the Beavers rank 2nd nationally in rush defense. The Beaver front seven is definitely the strongest part of the team and the veteran group will get after the ball and try and cause turnovers.
Maryland opened the season 4-2 and started getting talk as a darkhorse team for the ACC crown. Injuries to some key players ended all championship hopes, and the Terrapins had to hang on just to make bowl eligibility. Coach Ralph Friedgen's squad only lost two games, to West Virgina and Clemson, by more than a touchdown. Without a steady hand under center, look for the Terps to rely on tandem backs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball, who combined for 1,552 yards and 25 TDs on the season (better numbers than Clemson's dynamic duo of C.J. Spiller and James Davis).
If Maryland is to pull another upset they'll have to do it the same way they knocked off Rutgers and Boston College, with the running game. Chris Turner, the young Maryland QB is not going to strike fear into the Beaver defense so the ground game will have to take the focus off of him so he can make smart decisions and manage the game instead of trying to win it. Oregon State will be trying to play mistake free football and hang on to possession. The Beavers threw 17 INTs over the first 6 games of the year compared with only 3 over the second half of the season. Maryland's hopes lie in getting a lead and using their talented running backs to hang on to the lead and neutralize the athletics Beaver front seven. Friedgen is a great coach when given time, but I just don't see the Terrapins being able to get enough offense to win this game, even in a low scoring affair. Look for the two teams to be in the high teens/low twenties.
Line: Oregon State -5.0, Total: 47.0
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