Marshall vs. Maryland College Football Spread/Handicapping
Marshall was a surprise loser in the Conference USA championship game. They were touchdown favourites but lost by 17 against Rice and now have to bounce back if they want to beat a Maryland team that should be pretty hungry for the first bowl win of the Randy Edsall era.
Much healthier this year than last the Terps had a much more consistent season in 2013, so much so that they actually pulled off some quality road wins including at Virginia Tech.
Marshall Thundering Herd (9-4) vs. Maryland Terrapins (7-5)
Friday December 27
Navy-Marine Corp. Stadium – Annapolis, MD
2:30PM
Moneyline: Marshall -125, Maryland +115
Spread: Marshall -2.5
O/U: 62.5
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Marshall
The Marshall Thundering Herd may be a pretty good team but they certainly didn’t show it in the CUSA Championship game against Rice. Lucky for them they get another chance to notch their 10th win of the season and end on a positive note in the Military Bowl, a game which could have a partisan crowd.
Marshall has a much more balanced attack this season but they can certainly still fling it around with QB Rakeem Cato if they want to.
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The key for them in this one is going to be how the defense plays.
Against Rice, the Owls ran all over them (more than 200 yards) while putting up points and keeping them off the field.
All season long they have been a good enough defense and if they can do that again then this game is their for the taking.
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Maryland may be a physical team but it is hardly the most dynamic team out there. This looks like a high value play given how hard the Thundering Herd crashed in their last appearance, a game most people saw.
Take advantage!
Maryland
It is encouraging for the program that they reached a bowl game this season, even if it is a minor one. This is their last year in the ACC and things are not going to get that much easier as a member of the Big 10 next year.
The key for the Terps this season was health as much as anything else. Most importantly was the health of QB C.J Brown, who was healthy enough to play in 10 of the 12 contests this season. He is far from an elite passer but the Terps need him on the field to be competitive, witness road wins against Virginia Tech and NC State.
He does not put up big numbers but it appears that having him out there gives the team confidence which can’t be underrated.
Defensively this team is solid but unspectacular. The defense will need to keep this one close because the offense, even with Brown, is definitely not made to play catch up.
Spread Pick: Marshall -2.5
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Marshall 31 – Maryland 17
