The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+24) are heading southwest to face the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. This conference matchup starts at 12:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to BTN. When these two teams met a year ago, Rutgers knocked Maryland off by a touchdown 31-24.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Maryland Terrapins Betting Preview
Rutgers is a heavy live dog here and is currently getting 24 points by bookmakers. Bookmakers have not determined this game’s over/under (O/U) yet. Should one school finds paydirt early, it will likely result in a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The opening line was initially set at -23, but has recently shifted.
The Scarlet Knights have lost 3.1 units so far in 2018 and are 2-4 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 3-3. The Terrapins have lost 5.5 units this season. The team is 3-2 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-2.
The Scarlet Knights are 1-5 straight up (SU), including 0-3 SU against Big 10 opponents. The Terrapins are 3-2 SU overall and 1-1 SU in conference play.
The Scarlet Knights came up short to Illinois 38-17 in a thumping where the passing attack could’ve been more effective as Artur Sitkowski completed 29 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Raheem Blackshear (only 34 yards on 15 rushes) and Jonathan Hilliman (76 yards on 10 carries, one TD) led the ground attack while Bo Melton (six receptions, 70 yards) and Blackshear (six catches, 44 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
On October 6, Michigan knocked off this Maryland team by a score of 42-21. The Terps defense allowed the Wolverines to run for 171 yards on 40 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Zach Gentry put up a good showing in the win for Michigan, accounting for 112 yards and a score on seven catches. For Maryland, Kasim Hill completed five-of-10 passes for 62 yards and one interception. Tayon Fleet-Davis (63 yards on 11 rush attempts) handled the running game as DJ Turner (two receptions, 30 yards) and Fleet-Davis (one catch, 19 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Rutgers has run the ball on 48.9 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 42.9 percent across possessions in conference play. Maryland has a rush percentage of 67.5 percent, and has run the ball 73.3 percent of the time when facing Big 10 opponents. The Scarlet Knights have produced 128 rush yards/game (including 95 per game against Big Ten opponents) and have seven scores on the ground this year. The Terps are putting up 236 rush yards per game (231 in conference) and have 13 total rushing TDs.
If 2018 numbers are any indication, then it seems like the Terps might hold an advantage when it comes to RB effectiveness, as their backfield has generated 5.8 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 3.0 to opponents. The Scarlet Knights have ran for 3.8 yards per carry while allowing 5.7 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Scarlet Knights offensive scheme has averaged 170 yards in the air overall (175 per game versus conference opposition) and has three passing TDs so far. The Terps have produced 128 pass yards per outing (95.0 against Big 10 foes) and have four total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Rutgers appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 229 rush yards and 206 pass yards per game. The Maryland D has given up 226.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 117.4 yards per game on the ground. The Terps are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.72 to opponents, while the Scarlet Knights have allowed a 6.86 ANY/A.
Offensively, Sitkowski has amassed 596 passing yards this year. The signal-caller has connected on 54 percent of his 126 attempts with two scores through the air and 10 interceptions. Sitkowski’s got a 1.22 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 3.29 over the last two games.
The Scarlet Knights will probably try to maintain tempo by getting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Raheem Blackshear (298 rush yards, two rush TDs, 120 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Jonathan Hilliman (246 rush yards, four rush TDs, 52 receiving yards) have been focal points in the Rutgers offensive scheme.
For the home team, Kasim Hill has completed 37-of-72 passes for 461 yards, two TDs and two INTs. Hill’s ANY/A sits at 4.78 for the season and 5.26 over his last two games.
The Terps will also try to control the game’s pace by turning to their backfield. Anthony McFarland (213 rush yards), Ty Johnson (180 rush yards, one rush TD) and Tayon Fleet-Davis (196 rush yards, three rush TDs) have seen a multitude of touches lately.
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SU Winner – Maryland, ATS Winner – Rutgers
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Maryland defensive unit has produced 10 sacks on the year while Rutgers has eight.
Maryland has lost one fumble in 2018 while the Rutgers offense has lost four.
The Scarlet Knights offense has recorded zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Terrapins have put up four such plays.
The Rutgers defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Maryland has given up four such plays.
The Rutgers offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Maryland has created 14 such runs.
The Scarlet Knights defense has allowed 17 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Terrapins have given up seven such runs.
Maryland was favored by 18 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was 44.5. The over cashed and Maryland failed to cover in the 42-21 defeat to Michigan.
Over its last three contests, Maryland is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
In its last three matchups, Rutgers is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Rutgers was the underdog by 5 points in its last game and the O/U was set at 51. The over cashed and Rutgers failed to cover in the 38-17 loss to Illinois.
As a team, Rutgers has averaged 3.65934065934066 yards per carry across its last three games and 4.1 over its last two.
Maryland has averaged 5.7 yards per carry over its last three outings and 6.2 over its last two.
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