Preview: Maryland (2-3) at Wake Forest (3-2)
Posted October 07, 2009
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FACTS & STATS: Site: BB&T Field (31,500) -- Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Television: None. Home Record: Maryland 2-2, Wake Forest 3-1. Away Record: Maryland 0-1, Wake Forest 0-1. Neutral Record: Maryland 0-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Conference Record: Maryland 1-0, Wake Forest 1-1. Series Record: Maryland leads, 41-15-1.
GAME NOTES: The Maryland Terrapins opened their ACC schedule with a win last weekend, and they hope to stay unbeaten in conference play when they head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Maryland kicked off its league slate with a 24-21 win over Clemson last week. For now, the win quieted some critics and eased the sting of embarrassing losses to Middle Tennessee (32-31) and Rutgers (34-13). Now the Terps will really be tested, as they hit the road for three of their next four games.
Wake Forest is coming off a 30-24 win over NC State last weekend, which evened the team's conference record at 1-1. Aside from a 35-7 win over Elon a few weeks ago, all of the Demon Deacons' games have been decided by seven points or less. With road games at Clemson and Navy looming in the coming weeks, Wake Forest could really use a win in this one.
Maryland has a 41-15-1 edge in the all-time series, although Wake Forest has won two of the past three meetings.
After a slow start, the Maryland offense did just enough to edge a Clemson team that missed two field goals late in the fourth quarter. The opening quarter was about as ugly as it could get for the Terps, who trailed 10-0 after managing just 28 total yards and one first down. Led by quarterback Chris Turner, Maryland went on to score 17 straight points to take control. Turner finished the day 19-of-26 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, including one to Torrey Smith, who became the first player in the nation to eclipse 1,000 all-purpose yards on the season. However, there wasn't much room to operate on the ground, as the Terps rushed for just 69 yards on 45 combined attempts (1.5 ypc). Maryland ranks 100th in the nation in rushing offense, an area the team must improve upon in order to compete in the ACC.
After falling behind 10-0 against Clemson, the Maryland defense really buckled down. The Terps didn't allow a touchdown the rest of the way, as Clemson's only other touchdown came on a 92-yard kick return by CJ Spiller in the third quarter. In fact, the Terps defense yielded just 274 total yards and came away with three turnovers. Demetrius Hartsfield was all over the field, leading the way with 10 tackles (2.5 TFL), a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Terrell Skinner wasn't far behind, finishing with eight stops, including seven solo efforts. The Terps are ranked 100th in the nation in run defense (177.8 ypg) and are giving up 34.8 ppg, but they held the dangerous Spiller to 72 yards on 18 carries (4.0 ypc). Clemson averaged just 2.7 ypc as a team.
Last week, Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the Demon Deacons' 30-24 win over NC State. The performance was even more impressive when you consider that NC State entered the game leading the nation in total defense. His 361 yards are a career-high, and he has set a new mark in three straight weeks. For his career, Skinner has a school-record 45 passing touchdowns and also holds a school record with 8,041 yards of total offense. Even with Riley putting up numbers, the Demon Deacons still boast a balanced offensive attack, as they rank third in the ACC in passing offense and fourth in rushing. Wideout Marshall Williams has emerged as a serious weapon over the last two games, having caught 18 passes for 252 yards and three scores in that span. He has at least one touchdown grab in three straight games. Look for those two to hook up early and often in this contest.
The Wake defense forced three turnovers against a formidable Wolfpack offense in last week's win. Those takeaways helped make up for the fact that NC State piled up 379 total yards. Kenny Okoro had the play of the day for the defense. NC State drove the ball down to the Wake Forest 29-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but Okoro came through with an interception in the end zone to seal the win. Okoro also forced a fumble and finished the game with a team- high six tackles, all solo. He has two of the team's four interceptions on the season. Brandon Ghee leads the team with 30 tackles on the season, followed by Cyhl Quarles with 28.
The Demon Deacons have had to scratch and claw their way to a 3-2 record. But with the offense now rounding into form, and the home crowd behind them, this could be the game where they make a statement in the ACC.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Wake Forest 41, Maryland 17
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