Maryland vs Syracuse
MD -1.5/Ov 58.5
A lot of talk about this 12:00 ESPN game. Syracuse opened as a field goal favorite and the line quickly got bet down and settled in with Maryland as a small favorite. I noted the line from the start as I thought the game would open Even or with MD as a small favorite since it is a home game. Syracuse is ranked 21, but that is more or less meaningless unless you like stats. Since 2015 there have been 23 games where a team ranked in the 20's has been a dog to an unranked team. The ranked team is 4-19 SU in these games and was 1-5 last year. Interesting, but does not come into play for me when capping the game. More interesting factor is scheduling. Syracuse has ESPN game week coming to NY for a massive home game against Clemson (the only ranked team on what is a rather easy schedule) next week after Clemson plays Texas A&M at home this week. Not the best situation for them from a scheduling perspective at all as they have to be looking a little ahead. On the other hand, this is a huge national spotlight game for Maryland giving Locksley a chance to prove they are on the right track.
Both teams are off FCS wins that really did not reveal much about either team. MD's game against Howard ended up as a glorified scrimmage where they worked on their passing game since Howard decided to play man all over the field. Josh Jackson (graduate transfer from VA Tech) looked good, but not great in my opinion. He had wide open receivers all over the place and many of his passes were a little off. He did a good job at staying in the pocket and his stats were good, and it was a good start for his confidence. Maryland played 4 quarterbacks and did not reveal much else on the offensive side. Like I said, Locksley used it as a scrimmage and kept a lot of the running game out of the playbook. The best takeaway for me was that they played a disciplined game with very little penalties and mistakes which is a huge turnaround from last year.
Syracuse dominated the line of scrimmage against Liberty, especially on defense which was to be expected. Liberty has been a good offense team in the past so Syracuse proved they will be strong again on defense, especially upfront. Offensively, DeVito struggled with his accuracy and threw two interceptions, but they were able to run the ball and lean on their defense. They also were moving some OL around. Babers has stated that the timing is simply off with his receivers as they have had injuries during camp. I like Dino Babers as a coach, and similar to Locksley, I think he held back some on offense so as not to show his whole hand to Maryland. I expect them to be better tomorrow.
Syracuse relied on its defense to set up their offense in 2018. They created a whopping 31 turnovers last year and put relentless pressure on opposing QBs. The strength on this team is their ability to pressure the QB with Robinson and Coleman. They have 8 returning starters on defense and have maybe the best defense, besides Clemson, in the ACC. Their one vulnerability appears to be their linebacking group. The key to this game is going to be Maryland's offensive line's ability to control the rush and use their speed on offense to take advantage of the aggressiveness of Syracuse's defense. I expect Maryland to focus on running the ball and using the short passing game and crossing patterns to prevent the rush from getting to Jackson and to exploit the linebackers. This is something Locksley did relentlessly at Alabama against SEC defenses. As I said last week, Maryland's offense is Alabama's offense. I expect to see much, much more of the running game this week and many McFarland touches.
DeVito has to look better this week at QB or Syracuse will have some issues offensively. I expect him to play much better. Maryland will likely force him into passing the ball and look to stop the run and use outside pressure from their two graduate transfers both of which looked very good last week. Maryland had some trouble against the run last year, so it has been a point of emphasis this year. Syracuse runs the ball well, but they also do not have an offensive line like many of the better Big 12 teams. I think Syracuse will have some trouble controlling the line of scrimmage and I expect the Maryland defense to play well, but I also think they will be prone to giving up a few big plays in the passing game or with DeVito running the ball.
This is a long winded way of saying I think we will see a very competitive game likely desided by a few big plays. As with any game, turnovers are key, but it is especially important in this game since Syracuse thrives on forcing opposing teams to turn the ball over since their offense has a tendency to turn it over themselves. I liked MD getting three, but I think the more prudent play is:
Maryland/Syracuse Un 60 -125
I bought a point and a half. One thing I know about Syracuse is that they have a very, very good defense. Maryland has great potential on offense, but they have a couple questions on the offensive line and it has yet to be seen if they are ready to execute against a good defense. I am also confident that Maryland's defense will be up to the task against an offense that is not yet up to speed. All the questions with both offenses and the few certainties we can point to dictate an under play for me.
I think the game is a toss up and lean to a MD victory at home due to a couple big running plays. I also think the look ahead may also play a small role. If MD could actually produce a real crowd I would like them more, but there will probably be almost as many Syracuse fans there as Maryland fans. This is one thing that Locksley and the Athletic Department have to work on since they rarely have a true home field advantage.
Looking forward to this one, so enjoy the game!!