Fearless Forecast: Maryland vs. Northwestern
Northwestern is back at Ryan Field for the first time in three weeks, and the Wildcats find themselves as double-digit underdogs yet again.
Maryland (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) will be back in Evanston for the second time in program history, looking for their first win at Ryan Field and to tie up the all-time series at 2-2. The Terps lost their last game two weeks ago on a walk-of field goal by Illinois, 27-24. They've had a bye week to stew on that performance, and will head into the game as 14-point favorites -- and with several injured starters back in the lineup.
The odds are stacked heavily against the Wildcats but their dogged defense of Ryan Field could tip the scales back in their favor, Northwestern is 3-1 at home this season, with only a loss to Top 10 Penn State.
Can Northwestern maintain its home-field advantage and upset the Terps, or will the Wildcats lose back-to-back games for the first time this season? Can Maryland snap its two-game losing streak, or will the Terrapins get shell-shocked by the underdog Cats?
Our staff weighs in with their predictions.
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MORE ON MARYLAND WEEK: Behind Enemy Lines: Maryland | Azema and Heard want fast starts to be the new standard l Brendan Sullivan taking it a game at a time in second stint as starter | Press conference notes: Braun discusses defensive struggles | The 3-2-1 going into Week 9
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Mattress Matt Shelton (6-1)
Nothing gold can stay, and neither could my perfect record. I bet on the Wildcats to pull off the upset last week but came up eight points short. Stung by my first miss, and with Brendan Sullivan still at quarterback to replace the injured Ben Bryant, I'm picking the Terrapins.
Taulia Tagovailoa is the best passer Northwestern has faced this season and has enough dual-threat capability to give the Wildcats pause. Maryland has a bye week of rest in their back pocket, a loss to Illinois to light their fire and bowl eligibility to fan the flames.
Above all else, I just can't trust the Northwestern offense right now. Mike Bajakian has done well against the Terps in the past, but after a 23-point effort against Howard and no touchdowns against Nebraska, I just can't see them scoring enough to stay in this one.
Fearless forecast: Maryland 27, Northwestern 10
Louie Vaccher (5-2)
What most concerns me about Maryland is that they can score. And the Wildcats really can’t. Northwestern’s offense is struggling right now, posting just seven points in the second half against FCS Howard and failing to score a touchdown last week against the Nebraska, despite having first downs at the Husker 9- and 13-yard lines.
So to win, Northwestern is going to have to muck up the game. They haven’t had much success running the ball this season (last in the Big Ten and 120th in the nation), but they’ll try to establish it to eat some clock and take some steam out of the Terps’ pass rush. Defensively, I think they’ll have success taking away the run and making Maryland one-dimensional. Northwestern doesn’t have much of a pass rush, so I think you’ll see them dropping seven or eight into coverage more often than they’ll blitz.
Northwestern’s defense and special teams played well enough to beat Nebraska last week, but the offense just couldn’t get into any kind of a rhythm and it cost them the game. I think the same thing will probably happen on Saturday. The Wildcats may keep it closer than expected, but in the end, I just don’t think they’ll be able to score enough to get the win.
Fearless Forecast: Maryland 24, Northwestern 16