Florida State Seminoles vs. Maryland Terrapins
by Mike Rose
Orange Bowl is within reach.
The Terps control their own destiny to win the ACC Atlantic Division, but the Noles are still in the chase with some help down the stretch. Maryland cracked the Top-25 this week, while the Seminoles have dropped out and will be looking for another impressive victory to get back in the polls.
For a few hours, Florida State was in the driver’s seat in the ACC, but blew it on homecoming weekend against Boston College essentially salted the final 9:00 of the game away and left Florida State bettors who laid the 7-points ripping up their tickets.
Ponder only completed 15-of-31 passes for 183 yards, but the bigger disappointment was the rushing game. The Noles averaged over 200 yards per game on the ground coming into last week’s game, but their leading rusher on the day was K/P Graham Gano, who scrambled 24 yards on a fake punt. RBs Antone Smith, Marcus Sims, and Jermaine Thomas carried the ball a combined 14 times for just a paltry 19 yards.
The Terps faired much better against the Tar Heels. In what could be a preview of the ACC title game, K Obi Egekeze booted a 26-yard field goal with 1:42 to preserve a 17-15 victory for Maryland, giving Terrapins bettors a victory as 3-point home underdogs.
The day belonged to the Maryland rushing attack. RBs Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett combined to tote the rock 42 times for 215 yards and two scores. It was a huge day for the running game, which only averages 152 yards per game, the 58th best mark in the nation. ‘Under’ bettors have had a field day of late in Maryland games. The 32 combined points marked the fifth time in the L/6 games that has resulted in an ‘under’.
Last year, the Noles broke a three-game coverless streak against Maryland by beating the Terps 24-16. The home team has won five straight meetings in this series, and the oddsmakers expect that trend to continue. Maryland has been installed as a narrow 1.5-point home favorite with a game ‘total’ of 45.5. Florida State is 9-4 ATS in the L/13 games in this series.
This is the first time the Terps have ever been favored against FSU!
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