Clemson at Maryland Line

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the No. 8 Clemson Tigers will host the Maryland Terrapins in a key ACC matchup. The Tigers improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 inside the conference with a 36-14 win over Boston College last week. The Terrapins played No. 13 Georgia Tech tough, but ended up losing the game 16-21. Maryland is 2-3 overall, but are still in the mix at 1-1 in the ACC.

Taking a look at the week 7 college football spreads. oddsmakers currently have the Tigers favored by 9-points over the Terrapins with the total set at 54 points.

Clemson Tigers:

The Tigers blowout win over Boston College nearly came at a big price, as it looked like starting quarterback Tajh Boyd seriously injured his hip in the third quarter. The injury turned out to not be as serious as they initially thought, and Boyd is expected to be back in the starting lineup against the Terrapins.

Boyd threw for 283 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 37 yards and a score before leaving the game. The sophomore quarterback is a big reason why Clemson has got off to such a great start in 2011. Boyd has already thrown for 1,742 yards with 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions.

While Clemson has a number of skill players who can make big plays, the two players you have to watch out for our freshman wide out Sammy Watkins and junior running back Andre Ellington. Watkins leads the team with 38 receptions for 623 yards and six touchdowns, while Ellington has carried it 115 times for 528 yards and five scores.

With Boyd expected to play, the Tigers should have no trouble moving the ball against a soft Maryland defense. The Terrapins come in giving up just over 407 yards of total offense per game. Maryland is 90th against the run (196.4 ypg) and 40th against the pass (210.8 ypg).

Maryland Terrapins:

The Terrapins nearly pulled off a huge comeback last week against the Yellow Jackets. Maryland trailed 3-21 heading into the fourth quarter, but two quick touchdowns had the Terrapins trailing 16-23 with 7:33 left to play. Maryland got the ball with 4:11 left for a chance to take the lead, but turned the ball over on downs.

If the Terrapins are going to have any shot at beating Clemson this week, they are going to need their offense to play the entire game like they did in the final quarter.

Starting quarterback Danny O’Brien has been a major disappointment so far in 2011, and could have very well lost his job to fellow sophomore C.J. Brown, who replaced O’Brien in the second quarter against Georgia Tech. O’Brien was just 1 of 6 for 17 yards with an interception, but Brown wasn’t much better, completing just 4 of 17 for 36 yards with an interception. However, Brown had a team-best 124 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

When Maryland is moving the ball offensively, it is usually a result of the running game. Behind Brown and senior running back Davin Meggett the Terrapins rushed for 246 yards against Yellow Jackets. Look for Maryland to really stress running the football against Clemson this week, as the Tigers come in giving up 160.3 rushing yards a game.

Betting Trends:

Clemson is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.

Maryland is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 conference games.

Be sure to stop back and check out what Steve Janus has to offer in week 7 of college football. Steve is 18-4 over his last 32 NCAAF plays, which has him ranked No. 8 on the college boards in 2011!

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