Maryland at Wake Forest Spread

Written by Jack Jones

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons look to become bowl eligible Saturday when they host the Maryland Terrapins in ACC play. They will also be looking for some payback from an embarrassing road loss to the Terps last season. Maryland beat the Demon Deacons 62-14 at home, which was the fourth straight win for the host in this series. Quarterback Danny O’Brien threw four touchdown passes to lead his team to victory.

The home team is expected to win this one as well. Odds makers have installed a line of Wake Forest -10.5 over Maryland and a total set of 56 points.

Wake Forest

After three straight losses, the Demon Deacons now only have two more games to become bowl eligible. Wake Forest (5-5, 4-3 ACC) is certainly an improved team this season, but they have faced some very stiff competition of late. After losing 49-24 at North Carolina on October 29th, the Deacons fell to Notre Dame 24-17 at home the next weekend. Last Saturday, they lost a heartbreaker at then-No. 9 Clemson by a final of 31-28.

Clemson kicker Chandler Catanzaro kicked a game-winning 43-yard field goal as time expired to lead the Tigers to victory. This was only a close game because Clemson committed three turnovers while Wake Forest didn’t give it away once. The Tigers outgained the Deacons 522-317 for the game. Tanner Price completed 24 of 37 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown, and Brandon Pendergass rushed for 134 yards and two scores to help keep Wake within striking distance.

Wake Forest ranks 81st in the country in total offense (365.1 yards/game) and 62nd in total defense (389.3 yards/game). Price is having a solid year at quarterback, completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,326 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Pendergrass has a team-high 551 yards and seven scores on the ground. Chris Givens is having a monster year at receiver, catching 62 balls for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns.

Maryland

Injuries have really plagued the Terrapins all season in head coach Randy Edsall’s first year on the job. Maryland (2-8, 1-5 ACC) is in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Their lone wins this season came in their opener against Miami, and three weeks later at home against lowly Towson. Star quarterback Danny O’Brien has been lost for the season with an arm injury, only adding to their large list of injuries this season.

O’Brien broke a bone in his left arm in their 21-45 loss at Notre Dame last Saturday. He was replaced by C.J. Brown, who ran 24 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap a 97-yard drive. This was a one-sided affair most of the way as the Irish outgained the Terrapins 508-364 for the game. D.J. Adams rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries for Maryland. Quintin McCree added five receptions for 76 yards and a score.

Maryland ranks 69th in the FBS in total offense (377.6 yards/game) and a woeful 104th in total defense (453.3 yards/game). They will now have to go with Brown as their starting quarterback. He is completing just 49.5 percent of his passes for 490 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. However, he does give Maryland some dual-threat ability. Brown is their second-leading rusher with 387 yards and three touchdowns on the year. Davin Meggett is their top rusher with 714 yards and three scores, while McCree is their leading receiver with 35 grabs for 458 yards and a touchdown.

Betting Trends

The Terrapins are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall, and 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games following a SU loss of more than 20 points.

The Demon Deacons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a loss, and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games. However, Wake Forest is just 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games as a home favorite of 10.5 or greater.

After going 4-1 last Saturday on the college gridiron, Jack Jones is ready to deliver the goods again in Week 12. Sign up for a premium package today.

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