Foster Farms Bowl: Stanford's defense will test Maryland

Foster Farms Bowl
Maryland (7-5) vs. Stanford (7-5)
Santa Clara, Calif.
Dec 30, 2014

Stanford and Maryland ended their seasons in very different fashions.

Stanford played its best football late as it defeated Cal and UCLA and the Cardinal offense, which had been spotty most of the season, came alive with 854 yards of offense behind quarterback Kevin Hogan, who completed 31 of 39 attempts for 448 yards and running back Remound Wright, who had six touchdowns in those contests.

Maryland, on the other hand, blew a 25-point lead against Rutgers in its season finale. The Terps lost three of their final five games after starting the season 5-2.

The biggest discrepancy in this contest with be Maryland’s offense against Stanford’s stingy defense. The Cardinal rank second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 16.0 points per game. They rank fourth in the country in total defense with just 287.4 yards per game. The Cardinal shut out two opponents this season and only allowed two opponents to score more than 17 points in regulation — Oregon (45) and Arizona State (26).

Maryland’s offense has revolved around quarterback C.J. Brown, who not only leads the team in passing, but also in rushing. Brown has 148 rushing attempts this season, 70 more attempts than running back Brandon Ross. Brown has rushed for 569 yards this season, and 194 of those yards have come in the Terps’ last two games. However, Brown’s passing game leaves a little something to be desired. He completed just 53.2 percent of his passes for 2,083 yards and 13 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He’ll be aided by the return of star receiver Stefon Diggs, who suffered a lacerated kidney against Penn State on Nov. 1 and hasn’t played since, but the Terps will still have to contend with a passing defense that allows just 111.8 yards per game.

Offensively, Stanford might find some success on the ground against a Maryland defense that allows 201.6 yards per game. Both Wright and Hogan found a rhythm on the ground in the final couple weeks and the Cardinal rushed for more than 200 yards in each of their final two games.

This game will come down to whether Maryland’s offense can move the ball against Stanford’s tough defense. This season, Maryland has faced four other teams ranked in the top 21 in scoring defense and its only victory was against Penn State. Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State limited the Terps to an average of 15.3 points per game and scored an average of 47 points per game.

Vegas odds: Stanford (-14)

FUN FACT This is the first time since 2009 that Stanford is not playing in a BCS bowl. The Cardinal actually have not won a non-BCS bowl game since shutting out Michigan State 38-0 in the Sun Bowl in 1996.

PREDICTIONS

Graham: Earlier in the year, Maryland struggled against Wisconsin to a 52-7 loss. Could something similar be in the cards? It’s certainly possible considering Stanford will be the best defense the Terps have faced this season. And the Cardinal offense also seems to be clicking at the right time. I think this is going to be a tough game for the Terps. Stanford 38, Maryland 10.

Nick: Oh, this game could be ugly. Both Maryland and Stanford have been unpredictable at times this year. There's a good chance one team shows up off its game while the other is firing on all cylinders. Maryland 24, Stanford 20.

Sam: Stanford played its best football of the year with back-to-back wins over Cal and UCLA to end the regular season. I think that'll carry over against a mediocre Maryland team. Stanford 23, Maryland 14.

For more Maryland news, visit TerrapinSportsReport.com.

For more Stanford news, visit CardinalSportsReport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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