UCF @ Maryland preview

Central Florida at Maryland

Last Meeting ( Sep 17, 2016 ) Maryland 30, Central Florida 24

Following two weeks of cancellations because of Hurricane Irma, Central Florida returns to action this week when the Knights visit Maryland on Saturday afternoon. While UCF has been not played since its season-opening victory against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 31, Maryland was off last week after opening with a pair of non-conference victories to start its campaign.

The Terrapins exploded on offense in the first two weeks, topping the 50-point mark in both contests and look to continue to roll in their final tuneup game before starting Big Ten Conference play. Maryland will look to shore things up defensively against another explosive-style offense as the Terrapins have allowed nearly 300 yards passing per game and allowed opponents to convert 50 percent on third-down conversions. UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who made his first career start in a 30-24 double-overtime loss to Maryland last season, looks to open up the Knights’ passing game, which accounted for 439 yards in their opener. Milton threw for 260 yards in last year’s meeting.

ABOUT UCF (1-0): The Knights exploded out of the gate with a 61-point showing to start the season, but because of the effects of Hurricane Irma, UCF has been limited in their ability to practice after the Orlando area recovered from the storm. Coach Scott Frost did not seem concerned about the extended time off, telling the media during his weekly conference call: “I feel really good about our players being able to dial back in.’’ Junior wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith caught a pair of touchdown passes in the season opener.

ABOUT MARYLAND (2-0): The Terrapins sport a strong running attack with an average of 315 yards in opening the season with victories against then-No. 23 Texas and Towson. While the Terrapins have piled that up with a committee of tailbacks, it has been the explosive Ty Johnson leading the way while averaging 15.1 yards per carry in the opening two games while piling up 256 yards. Freshman quarterback Kasim Hill has been efficient in running the offense, which is ninth in the nation with 315 yards per game on the ground.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Smith needs one more 100-yard receiving game to move into a tie for eighth-most in school history with eight.

2. UCF is looking to start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2013.

3. Maryland enters the weekend second in the nation in scoring at 57 points per game.

PREDICTION: Maryland 37, UCF 33