Maryland @ Virginia preview
Scott Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2009 ) Virginia 20, Maryland 9
After a heartbreaking road loss to Miami, the Maryland Terrapins (6-3, 3-2 ACC) face their second straight ACC road test when they take on Virginia. The Cavaliers (4-5, 1-4 ACC) are looking for a conference win to spark a second-half run.
The focus in this neighbor state rivalry will be on Maryland's defense and its ability to bend but not break against a prolific yet mistake-prone Cavalier offense.
The Terps are looking to find their footing again this week after allowing Miami to make a fourth-quarter comeback in last Saturday's loss. Hurricane rookie quarterback Stephen Morris led the comeback, hitting Leonard Hankerson for a 35-yard touchdown with 37 seconds left in the game. Morris, who was making his first official start, posted 286 yards on the Terps' defense.
Linebacker Alex Wujciak was a bright spot for Maryland's defense against the Hurricanes. He snagged two interceptions and ran one back 60 yards for a touchdown.
Like Maryland, the Cavaliers are coming off a tough 55-48 loss at Duke, falling to 1-4 in the ACC. Virginia quarterback Marc Verica threw for four touchdowns and a school-record 417 yards in that contest, but also three three interceptions. Virginia's defense also lapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing Duke's Desmond Scott to run for a 35-yard touchdown with less than 40 seconds for the Blue Devil win.
Verica has strong weapons working with him. Junior Kris Burd leads Virginia and ranks fourth in the conference with 68.7 receiving yards per game. He also has a team-high five receiving touchdowns. Fellow receiver Dontrelle Inman caught 10 passes for 239 yards against Duke last week, scoring one touchdown.
Offensively, Maryland will look to rookie quarterback Danny O'Brien after completing just 9 of 28 passes for 134 yards against Miami. He was also sacked twice and Maryland' shifting offensive line continues to be an issue.
Maryland ranks second in the Atlantic Division and is looking to keep pace with both Florida State (6-3) and N.C. State (6-3). Virginia stuck with Duke at the bottom of the Coastal Division. A win over Maryland would put the Cavaliers at 5-5 and one game closer to bowl eligibility.
Saturday's game will mark the 75th meeting between the Terrapins and Cavaliers. Maryland leads the all-time series, which began in 1919, by a 41-31-2 margin.