Minnesota at Maryland: 10/30/20 College Football Picks and Prediction
Photo by Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Maryland Terrapins (0-1) vs Minnesota Golden Gophers (0-1)
Game Info: Friday, October 30, 2020 at 7:30 pm (Maryland Stadium)
Betting Odds: Maryland Terrapins +20.5 -- Over/Under: 62.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Minnesota Golden Gophers will travel to Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium to take on the Maryland Terrapins this Friday night in College Football action.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers kicked off their 2020 season with a 49-24 home loss to the 18th ranked Michigan Wolverines this past Saturday. Minnesota came into this game with a top-25 ranking and was hoping to get off to a fast start, however, the Golden Gophers were outplayed on both sides of the ball against the Wolverines and couldn’t fight back after Michigan took a 42-24 lead with 5:20 left in the 3rd quarter. Minnesota was outgained by Michigan by a 478-326 margin and lost the turnover the battle by a 2-0 margin in the loss.
Leading the way for the Golden Gophers was RB Mohamed Ibrahim who had 140 rushing yards & 2 TD’s on 26 carries. Ibrahim also added 4 receptions for 17 yards. RB’s Treyson Potts & Cam Wiley combined for 28 rushing yards on 8 carries. QB Tanner Morgan completed 18 of 31 passes for 197 yards, 1 TD, & 1 INT. The top receiving threats for the Golden Gophers were Rashod Bateman (9 rec, 101 yards), Chris Autman-Bell (1 rec, 45 yards), Ko Kieft (2 rec, 29 yards, 1 TD).
Defensively, Minnesota has no answers for the Michigan rushing attacked as they allowed 253 rushing yards & 5 TD’s on 31 carries (8.2 yds/carry). Leading the way for the defense was Tyler Nubin who had 8 total tackles including 0.5 tackles for loss.
The Maryland Terrapins had a tough start to their 2020 season as they opened their year with a 43-3 blowout loss against the Northwestern Wildcats this past Sunday. Maryland kicked off the scoring with a 33-yard FG to take an early lead int the 1st, however, struggled the rest of the way agianst the Wildcats and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 30-3 margin. Maryland was outgained by Northwestern by a 537-207 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 4-0 margin in the loss.
QB Taulia Tagovailoa struggled in his first start as the brother of Tua Tagovailoa completed just 14 of 25 passes for 94 yards, 0 TD, & 3 INT. Tagovailoa was replaced late in the game by Lance LeGendre who finished the game 4 for 4 for 49 yards. The leading receivers for the Terrapins were Nick DeGennaro (3 rec, 42 yards), Dontay Demus Jr. (4 rec, 41 yards), Jeshaun Jones (5 rec, 37 yards). Leading the way for the Maryland backfield was the trio of Jake Funk (6 rec, 35 yards), Peny Boone (5 car, 30 yards), and Isaiah Jacobs (6 car, 15 yards).
Defensively, Maryland struggled against the rushing attack of the Wildcats as they allowed Northwestern to rack up 325 rushing yards & 4 TD’s on 53 carries (6.1 yds/carry). Leading the way for the Maryland defense was Chance Campbell who has 14 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
The Golden Gophers are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 road games and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Terrapins are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games and just 1-3 ATS in their last 4 home games.
Both Minnesota and Maryland are better teams then what we saw last week as both have major letdowns to kick of their season. Minnesota is no doubt the better team and should have plenty of success in their running attack with Mohamed Ibrahim, however, Minnesota has to be a bit concern about their defensive effort as they allowed Michigan run right through them at home. Maryland is a young team that struggled last season, however, between fact that the Terrapins do have some solid offensive weapons, led by Dontay Demus Jr. and that I expect a better performance by Taulia Tagovailoa, I think the play here is to take the home team and the points. Good Luck.
Brett’s Pick Maryland Terrapins +20.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault

Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05