Iowa vs Maryland prediction, game preview, how to watch: Friday, October 1
Iowa vs Maryland How To Watch
Date: Friday, October 1
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Iowa (4-0), Maryland (4-0)
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Iowa vs Maryland Game Preview
Why Iowa Will Win
You know what you’re getting.
Iowa might not be explosive offensively, but the defense continues to be a rock and the other side is getting the job done.
Maryland has been bombing away with the passing game, but the Hawkeye D continues to keep the big plays to a minimum. It’s not taking the ball away like it did in the first two wins over Indiana and Iowa State, but it only allowed over 200 passing yards once and the run defense has been a brick wall.
Kent State is running on everyone and Iowa State’s Breece Hall is still terrific, but it doesn’t matter. The Hawkeye defensive front has yet to allow more than 100 yards. However …
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Why Maryland Will Win
The ground game is just along for the ride at Maryland. It’s Taulia Tagovailoa who has taken the job to another level.
Underappreciated on a national scale over the first month, he’s hitting 76% of his passes averaging over 300 yards per game with ten touchdowns and just one pick. He’s been brilliant, the receiving combination of Dontay Demus and Rakim Jarrett has been dominant, and overall the O is humming efficiently.
Iowa might have its style and system, but can it ball if the Terps get up early?
There might have been a slew of big plays from the Hawkeyes on both sides of the ball, but they don’t have enough of a downfield passing game and they’re not going to put up points in bunches.
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What’s Going To Happen
It’s a game of mismatched parts that comes down to just how much Iowa can maintain control and do what it does.
The pass rush is good enough to get to Tagovailoa and hurry him a bit, but the O was able to roll against West Virginia’s great defense and was solid against Illinois. There’s one issue, though …
The Terps didn’t score enough for all of those yards.
They scored enough to win the games, but they almost put up 500 yards on both the Mountaineers and Illini and couldn’t get the win.
They’ll get plenty of yards on Iowa, but they won’t be able to put the game away. It won’t be a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race for the Hawkeyes, but after a tough first half they’ll work their way back, the D will come up with one big stop, and the O will pull this off with a tough scoring drive.
Iowa vs Maryland Prediction, Line
Iowa 27, Maryland 23
Line: Iowa -3.5, o/u: 47.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 4
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