Iowa Hawkeyes at Maryland Terrapins Betting Preview
Friday night features a battle of unbeaten Big Ten teams as the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0) take on the Maryland Terrapins (4-0). Maryland will host this one at Maryland Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
Iowa has won every game thus far by at least 10 points. Last week, they beat Colorado State 24-14 at home. In the victory, quarterback Spencer Petras threw for 224 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Maryland has also played well to start the season, and they won easily last week over Kent State 37-16. Taulia Tagovailoa led the Terrapins with 384 yards passing, three touchdowns, and an interception.
The Hawkeyes are the favorites despite playing on the road. They are -170 to win while the Terrapins’ moneyline sits at +138. The spread features Maryland +3.5 (-124), and the over/under for total points is 47.5 (-110).
More Odds
Iowa currently is tied for the second-best odds of winning the Big Ten championship at +450. Despite their strong start, Maryland is just +10000 to win.
In terms of the National Championship, Iowa is tied for the sixth-best odds at +4000. Maryland is +30000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Iowa is 10-0 in their last ten games, and they are 6-1 in their last seven road games. They are also 7-0 in their last seven games when matching up with a Big Ten opponent.
Maryland comes into this one 4-1 in their last five games, and they are 4-1 against the spread in their last five home games. Despite that, they are just 2-4 against the spread in their last six games when playing on a Friday.
Defense Carrying Iowa Right Now
While the offense has done enough to get the job done, it has been the Hawkeyes’ defense that has been the strength early on this season. They currently rank third in the nation in scoring defense (allowing 11 points per game), and they rank 11th in yards allowed per game (271.5 yards).
As good as the defense has been, Iowa is looking for their offense to step up too. Heading into play Friday, Iowa ranks just 56th in scoring, averaging 28.8 points per game.
Leading the offense is quarterback Spencer Petras. He has thrown for 684 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. For a program known for their offensive lines, one concerning stat is the nine sacks Petras has already taken through four games.
On the ground, Tyler Goodson has been carrying the load. He has rushed 80 times for 364 yards and five scores thus far.
Tagovailoa Leading Stellar Passing Offense
While Iowa has the solid defense, it is the Terrapins’ offense that has them currently undefeated. In particular, it is their passing offense that has impressed as they rank eighth in passing yards averaging 355.3 yards per game.
Under center is quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. This season, he has thrown for 1,340 yards, ten touchdowns, and just a single interception.
Tagovailoa’s favorite targets have been Dontay Demus Jr. (446 yards receiving, three touchdowns), Rakim Jarrett (265 yards receiving, three touchdowns), and Jeshaun Jones (201 yards).
Defensively, the Terrapins rank 25th in scoring defense, allowing an average of 19 points per game.
Take Maryland And The Points
This should be a really fun matchup to watch. It will be a matchup of Iowa’s solid defense versus Maryland’s high-octane offense.
One of the biggest questions will be how Maryland’s defense can hold up against Iowa’s rushing attack. Currently, Maryland ranks 34th in rushing defense, allowing 116 yards per game.
If they can take care of business on defense, Maryland has a good shot of winning this one outright. Regardless, it should be a close one throughout. For that reason, take the points, which means taking Maryland +3.5.
