Maryland Terrapins — 2014 Syracuse Football preview

maryland
Syracuse defeated Maryland last year

As we countdown to kickoff in August, we’re going to be doing a team-by-team preview each Tuesday over the summer. SU will continue its 2014 non-conference schedule when they host Maryland on Sept. 20.

SUPER DUPER SENIOR: CJ Brown, the sixth-year starting quarterback for Maryland, has seen it all. He’s seen two season ending injuries. Two different head coaches. Three different offensive coordinators. Now, in his final year, he’ll add his second conference affiliation to his resume as the Terps enter their first season in the Big 10 after bolting the ACC. Brown will lead a potentially high-powered offense with the return of several key players. Wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long are back from leg injuries, while Wes Brown returns from suspension to bolster an already deep running back group. If all of them can stay healthy, the read-option style offense that head coach Randy Edsall installed can improve on the 26.2 points per game (ranked 85th in the NCAA) Maryland averaged last year.

maryland
Syracuse defeated Maryland last year

» Related: Previewing Syracuse’s week 2 matchup against Central Michigan

WHO TO WATCH FOR: Five Maryland players were named to Preseason All-Big 10 Teams, including linebackers Cole Farrand (Third Team) and Matt Robinson (Fourth Team). Farrand was named an Honorable Mention All ACC selection last season after finishing second on the team with 84 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. Robinson, a former safety, is a threat in pass coverage, and finished fourth on the team in tackles (73) with 10.0 tackles for loss.

PREDICTION: This is an important non-conference game for the Orange in terms of bowl eligibility, and certainly a winnable one. The Orange dominated the Terrapins in the way to a 20-3 win at Maryland last year. There’s no reason why SU can’t do something similar at home. SYRACUSE 35, MARYLAND 31.

For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.

Avatar photo
About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.