Score Predictions for West Virginia @ Maryland
Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 30, Maryland 27
The Terps are much better than people think. Are they going to compete for a Big Ten title? No. Are they going to be a bowl-eligible team? Maybe. Are they only going to win a few games? Probably more than a few. Maryland's offense is led by Taulia Tagovailoa and now that he's got some experience under his belt as the team's starter, he is starting to gain confidence. WVU will have a challenge matching up with receivers Dontay Demus and Rakim Jarrett, meaning I could see the Terps keeping pace in this one until the very end.
However, I do believe from a depth perspective, West Virginia is in a much better place on both sides of the ball. WVU's defensive line should control and dominate the line of scrimmage against an inexperienced Maryland o-line. This will be a factor late in the game and WVU will get the big stops when they need them to leave College Park with the win.
Christopher Hall: West Virginia 41 Maryland 17
The theme from the West Virginia coaching staff on Tuesday was "unknowns". Maryland is in year three under Mike Locksley. The Terrapins are a young group but they are talented while West Virginia is steps ahead in Neal Brown's first year.
A lot of optimism came out of fall camp with the development of quarterback Jarret Doege and the receivers but it's unclear how it will translate over to game days.
Nonetheless, I believe this West Virginia team has made big strides this offseason and will hit the ground running. I suspect the Mountaineers will take the early advantage and the Terrapins will fight back to keep it within striking distance before the Mountaineers start to impose their will late in the first half and it will carry over to the second half as West Virginia pulls away for a big 41-17 season-opening win.
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