Iowa vs. Maryland Prediction
Big Ten rivals clash in College Park, MD on Friday night when Maryland hosts No. 5 Iowa at 8:00 p.m. ET. Are the Hawkeyes the obvious play as a 3.5-point road favorite or is there a better play on the board?
Game Snapshot
107 Iowa Hawkeyes (-3.5) at 108 Maryland Terps (+3.5); o/u 47.5
8:00 p.m. ET, Friday, October 1, 2021
Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD
TV: FS1
Iowa Hawkeyes Game Notes
Iowa redshirt sophomore QB Spencer Petras completed 15-of-23 passes for 224 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Saturday’s 24-14 win over Colorado State. Petras wasn’t perfect today, but he flashed the downfield ability that Iowa saw when they tabbed the cannon-armed prospect Nate Stanley’s successor. Petras showed velocity and touch this afternoon, punishing a Colorado State defense downfield that was cheating up to flood the box against RB Tyler Goodson. Iowa needs Petras at his best next Friday, when the 4-0 Hawkeyes travel to 4-0 Maryland.
Maryland Terps Game Notes
Maryland junior QB Taulia Tagovailoa completed 31-of-41 passes for 384 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in Maryland’s 37-16 win over Kent State. It didn’t start out great with Taulia (5’11″/205) throwing a pick that allowed Kent State to get on the board, but it ended fine as Taulia settled in and went to work. As the main focal point of the offense, he kept things humming along. He made all the throws, and showed off his mobility on multiple occasions, rolling or evading pressure and remaining accurate on the run. His first touchdown was a pseudo double play action pass that freed up Dontay Demus wide open on the sideline for a 33 yard score, and the rest of his afternoon was pretty much more of the same. A fade to Rakim Jarrett who made a fantastic diving catch accounted for his second of the day, and a roll out throw to Corey Dyches in the flat made it three. Overall, Taulia completed passes to 12 different players. Taulia delivered the ball on time and on target, and had another impressive game even if the competition wasn’t quite up to snuff. Maryland will be much more tested against Iowa next Friday as they look to continue their undefeated streak.
Iowa vs. Maryland Betting Prediction
This feels like a trap game, so I’m staying away from the line. The total, however, looks to hold some value. The under is 5-0 in the Hawkeyes’ last five games overall, is 6-0 in their last six games in October and is 4-1 in their last five games as a favorite. On the other side, the under is 6-1 in the Terps’ last seven games overall, is 6-1 in their last seven games as an underdog and is 4-0 in their last four games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 5 PREDICTION: IOWA/MARYLAND UNDER 47.5
