The Minnesota Golden Gophers are coming off a bye week for the first time in the 2024 season and will look for a third straight win this weekend when the Maryland Terrapins come to Huntington Bank Stadium. The Gophers enter the game with back-to-back wins over UCLA and USC, improving their record to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play in the process.

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This week, the Gophers will face the Maryland Terrapins who also hold a 4-3 record and snapped a two-game losing streak this past weekend against USC with a 29-28 victory, erasing a 14-point second half deficit.

Gophers Nation takes a first look at the Maryland Terrapins below.

Where: Minneapolis, MN

Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium

Time: 3:30 p.m. CT

Television: FS1

Odds: Minnesota opened as a 1.5-point favorite over Marlyand, the line quickly grew to 4.5-points. The over/under is set a 46.5 poitns.

All-time series: This will be the eighth all-time matchup between Minnesota and Maryland with Maryland holding a 4-3 advantage in the previous seven matchups. The Gophers however have won two of the three previous matchups in 2019 (52-10) and 2021 (34-16) while falling in 2020 45-44.

The Big Ten's all-time passing leader, Taulia Tagovailoa, exhausted his eligibility last season and has handed the reins of the Maryland offense to his former backup, Billy Edwards. So far this season, Edwards has been strong for the Terrapins, completing 195 of 278 passing attempts for 2,113 yards and 13 touchdowns while throwing just four interceptions. He's leading the Big Ten in passing yards per game this season with 301.9.

Maryland and head coach Mike Locksley are not afraid to rely on Edwards' arm. In four of the last five games, Edwards has had 40+ passing attempts, including 51 and 50 in their last two games against Northwestern and USC. Against the Trojans, Edwards was 39-for-50, a 78% completion percentage, for 373 yards and two touchdowns.

After back-to-back seasons of solid defensive play, the Terrapins' defense is once again an issue in 2024.

The Terrapins are giving up 24.9 points per game this season, putting them in the back half of the national rankings. While they have been strong against the run, holding opponents to just 102.7 rushing yards per contest, opposing passing attacks have routinely taken advantage of Maryland through the air. The Terrapins are allowing 269.4 passing yards per game this season and have given up 300+ passing yards three times, including a season-high 363 yards to Michigan State in Week 2.

First, it's worth noting that the Terrapins have a trio of really good playmakers in wide receiver Tai Felton, running back Roman Hemby, and wide receiver Kaden Prather.

Felton has been one of the top wide receivers in the country this season, with 64 receptions for 803 yards and six touchdowns.

Hemby continues to be one of the more underrated running backs in the Big Ten. He's averaging 5.2 yards per touch this season, with 100 touches for 516 yards and five touchdowns. He impacts the game in both the rushing and passing attacks, with 78 carries for 372 yards and four touchdowns, while also contributing 22 receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown.

Prather, now in his second season with Maryland, has 43 receptions for 461 yards and three touchdowns. His yards per reception are down by about five yards this season, but he has become a bigger part of the Terrapins' passing attack, with his 43 receptions surpassing his 2023 total of 42.

That being said, despite the trio of talented playmakers, the Terrapins haven't been particularly explosive offensively this season. While their 118 plays of 10+ yards rank 11th in the country, they have only managed 29 plays of 20+ yards and 13 plays of 30+ yards, with both totals putting them in the 70s and 80s nationally in those categories.

Being a road underdog is something Maryland has grown used to under head coach Mike Locksley. On Saturday, it will be the 21st time since Locksley took over in 2018 that the Terrapins have been an away underdog.

In the previous 20 matchups, Maryland holds a 3-17 record, one of the worst marks in the Big Ten during that span. Only Nebraska (3-18), Indiana (3-19), and USC (1-11) have worse records among teams that were underdogs in five or more games.

Notably, one of those three wins as a road underdog came earlier this season when the Terrapins defeated Virginia 27-13 as a 2.5-point underdog to the Cavaliers.

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