The Maryland Terrapins started the season with a 79-0 season-opening deconstruction of Howard followed by a dominating 63-20 week two victory over then No. 21 Syracuse. Maryland was then ranked going into their last non-conference game against Temple but lost 20-17 and then were blown out by Penn State the following week. In the past three weeks, the Terps blew out Rutgers and most recently lost to Purdue and Indiana.

The injury bug has affected Maryland in a big way this season. Many Terrapins have suffered season-ending injuries, including key players running back Lorenzo Harrison, receiver Jeshaun Jones, and cornerback Tino Ellis. Starting quarterback Josh Jackson and starting running back Anthony McFarland have missed games as well; however, both are expected to play on Saturday.

- Maryland is the No. 8-graded team in the Big Ten at 78.5, and the 67th highest graded team in the country. They rank 9th in total offense (63.5), 12th in passing offense (52.2), and hold the lead for the highest-graded rushing team in the conference (85.1). They rank 14th in pass block (48.8) and 8th in run block (59.2).

- Starting quarterback Josh Jackson is healthy for Saturday, according to Maryland coach Mike Locksley, but he has been a bottom-tier Big Ten quarterback all season. Among quarterbacks with at least 150 dropbacks, he ranks 12th (last place) in overall grade (50.4) and passing (49.7) in the conference. His adjusted completion percentage beats out only Brandon Peters at 65.5%. Jackson is sixth in the Big Ten in QB Rating under pressure (69.6) but is 11th when he's kept clean (96.8). Jackson has got the ball out of his hands in an average of 2.40 seconds per pass, 2nd fastest in the Big Ten. His QB rating is 97.7 when he gets the ball out in 2.50 seconds or less, and 68.8 on anything longer.

Jackson fared better in 2018 and 2017, when he finished with grades of 72.2 and 67.2, respectively. In both seasons he was the starting quarterback at Virginia Tech but sat out the 2018 season due to injury.

- Junior Javon Leake is averaging 8.5 yards per carry, best in the Big Ten. He grades out as the conference's best runner (92.5), has by far the highest elusive rating in the Big Ten (185.5), and is second in the B1G in breakaway percentage (59.1%). He is tied with Anthony McFarland for the team lead in touchdowns with 7. McFarland is the 15th ranked rusher in the conference (73.3). His elusive rating is 19th (56.8) and his breakaway percentage is 7th in the Big Ten (47.9). The two team-up to lead the top-graded rushing team in the Big Ten at 85.1.

- Wide Receiver Dontay Demus Jr. is the highest graded wide receiver on the Terrapin roster with over 15 targets at 72.0. The second best is Brian Cobbs at 63.9. Demus Jr. is averaging 16.6 yards per reception and has 466 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Cobbs and Daryl Jones are the only other Terrapins receivers with over 100 yards this season.

- Tight End Chigoziem Okonowo is the second-highest graded pass catcher on the team at 70.7. He has 16 catches this season for 164 yards and two touchdowns. TE Tyler Mabry grades out at 54.2 receiving and has 11 catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

(Rushing stats: Min 40 carries. Passing Stats: Min 150 Dropacks. Receiving Stats: Min 15 Targets)

- The Gophers hold the No. 7 graded rushing defense in the Big Ten and are going to need to stop the top-graded Maryland rushing attack. The Terrapin run game only been held under a 70 grade twice, and those were in losses to Temple (67.8) and Penn State (57.0).

- The Maryland passing attack that's graded 12th in the Big Ten is going to be facing a Gopher unit that grades out at 90.2 in coverage, good for third-best in the Big Ten. With the lack of receiving options outside of Demus and the tight ends, and one of the worst graded passers in the conference, Maryland is going to need an outlier of a game through the air against a good secondary.