Military Bowl Preview: Maryland Terrapins vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
By Cory Forsyth
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
2013 Military Bowl
Teams: Maryland Terrapins (7-5) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (9-4)
Stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Annapolis, MD
Kick-Off: Friday, December 27, 2013 | 2:30PM EST
Watch It: ESPN, WatchESPN
The kick-off of the 2013 Military Bowl is almost here! The match-up is between the Maryland Terrapins and the Marshall Thundering Herd which will mark the Terps 25th bowl appearance. Maryland is 11-11-2 all-time in bowl games and have won five of their past six.
The Terps are making their first bowl appearance since playing in the 2010 Military Bowl where they beat East Carolina 51-20.
This should be an exciting game for any football fan to watch. Marshall brings their high-powered offense into Annapolis averaging 43 points per game, which is ranked seventh in the nation.
Maryland will look to stop the high-scoring Thundering Herd by pressuring quarterback Rakeem Cato and getting to running back Essray Taliaferro in the back field. The Terps defense has been able to bring pressure throughout the season and ranks tenth in the nation averaging three sacks per game.
Stopping the high-powered Marshall offense by not yeilding the big plays that the Terps seem to always beat themselves with will be the key to this game. Hopefully the home crowd will come out and help bring the noise to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Throughout the Edsall era at Maryland, we’ve become accustomed to hearing the phrase, “Maryland Pride”. With losing being the only thing Maryland has experienced in the first two years under Coach Randy Edsall, this game seems to have come together at the perfect time.
This year will be a winning season for the Terps and this bowl game will help spread the Maryland brand to a state that is longing for something to be proud of. Coach Randy Edsall had this to say about today’s game.
"“One of the things we’ve talked about is Maryland pride and we get a chance to play in our state capital. For us to be able to get back and to play in Annapolis will be great. We haven’t played there since 1965.”"
This Maryland team has experienced a lot of adversity throughout the season that has made them stronger. And with the game being played in the Old Line State there should be a lot of Maryland Pride seen and heard all game long.
Game Prediction: Maryland wins in a close one, 31-28.