Baltimore Area College Football Preview for September 20

Sep 13, 2014; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins kick returner Stefon Diggs (1) is pursued by West Virginia Mountaineers special teams player Dayron Wilson (25) at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland (2-1) at Syracuse (2-0)

Neither Maryland nor Syracuse have an especially convincing win on their resumes. The most impressive win between the two of them is probably Maryland’s 24-17 win over the American Athletic Conference’s South Florida Bulls, but they are typically bottom-feeders in that conference.

On paper, this is a pretty evenly-matched game.

Syracuse has been excellent running the ball this year, going for 212.5 yards per game. That ability to control the ball has helped the defense shut down opponents to the tune of just 14.5 points per game (although that number is skewed down thanks to a 40-3 thrashing of Central Michigan).

The Terps, meanwhile, have been slightly above average in both offense and defense, thanks in large part to a strong ground game and playmakers on the outside. For sure, Stefon Diggs is the most threatening playmaker Syracuse has seen this year. Diggs had a big game last week in a loss to West Virginia with 127 yards and a touchdown.

Though Maryland has the better roster on paper, they do have to travel to Syracuse, which isn’t always an easy task. Still, Maryland is better prepared for this game, having played a much tougher schedule to this point, so expect the Terps to handle the Orange.