Maryland vs. Charlotte Odds
| Maryland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-27.5 -118 | 64.5 -112o / -110u | -10000 |
| Charlotte Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+27.5 -104 | 64.5 -112o / -110u | +2200 |
The Charlotte 49ers' season has not gotten off to the start many would have hoped for.
First, their starting quarterback got hurt in the opener, and the defense gave up 43 points. Then, their second-string quarterback got hurt, and the defense allowed 41 points in a loss to William & Mary, giving the Tribe their first FBS win since 2009.
This next matchup will be their toughest test yet, and it remains to see if they can rise up from the ashes.
Their tough test is the Maryland Terrapins. Maryland cruised to an opening-game victory against Buffalo, as it dominated every facet of the contest.
However, the Terps failed to cover the spread.
The Terrapins are, once again, more than three-touchdown favorites entering Saturday.
Can they put the early nail in the coffin of the 49ers' season? The answer lies below.
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland is a pass-heavy offense behind junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa is coming off of a sophomore campaign where he threw for 3,860 and completed 69% of his passes, as he led Maryland to a 7-6 season while capturing a blowout victory in the Pinstripe Bowl.
His performance against Buffalo was a solid start to the season, as he threw for 290 yards but had one interception and no passing touchdowns. However, this week he'll have an even better matchup, as the 49ers have been torched through the air thus far.
Through two games, Charlotte has allowed its opposition to average 10.6 yards per pass, which ranks 91st in the nation. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg: the 49ers also rank 113th in Pass Play Explosiveness Allowed, 126th in Pass Down EPA per play Allowed and 124th in Pass Down Success Rate.
For Mayland, it threw the ball at a 58% clip against Buffalo, and we may see it be even higher in this matchup, given the struggles of the 49ers' secondary.
This will be the first pass-heavy offense that Charlotte will be facing, as its prior opponents only threw the ball 34% of the time against it. So, prepare for the 49ers to be exposed early and often.
Charlotte 49ers
The 49ers' offense has a big question mark right in the middle of it, as head coach Will Healy has yet to name a starting QB for this matchup. The good news is that Chris Reynolds and second-string James Foster have both returned to practice and should be options on Saturday.
If Reynolds does go, we should see the 49ers' offense pick up quite a bit. He was off to a hot start in the opener against FAU, as he went 14-for19 with 196 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injury.
While Reynolds will give Charlotte the best chance, he will be in for quite a challenge against this Maryland defense.
The Terrapins enter this contest ranking eigth in Pass Play Success Rate Allowed and are also 22nd in Explosiveness. So, Reynolds' average yards per pass of 10.3 is set to come way down.
We will see whoever is at quarterback throw it often, as the 49ers have thrown the ball at the same rate as Mayland. However, they've been in catchup mode and will likely be so again in this one.
Maryland vs. Charlotte Betting Pick
There's no sugarcoating it here: Charlotte is completely outmatched on the defensive side of the ball, and it has not shown us anything that points to it turning it around here.
Tagovailoa should go off against the 49ers' secondary. He is a very talented quarterback and has already displayed his ability to stretch the field with a vertical passing game. Expect Maryland to come out hot and drive down the field at will.
As for the 49ers, they will be behind quick and will have to throw to keep up, but Maryland's secondary was stout in its opener. With the Terps expecting a similar game script, they should be well prepared to minimize Charlotte's offense.
This number may be steep, but it is justified, given the disparity between these two teams. So, back the Terrapins in a rout.
