Purdue Boilermakers vs. Maryland Terrapins: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/8/2022

Time: Noon ET

Venue: SECU Stadium, College Park, MD

Where to watch: Big Ten Network

DraftKings: Maryland -3.5

FanDuel: NL

BetMGM: Maryland -3.5

Caesars: Maryland -3.5

Purdue: 3-2 (1-1 Big Ten)

Maryland: 4-1 (1-1 Big Ten)

Purdue: won 20-10 at No. 21 Minnesota

Maryland: won 27-13 vs. Michigan State

This game wasn’t on the radar a couple of weeks ago, but the Purdue Boilermakers have at least made this matchup a tad intriguing after going on the road and upsetting Minnesota after just one week of being ranked. The Boilermakers knocked off No. 21 Minnesota by the final tally of 20-10 in what was an ultimate defensive clinic against one of the better rushing teams in the nation. It helped that Minnesota held star running back Mo Ibrahim out due to an ankle injury, but Purdue made sure to take advantage and jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Purdue held Minnesota to just 47 yards on 26 carries for the Gophers’ first loss of the season, while Purdue ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns. That offset quarterback Aidan O’Connell from throwing for 190 yards and two interceptions.

"It was a long week. I'm tired," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "Because you've got to prepare for these guys. They're really sound. They normally don't beat themselves."

This isn’t the first time that Purdue has found itself at the forceful hand of a top-25 upset. Go back to last year when Michigan State was making a charge for a spot in the College Football Playoff and the Boilermakers ended up beating the Spartans at home. And even No. 2 Iowa – which, let’s be clear; Iowa was not winning anything that year as the second best team in the country – was a win for Purdue at home. The Boilermakers even took down three ranked teams in 2018. But to do that without the star quarterback having his best game has to be encouraging.

"It was obviously frustrating. You never want to be on the sideline. It was hard to watch in practice and in the game last week, but I think it made me realize how much I do love my teammates," said O'Connell.

The Maryland Terrapins may not be ranked, but they’re absolutely an early threat to play spoiler in the Big Ten. After falling short in Ann Arbor last week, the Terps came back home with a resounding defensive performance against Michigan State, beating the Spartans 27-13 and sending that group into a ridiculous tailspin. Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 314 yards and a touchdown, and running back Antwain Littleton II ran for 120 yards and a score. More importantly, Taulia had that performance while his brother, Tua, was having scary concussion episodes with the Miami Dolphins.

"They're really, really close," Terrapins coach Michael Locksley said. "I think the one thing that was able to settle him down, was he was finally able to get a FaceTime with Tua, and Tua basically said, ‘Hey, I'm fine man. Go play.'"

The Maryland defense held the stout Michigan State offense to just 321 yards of total offense. Considering neither team had a turnover, Maryland dominated by hanging onto the ball for 36 minutes. Maryland has won nine of its last 10 straight up as a favorite; opening as 5-point dogs isn’t a bad number to have if you’re the Terps, especially if they’ve won eight of their last 12 home games.

This tends to happen with Maryland, where it goes on a run and somehow falls short of expectations later down the road. I like the way Tagovailoa is playing and if he can keep this pace up, Maryland will be a scary team in the Big Ten. Maryland by 14

Purdue is 6-6 ATS in its last 12 as an underdog.

Purdue is 7-10 ATS in its last 17 conference games.

Purdue is 1-3 ATS off a road in its last four.

Maryland is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 as new story.

Maryland is 4-3 ATS off a home win in the past three seasons.

Passing: Aidan O'Connell -- 1,199 yards, 8 TD, 3 INT

Rushing: Devin Mockobee -- 249 yards, 3 TD

Receiving: Charlie Jones -- 588 yards, 7 TD

Passing: Taulia Tagovailoa -- 1,416 yards, 8 TD, 4 INT

Rushing: Roman Hemby -- 369 yards, 3 TD

Receiving: Jeshaun Jones -- 253 yards, 2 TD