College football odds: Maryland at No. 8 West Virginia

Could Saturday be a trap game for West Virginia? It’s the Mountaineers’ final non-conference game before they begin life in the Big 12. WVU is a 28-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.

West Virginia has yet to play anyone of note this season, blowing out Marshall and James Madison. In Saturday’s 42-12 win over the Dukes, QB and Heisman candidate Geno Smith was 34-for-39 for 411 yards and five touchdowns. He now has nine touchdown passes this season already, which matches his incompletion total.

Smith’s favorite targets, Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, both had 100 yards receiving by halftime vs. James Madison. Bailey finished with 173 yards on 13 catches and three touchdowns, while Austin had 113 yards on 11 receptions and one score for the Mountaineers, who piled up 569 yards and improved to 13-0 all-time against FCS schools.

The Terps were beaten 24-21 at home by Connecticut on Saturday. Connecticut started quickly in going against their former coach, Randy Edsall, who left after 2010 to come to Maryland (2-1). Both sides spent much of the week downplaying talk of any hard feelings.

The Huskies outgained Maryland 148-80 in total yardage in the first half and controlled the ball for 18 minutes, 40 seconds. They also came up with timely plays, converting four of nine third-down situations to keep the Maryland offense off the field. Freshman Stefon Diggs had 223 all-purpose yards, including a 29-yard touchdown catch, but Maryland’s comeback attempt fell short.

Outside linebacker Darin Drakeford forced one fumble, recorded a sack for a loss on nine yards, and finished the game with a season-high eight tackles including six solo stops. Drakeford had a team-high four forced fumbles in 2011 which tied for the most in the ACC.

Last year, Maryland lost 37-31 at home to West Virginia. Smith threw for a then-career-high 388 yards and the Mountaineers withstood a furious comeback by Maryland, which was down 34-10 in the third quarter. Austin and Bailey combined for 19 catches, 235 yards and a touchdown.

West Virginia leads the series 25-21-2, including six straight wins dating back to 2004. The teams have met every season since 1980 with the two-year exception of 2008-09.

Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings. Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. Over is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings in West Virginia. Terrapins are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 meetings in West Virginia. Terrapins are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

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