Stanford finished the season on a strong note, which earned them an invitation to the Foster Farms Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Their opponent? The 7-5 Maryland Terrapins. Stanford playing Maryland is uncharted territory, and if I’m being honest, everything I knew about Maryland athletics until this point could be written on the back of a postage stamp. Until today, here’s the extent of my knowledge on Maryland:
- They moved from the ACC to the Big 10 this past season
- San Francisco 49ers Tight End Vernon Davis graduated from there
- The Maryland football team periodically dons some of the most hideous uniforms known to mankind
- Their basketball team was pretty good in the ‘90s and early 2000s.
But that’s about it. I guess that’s one of the cool things about bowl season: you have the opportunity to learn about teams that flew under your radar.
Let’s compare wins and losses. Maryland lost a couple of close ones to fellow Big 10 rookie Rutgers and to West Virginia, however perennial Big 10 powerhouses Michigan State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin blew them off the field. Stanford lost three games by a total of nine points, but got smashed by Arizona State and Oregon. Maryland didn’t beat a ranked team all year, while Stanford only had one over UCLA in the final game of the regular season.
When comparing the two quarterbacks, Stanford’s Kevin Hogan has the edge on Maryland’s C.J. Brown. Kevin Hogan is the more accurate passer: he has a higher completion percentage (65.7% vs. 53.2%), more passing touchdowns (17 vs. 13), and fewer interceptions (8 vs. 9). Brown is by far the more mobile of two. While Hogan does have wheels, he’s only had one game this season with 50+ rushing yards, while Brown has had five such performances. He ran for 161 yards against West Virginia, 99 against Iowa, and 107 against Rutgers. It’s not surprising that Brown has more rushing touchdowns than Hogan (7 vs. 5).
Stanford’s running game hasn’t been much to write home about in 2014, but at least a running back is Stanford’s leading rusher. Maryland’s is their quarterback; Brown has rushed for 569 so far this year. Stanford will need to be ready for a dual-threat quarterback, but playing in the PAC-12 against the likes of Marcus Mariota and Brett Hundley, this isn’t really anything out of the ordinary for them.
While Stanford has had some Offensive Line issues this season, Maryland’s line is just as, if not more, vulnerable. In fact, Brown has been sacked 30 times this season compared to Hogan’s 21. This bodes well for a helluva party in the backfield on December 30. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP by December 29 because Henry Anderson and Co. need an accurate head count. Serious question: at Levi’s Stadium, does a Party in the Backfield become a Party in the Back Pocket?
My prediction: Stanford runs away with this one. The progression this young team showed in the final two games of the season gave me a lot of hope. I think the final score will be 31 – 13.
Aside from this Bowl game, I want to add one final note: I learned on Twitter this week that Kevin Hogan’s father Jerry passed away this past Monday at the age of 64. By all accounts, Jerry was a loving father and a standup guy. I know that he must have been very proud of Kevin’s education and football career at Stanford. I also know that the Kevin Hogan I saw in the UCLA game was playing with a purpose. I think I now know what the purpose was. My thoughts are with the entire Hogan family as they deal with this tremendous loss.
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