Maryland Game Guide

Virginia Tech vs. Maryland

Time: 7:30 p.m.
Date: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Place: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
TV: ESPN

Last Meeting: The Hokies beat the Terrapins, 28-9, in College Park on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005...the Hokies had 286 yards rushing, including 133 from Marcus Vick...it was the Hokies' first win in College Park since 1932.

Trends: This is the third consecutive time the Hokies and Terrapins have played on Thursday...the Hokies have won their last three games against the Terps (dating back to 1993) and are 13-15 all-time against them...Maryland has not won in Blacksburg since 1949, although it has only played in Blacksburg twice since then...the Hokies have lost their last two games...they have won 13 of their last 14 home games...the Terrapins have won their last two games and five of their last six...the Terps have lost eight of their last 14 road games.

What to Expect: I hope the atmosphere in Lane Stadium will be electric Thursday night. The fans rarely disappoint, especially for night games. The team hasn't played in Blacksburg since Oct. 4 and hasn't played a significant home game since Sept. 13.

The players should be energized by the chance to play at home. As dreadful as they've looked the last couple of games, the Hokies should have an extra spring in their step Thursday.

I expect our quarterback will be Cory Holt for the Maryland game. Tyrod probably won't even dress and Glennon, although not exactly a fast guy, will still be hobbled enough by his ankle sprain that he may not be able to go. I kind of wish the coaches would just come out and say Holt is the starter. It would save everyone a lot of time.

With Holt under center, the Hokies will become even more of a run-oriented team than they were before. If Holt is forced to pass 30 times or more on Thursday, we'll be in trouble because it means the ground game isn't working.

Maryland hasn't played a road game since Sept. 4 when it lost to UVa 31-0. The Terps two losses this year both came on the road and they looked horrible in both of them. Their one road win came at Clemson when the Tigers were in the middle of their free-fall.

Hokies win if: Cory Holt is effective and efficient and the defense plays more like it did the second half against BC than in the second half against FSU.

Terps win if: They are able to run the ball and stop VT from doing so.

Dot-dot-dots: The Hokies and Terps have only met four times since 1950, will all four meeting coming since 1990...Frank Beamer was a grad assistant at Maryland in 1972 along with Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen.