Maryland football: Point spread posted for week two primetime game vs. Charlotte

With a win already under its belt, Maryland football looks to stay perfect with a home game against Charlotte on Saturday night.

The Terps were expected to be big favorites against the 49ers, and the initial betting lines confirmed that. As of Monday morning, the Terps are a four-possession favorite; Maryland is -25 per DraftKings Sportsbook (-3200 money line) and -24.5 per FanDuel Sportsbook (-3500 money line). Both sportsbooks have the scoring total set at 50.5 points.

Maryland is coming off a 38-6 victory against in-state Towson. Not much can be taken as concrete from a blowout win against an FCS foe where starters did not play into the fourth quarter, but there were still some notable ups and downs. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa looked sharp, completing 22 of 33 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns; Tagovailoa also ran in a 23-yard score to open the game. If it were not for a bunch of drops and shaky blocking, Tagovailoa could have had an even better showing in the box score. The Terps did not cover the 39.5-point spread.

“Our team, I thought, came in prepared to play,” head coach Mike Locksley said postgame. “We got off to the fast start that we'd like to get off to, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, and I think you can attribute some of that to our fans because our student section especially gave us that energy right from the start. Obviously, there's always things we need to get cleaned up, which we'll do.”

Charlotte is also 1-0, having beaten South Carolina State, also an FCS team, 24-3 in week one. Charlotte went down 3-0 in the second quarter but scored 24 unanswered points to win easily. Quarterback Jalon Jones completed 13 of 19 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Jones also ran for one touchdown and threw two interceptions. Charlotte did not cover the 24-point spread.

Charlotte is stacked with Maryland connections in addition to Poggi. Offensive coordinator Mike Miller was previously Locksley's tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator. And the Maryland connections led to a large crew of Terps reserves transferring there, including defensive back Isaiah Hazel, defensive lineman Zion Shockley, fullback Joey Bearns and offensive lineman Ja'Khi Green.

Saturday will mark game two as Charlotte head coach for Biff Poggi, the longtime Maryland high school football coach at both Gilman and Saint Frances. It is also the return game of a home-and-home that was scheduled by former Terps head coach DJ Durkin in March 2016. The Terps beat the 49ers in blowout fashion, 56-21, in Charlotte last season.

The game will signify Maryland’s first appearance on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night, which is a part of the conference’s new TV deal. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at SECU Stadium.