Foster Farms Bowl features clash between Terps and Cardinal

Dec 30, 2014 - 3:37 PM Santa Clara, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - It's not the Rose Bowl, or even a New Year's Day invite for that matter, but the Stanford Cardinal can at least take solace in having a decided home field advantage for the Foster Farms Bowl on Dec. 30.

Stanford's campus is just 11 miles from Levi's Stadium, while the underdog Maryland Terrapins will travel some 2,800 miles from coast-to-coast in the first-ever meeting between the programs.

The Cardinal had reached four consecutive BCS bowl games before taking a step back this season with a 7-5 record. They won their final two games against California and nationally-ranked UCLA, but not before losing four times to Pac-12 foes.

This is the sixth straight bowl game for Stanford, which is 11-13-1 in postseason play. It won the Rose Bowl in 2013 and lost last year in the "The Granddaddy of Them All" to Michigan State.

Defense has once again been the Cardinal's calling card. They ranked second nationally in scoring defense (16.0 ppg) and fifth in total defense (287.4 yards/ypg).

It's the offense that has prevented them from living up to their preseason expectations, back when they were ranked as high as No. 11.

Kevin Hogan regressed in his third full season under center, throwing for just 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions. The senior QB, with plenty of big-game experience under his belt, tossed for a pedestrian 2,603 yards and did not provide much of a spark in the running game with 245 yards.

Neither Remound Wright nor Barry Sanders stepped up. Neither player recorded a 100-yard rushing game and combined for just 877 yards. Wright scored eight touchdowns, but six came in the final two games.

Stanford's best threat on the offensive side was Ty Montgomery, though he too saw a dip in production from his junior to senior campaign. After catching 10 TD passes in 2013, Montgomery scored three times through the air and totaled 604 yards on 61 catches this year. The playmaker did however, return two punts for scores.

The potential NFL draft pick is questionable for the game with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the victory over UCLA.

"He's slightly ahead of schedule," Stanford head coach David Shaw said of his star receiver before Christmas. "He's further along than we thought he'd be."

A defense full of upperclassmen was the linchpin to Stanford's moderate success. Defensive end Henry Anderson and strong safety Jordan Richards, both Pac-12 First Teamers, anchored the stingy line and secondary, respectively.

Anderson accounted for 13.5 of the team's 88 tackles for loss and recorded seven sacks. Richards finished with three interceptions and a team-high 52 solo tackles.

Maryland's first year in the Big Ten started swimmingly, as the Terrapins won four of their first five games. When conference play got going however, the club struggled and alternated wins and losses over its final eight games.

A loss to Rutgers in the regular season finale dropped the Terrapins to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten.

C.J. Brown orchestrated an offense that ranked near the bottom of the conference in yards (352.1/game) and may be without leading wide receiver Stefon Diggs for the finale.

Brown, already Maryland's all-time leader with 57 career touchdowns, needs 213 total offensive yards to pass Scott Milanovich for the most in school history.

The senior only averaged 173.6 ypg through the air but displayed his dual- threat ability by gaining a team-best 569 yards on the ground. He accounted for 20 total TDs and threw nine interceptions.

His No. 1 target, Diggs, may not dress due to a kidney injury that kept him out the final two games of the regular season. In nine games this year, Diggs caught 52 passes for 654 yards and five scores.

Deon Long will have to step up if Diggs sits out, and he has shown the ability to do so by hauling in 49 passes for 554 yards and two TDs.

Brandon Ross and Wes Brown split carries out of the backfield, as the two have combined for 798 yards and nine scores.

When the Terps got in the red zone they usually came away with points, scoring on 88.9 percent of their possessions, which ranks 19th in the country.

It was a Jekyll-and-Hyde season for Maryland's defense. In seven wins, the defense surrendered just 17.9 ppg, but the five losses saw the opposition light up the scoreboard to the tune of 44.4 ppg. The defense is also getting carved up for 438.1 ypg.

Cornerback William Likely was one of the few bright spots as he made conference First-Team honors thanks to six interceptions, two of which the sophomore returned for touchdowns.

Linebacker Cole Farrand finished tied for third in the Big Ten in tackles, averaging 9.2 per game, while Andre Monroe enters his final game tied with Mike Corvino (1979-1982) for the most sacks in Maryland history. The senior upped his total to 24 in his career with 9.5 this year.

Maryland may have the nod in special teams as it boasts the Lou Groza Award winner in Brad Craddock. Craddock was named the nation's top kicker by making all but one of his 19 attempts.

The Terps reached a bowl game last season following a two-year absence and lost to Marshall in the Military Bowl, which dropped its record to 11-12-2 in the postseason. They actually made this trip back when it was called the Emerald Bowl in 2007 and lost to Oregon State.

"This is a great opportunity for our team to play in Levi's Stadium and experience all of the special events that the bowl game and the city of San Francisco have to offer," Maryland head coach Randy Edsall said. "It will be a well-deserved reward for our student-athletes for their commitment to our program."

Stanford appears to have the advantage here given the proximity of the stadium to its campus and its recent success in bowl games. Maryland though, has won five road games this year and may be catching a Cardinal squad still reeling from its worst regular season since 2009.