Maryland +17 (3 units)
It's been a tough stretch for the Terrapins losing their last 2 games and 4 out of their last 5. However, there's good news on the injury report this week as Maryland coach Mike Lockesley said at his weekly news conference that graduate transfer quarterback Josh Jackson and redshirt sophomore running back Anthony McFarland Jr. have been practicing and are expected to return against the #17 rated Gophers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) in Minneapolis. “Both those guys are back at 100%. They practiced yesterday,” Locksley said of Jackson and McFarland. “They’re at 100% in terms of their expectation to play this Saturday. It’s good to have both those guys back as weapons from an offensive standpoint.” Jackson, who transferred from Virginia Tech after breaking his leg early last season, seemingly had found some of the rhythm he had lost in back-to-back defeats to Temple and then-No. 12 Penn State in the Terps’ 48-7 win at Rutgers on Oct. 5. But he was injured in the first half and has been out since. McFarland, who emerged as Maryland’s top running back when he broke LaMont Jordan’s freshman rushing record with 1,034 yards last season, sat out last week’s 34-28 home loss to Indiana after gaining just 4 yards on four carries in a 40-14 loss at Purdue two weeks ago. Senior right guard Terrance Davis, who sprained his knee against Temple and has not played since, participated in the portion of practice viewed by the media Tuesday. Davis, considered Maryland’s top run-blocker, was working with the first team at practice. The Golden Gophers find themselves in an unusual position sitting at 7-0 all alone atop the Big-10 West and one's got to wonder if the pressure is starting to build as they look ahead to what's awaiting them on the schedule in the weeks to come.