Stanford crushes Maryland in 2014 Foster Farms Bowl, 45-21

Stanford v. Maryland (2014) / Photo By: Felix Hernandez

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Behind a dominant offensive line headlined by Pac-12 All-Conference performer Andrus Peat, the Stanford Cardinal (8-5) destroyed Big Ten Conference newcomer Maryland, 45-21, on a cold night at the 2014 Foster Farms Bowl at Levi's Stadium, just a short commute away from their Palo Alto campus.

Stanford, initially ranked eleventh in the AP preseason rankings, capped an inconsistent regular season by controlling the line of scrimmage Tuesday night and rushing for 206 yards on 45 attempts.

Remound Wright scored Stanford's first three touchdowns, all on short yardage runs in the first half. In addition, freshman Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 57 yards on 7 carries, gave the Terrapins headaches on a variety of plays: sweeps, direct snaps from the wildcat formation, and a reverse.

The Cardinal also had its way through the air as tight ends Austin Hooper and Devon Cajuste could do virtually anything they wanted, combining for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Perhaps that was because quarterback Kevin Hogan was barely pressured and always looked comfortable in the pocket.  With such near perfect pass protection, Hogan had time to throw, allowing the tight ends to create enough separation against the Terrapins' safeties and linebackers.

Stanford took control of the game in the second quarter when Wright scored his second touchdown at the 11:46 mark for a 14-7 lead.

Stanford v. Maryland (2014) / Photo By: Felix Hernandez

Prior to that, the Terrapins' offense was able to compete early.  After Stanford scored a touchdown on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead, Maryland countered primarily by throwing to Stefon Diggs.

Diggs, who garnered Second Team All Big 10 honors, was activated for the bowl game after missing the last two weeks of the regular season due to a kidney ailment. He ended up with 138 receiving yards on 10 catches. Diggs has yet to announce whether he will stay in college next season.

From the second quarter onward, however, Stanford's offense was able to have its way with the Maryland defense by effectively mixing run and pass, maximizing their speed advantage, and pounding the Terps with their superior offensive line.

Stanford v. Maryland (2014) / Photo By: Felix Hernandez

Maryland never quite threatened Stanford in the game, as the Cardinal led 42–7 at the start of the fourth quarter.  The final 45-21 score did not reflect what transpired in the game, as the Terrapins scored two late touchdowns long after the outcome was decided.

With this bowl win, Stanford continued to build on the momentum that they generated from their best win of the season at UCLA in the final week of Conference play.  The Cardinal offense returns almost everybody next year and should be in very good shape even if Andrus Peat declares for the NFL. The defense, on the other hand, has to replace eight starters.

Despite the loss, Maryland (7-5) can be proud of its season.  They were competitive in the Big 10 and ended up with a 4–4 conference record, although they did let one win slip away against Rutgers in the last week of the regular season.  However, with the Terps' winning record, coupled with the news that the school is building a new $155 million football facility -- in large part because of its partnership with Under Armour -- there is an optimism that better things are in Maryland’s future.

By Christian Siagian
Contributing Writer for TheDailySportsHerald.com