GAME NOTES: A pair of unbeaten teams collide in College Park this Thursday, as the fourth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers take on the upset-minded Maryland Terrapins. As expected, the Mountaineers enter the contest undefeated thanks to a pair of victories over Western Michigan (62-24) and most recently Marshall (48-23). WVU has now won 37 of its last 43 regular season games, including nine straight versus non-conference opponents. As for Maryland, it is also in search of a 3-0 start following back-to-back wins over Villanova (31-14) and Florida International (26-10). The Terps, who have won six of their last seven home games, haven't defeated a top-five opponent since posting a 20-17 home triumph over then fifth-ranked Florida State in 2004. Thursday's game marks the 46th all-time meeting between West Virginia and Maryland on the gridiron, with the Mountaineers holding a narrow 22-21-2 edge. The Mountaineers have won the last three meetings with the Terps, including a 45-28 triumph last season in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers scored just six points in the first half of last weekend's game versus Marshall, but as all good teams do, they rebounded and scored 42 points over the final two periods to capture the victory. The team rolled up 511 yards of total offense in the game, including an impressive 362 yards on the ground. It was a solid follow up to its season opener, when WVU racked up 316 rushing yards and 226 passing in a lopsided win over Western Michigan. Leading the way last weekend, once gain, was the dynamic duo of tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Patrick White. Slaton rushed for 146 yards and two scores on 24 carries against Marshall, while White posted 125 yards and a touchdown on 17 totes. White also threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 13- of-18 pass attempts. Two of the premier players in the nation, Slaton and White combined for 206 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns in the team's opener. One player that has been overlooked a bit by the tandem is wide out Darius Reynaud, who has quietly put together back-to-back solid performances. After catching five balls for 92 yards in the team's opener, Reynaud hauled in nine passes for 134 yards and a pair of scores last weekend.

WVU's defense has given up a few too many points in each of its first two games, but the unit has done a solid job overall. After holding Western Michigan to just 277 total yards in their opener, the Mountaineers surrendered 387 yards to Marshall last weekend. The unit has shown some weakness against the pass, giving up 511 passing yards this season, but it has done well to limit its opponents to just 153 rushing yards in two games. The defense recorded just one turnovers against Marshall, but made up for it by posting four sacks. Reed Williams guided the defense with 15 tackles and a forced fumble, while Ryan Mundy added eight stops and fumble recovery in last weekend's win.

After racking up 428 total yards of offense in their opener versus Villanova, the Terps were slowed down a bit by FIU last weekend, gaining just 270 yards. The unit posted 135 yards on the ground last weekend and while that is solid, it isn't exactly the same as the 221 yards it gained versus Villanova. Keon Lattimore headed the charge this past weekend, rushing for 111 yards and two scores on 17 carries. It was the second straight strong effort by Lattimore, who gained 106 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries in the team's opener. Quarterback Jordan Steffy has yet to throw a touchdown pass through the first two games, but he has completed 75.5 percent of his tosses thus far. Last weekend, Steffy threw for 135 yards on 18-of-25 pass attempts. His main target thus far has been Darrius Heyward-Bey, who has 10 catches for 129 yards on the year.

Defensively, the Terps simply shutdown FIU last weekend, surrendering a mere 163 yards of total offense. Maryland, which gave up only 187 total yards to Villanova, including a measly 11 on the ground, held FIU to 82 rushing yards and just eight first downs. The unit also recorded three turnovers, while allowing FIU to convert just 1-of-10 third down attempts. Erin Henderson led the way for Maryland with 12 tackles and that was a nice follow up to his nine- stop season-opening performance. Kevin Barnes also came up with an interception for the second time in as many games.

Maryland has had a solid start to the season, but it has yet to face an opponent like this. WVU is one the most explosive teams around and with another big time performance from the duo of Slaton and White, it should be able to run away this one.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: West Virginia 38, Maryland 14