FACTS & STATS: Site: Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500) -- Raleigh, North Carolina. Television: ESPN360.com. Home Record: Maryland 2-3, NC State 3-2. Away Record: Maryland 0-3, NC State 0-3. Neutral Record: Maryland 0-0, NC State 0-0. Conference Record: Maryland 1-3, NC State 0-4. Series Record: Maryland leads, 31-30-4.

GAME NOTES: A pair of ACC teams that have certainly experienced their fair share of disappointment this season will clash in Raleigh on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack play host to the Maryland Terrapins.

Maryland has lost its last three outings to fall to 2-6 overall, and the team now needs to win all four of its remaining games to have a shot at earning a bowl bid. The Terps simply didn't get the job done offensively last time out in a 17-13 loss to Duke on the road. Ralph Friedgen has experienced a great deal of success as the head coach at Maryland, but it has been a few years since the Terps were a legit contender in the ACC.

As for NC State, it is still in search of its first league victory. The Wolfpack, who are 3-5 overall and 0-4 in ACC play, have suffered four consecutive defeats, the most recent of which was a 45-42 setback to Florida State on the road last weekend.

Maryland has won its last three meetings with NC State to take a 31-30-4 lead in the all-time series between the teams.

The game against Duke took place two weeks ago for Maryland, which will have had two weeks to prepare for this clash with NC State. For the first 55 minutes of the game against the Blue Devils, the Terps managed just a pair of field goals. They scored their only touchdown of the day with 4:30 remaining, as quarterback Chris Turner hooked up with David Meggett for a 67-yard touchdown. Still, Maryland finished the contest with a lowly total of 249 yards, including 67 rushing yards on 31 attempts. The Terps turned the ball over twice and lost the time of possession battle by over four minutes. The Terps have the second-worst scoring offense in the ACC, as the team is only generating 21.6 ppg. Maryland is 10th in total offense with 325.6 total ypg, including 11th in rushing offense (96.5 ypg). Turner is not one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC and lacks elite talent around him.

Defensively, Maryland allowed 394 total yards to Duke, but the fact that the Terps surrendered only 17 points suggests that the defense played well enough to win. The unit was tremendous against the run, limiting the Blue Devils to 23 yards on 28 attempts, an average of 0.8 yards per carry. Unfortunately, the pass defense wasn't nearly as solid, permitting 30-of-43 passes to be completed for 371 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. Ben Pooler led Maryland with 13 tackles in the clash, including 2.5 TFLs. Pooler had a sack and a forced fumble, but his tremendous effort wasn't rewarded with victory. The Terps rank last in the 12-team ACC in scoring defense, as they are permitting 31.6 ppg. They are eighth against the run and 11th against the pass, so there is room for improvement in both aspects of the game.

NC State is scoring 33.1 ppg this season to go along with 409.1 total ypg, strong numbers for a team that is two games below .500. Inevitably, any talk about the Wolfpack offense always begins with Russell Wilson, the team's talented quarterback. Through eight games, Wilson has connected on 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,008 yards with 21 touchdowns against six interceptions. More than just a passer, Wilson has rushed for 283 yards and three touchdowns. George Bryan leads the team with 34 catches, Owen Spencer is tops with 452 receiving yards, and Jarvis Williams has seven receiving touchdowns. Clearly, Wilson is not short on options in the passing game. Toney Baker spearheads the ground attack with 513 yards and six touchdowns. Against Florida State last weekend, the Wolfpack racked up 538 yards and six offensive touchdowns, and the fact that they still lost the game was largely the fault of the defense. Still, Wilson did throw a pair of interceptions, and NC State finished with three total turnovers.

Opponents are scoring 29.4 ppg against NC State this season, and the team is allowing 341.6 total ypg. The Wolfpack have limited foes to 118.5 rushing yards per contest at a clip of 3.5 yards per carry, but 16 rushing scores have been permitted in eight games. Also worthy of mention is the fact that opposing quarterbacks have completed well over 60 percent of their passes against NC State with 14 touchdowns against six interceptions. NC State allowed Florida State to make good on 8-of-12 third down conversion attempts last weekend, a poor showing to say the least. The Wolfpack were gashed for 555 total yards and six touchdowns in that game, including five scores on the ground.

Go with NC State this weekend, as Wilson will put up big numbers through the air against a suspect Maryland secondary. Still, neither of these teams is headed anywhere fast.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: NC State 35, Maryland 20

November 7th, 1:00 p.m. (et)