While the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, may not be the most glamorous bowl destination, having been the subject of ridicule in more than one of these columns, the truth is the game itself could be fairly entertaining.
The Terrapin football team and Nevada appear to be relatively evenly matched, and it might actually be worth giving up a late Tuesday afternoon during your winter break to tune in.
If you do decide to watch, here are five things to look for from the Terps' side of things in the Humanitarian Bowl.
1. Will the Terps come to Boise ready to play, or will they be sleepwalking?
More than anything else this season, the Terps were defined by their inconsistency. One week they would show up with their A game and beat a ranked opponent, then the next week they would come out flat against a team they were expected to beat.
Coach Ralph Friedgen said several times throughout the season that he wished he knew which Terp team was going to show up, and he often didn't find out until after the game started.
The Terps seem excited to be playing in this bowl game, and Friedgen said practice went surprisingly smooth last week following a layoff after the end of the regular season.
Still, it's anybody's guess what the Terps' level of intensity will be on Dec. 30.
2. How will the absence of defensive coordinator Chris Cosh affect the Terp defense?
Cosh left the team earlier this month to take essentially the same position at Kansas State, and he will not coach the Terps in the bowl game.
Cosh was never exactly well-received by Terp fans, but his absence - as well as the absence of special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Danny Pearman, who took a job at Clemson - leaves the Terp coaching staff short-handed and could potentially lead to some minor instability.
Linebackers coach Al Seamonson will serve as interim defensive coordinator, and he is said to be auditioning for the job permanently.
Led by running back Vai Taua and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the Wolf Pack ranked second in the nation in rushing offense and 13th in the nation in scoring offense, so Seamonson and the Terps will have their hands full.
3. What will Darrius Heyward-Bey do in what might be his last game as a Terp?
The Terps' star wide receiver has until Jan. 15 to make a decision about whether to declare for the NFL Draft, and he is said to still be weighing his options. But this very well could be Heyward-Bey's last game as a Terp.
The junior has had an inconsistent season, dominating some games with his big-play ability and completely disappearing in others as opposing defenses keyed on him as the Terps' most dynamic offensive weapon.
Heyward-Bey missed the Terps' regular-season finale with a strained calf, but he will likely play against the Wolf Pack, which has the worst passing defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
4. Will the Terps be able to run the ball against the Wolf Pack?
As bad as the Wolf Pack's passing defense is, its run defense is ranked third in the nation, as it has allowed just 74.5 rushing yards per game.
The Terps' rushing offense - starting with their run blocking - has been very inconsistent all season, as the Terps rushed for more than 200 yards three times and for negative yardage twice.
Running back Da'Rel Scott finished the regular season second in the ACC in rushing yards per game, and he needs 41 yards to become the first Terp to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Chris Downs in 2002.
5. Will Jordan Steffy win this game for the Terps?
This may seem a little out of left field, but you may remember Friedgen's emotional guarantee the Tuesday after the senior quarterback injured his thumb in the season opener against Delaware on Aug. 30.
"I can tell you this," Friedgen said. "Regardless of who plays this week or next week or whatever, Jordan will come in and win a game for us before the season's over."
Well, the Terps have played 11 games since then, and Steffy hasn't yet seen the field, so the Humanitarian Bowl would be his last chance to prove Friedgen right.
And unless something happens to quarterback Chris Turner, it's probably not going to happen in this game, either.
Nevertheless, it's one of the more interesting subplots in a game that may be worth watching after all.
schimmeldbk@gmail.com
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