Maryland linebacker Cole Farrand greets fans before the Terps defeated James Madison University, 52-7, at Byrd Stadium on Aug, 30 2014.

On Saturday at South Florida, the Terrapins football defense will encounter a brand of offense that has become increasingly rare in college football.

The Bulls run a pro-style offense, a scheme characterized by the use of two backs and/or two tight ends in early-down situations. This philosophy has been less relevant in the college game in recent years because of the influx of spread offenses, which feature almost entirely shotgun formations and three to five wide receivers.

Most spread offenses focus on the vertical passing attack and use the read-option running play to keep defenses honest. Pro-style offenses, meanwhile, rely on smash-mouth running games. And South Florida put that mindset on display on Saturday when they rushed for 294 yards in a season-opening five-point win over Western Carolina.

“They are a power and straight-ahead [team],” Terps defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said. “We’re going to have to keep them in front of us and get them to fall down backwards.”

Running back Marlon Mack led the Bulls’ rushing attack against the Catamounts, accounting for 275 yards on 24 carries — an average of about 11.5 yards per carry. The 6-foot, 195-pound freshman also scored four rushing touchdowns in his college debut, three on runs of 56 yards or more.

“You look at [Mack] as a whole. You look at the speed that he showed, his short-area quickness and the power,” Stewart said. “He was able to show all of those things in the game film, and that shows that we have a challenge ahead of us.”

The Terps will rely on their depth up front on defense to counteract the Bulls’ potent running game in their first 2014 contest against an FBS opponent.

Playing against a pro-style offense means coach Randy Edsall will keep his base defense on the field for the majority of plays. That means more time for inside linebackers Cole Farrand and L.A. Goree and less time for cornerback Jeremiah Johnson, who steps in as the unit’s No. 3 corner in dime and nickel packages.

Farrand was limited to 17 plays during the Terps’ 52-7 win over James Madison on Saturday because of an undisclosed lower body injury. The senior said Wednesday that he’s feeling healthier and expects to play a full game against the Bulls.

“I’m really excited about this week. The rusher they have is very good. We definitely have to prepare for him,” Farrand said. “I know he’s only a freshman, which is surprising seeing his talent level. But we’re definitely practicing very hard and game-planning, and I think we’ll be ready for him.”

Along with the Terps’ inside linebackers, nose guards Darius Kilgo and Keith Bowers will be crucial in the defense’s ability to stop the Bulls’ rushing attack. The co-starters combined to make eight tackles last week against the Dukes, and the team will need them against a South Florida offensive line that features four players weighing more than 300 pounds.

“We just want to be able to keep our gaps as a defense,” Kilgo said. “Our main focus is just running to ball, being able to keep gap responsibility and just being able to stop the run.”

On offense, the Terps will look to exploit a Bulls’ secondary that surrendered 378 passing yards to Western Carolina, an FCS opponent, last week. Two of South Florida’s four starting defensive backs are underclassmen, and the unit includes only one senior on the two-deep depth chart, cornerback Chris Dunkley.

It will be a worthy test for quarterback C.J. Brown, who struggled throwing the ball against James Madison, completing 11 of 24 passes for 111 yards.

“South Florida defensively is a team that has good athletes,” Edsall said. “They have guys who can run, so we’ve looked at them and dissected them and are going to put together a game plan that we think fits what we do compared to what we see on film.”

The defense, meanwhile, will try to build on a quality performance against the Dukes, during which the Terps forced three turnovers and allowed just four third-down conversions all game.

“Our defensive is definitely clicking,” Farrand said.