College Football

Michigan finds solutions in a season full of problems, both on and off the field

Updated Nov. 21, 2023 1:05 p.m. ET

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Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The maize-and-blue celebration spilled from the visiting sideline toward the hash marks along the northern side of SECU Stadium. Players, coaches, staffers and administrators congregated on either side of the 50-yard line as props were distributed and fans from an overwhelmingly pro-Michigan crowd squirmed their way onto the field, eager to join the fun.

Some of the Wolverines held football-shaped cutouts emblazoned with the number 1,000. Others were tasked with joining the two signs that, when separated, read "1,000" and "wins" but together described the program's remarkable achievement in the wake of a 31-24 escape against Maryland on Saturday afternoon. 

The victory improved Michigan's record to 5-0 in games played without head coach Jim Harbaugh this season. It ensured the third-ranked Wolverines will enter the annual showdown with Ohio State unbeaten for the second consecutive year. And on a scale far bigger than that, it made Michigan the first team in college football history to reach 1,000 wins.

As the public address announcer implored a few dozen Michigan fans to return to their seats after rushing the field, a ladder was brought onto the turf for the purpose of taking a group photo. There were cheesy grins and tasteful smiles, funny faces and stone-cold glances. But the glaring absence of Harbaugh, who was serving the second game of his second three-game suspension, is what most folks will notice when the picture is inevitably hung in Schembechler Hall.

"First, we need to edit Coach [Harbaugh] in there," said acting coach Sherrone Moore. "There's enough technology in the world today that we can get that done. So we can do that. But it's historic to be a part of this university, this place, this team. Really cool just to be a part of it. The guys are just ecstatic to get that 1,000th win, but they all knew exactly what time it was. They all know what's ahead. Super excited for that challenge."

What's ahead is next week's titanic matchup with No. 2 Ohio State, which did its part to maximize the stakes by walloping Minnesota and matching the Wolverines' undefeated record. Coupled with Michigan's back-to-back wins over the Buckeyes for the first time this century, the never-ending drama that has engulfed Harbaugh and his team will make this year's version of The Game one of the most complicated — and consequential — iterations of the rivalry. No program has produced more negative headlines and fueled more conspiracy theories than Michigan this season, and yet all the Wolverines do is keep beating the opponents in front of them. Their average margin of victory stands at 29.3 points per game.

And so, regardless of what folks may think about the alleged actions or inactions of Harbaugh and his staff, which continues to shrink on what feels like a weekly basis, it's fairly impressive how resolute and resilient this group of players continues to be.

Consider some of the things they've dealt with this calendar year: the latest Harbaugh flirtation with the NFL; the unexpected firing of offensive coordinator Matt Weiss; the first NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations; the resulting three-game suspension of Harbaugh that sidelined him for most of September; the unearthing of an alleged cheating ring masterminded by former analyst Connor Stalions; the second three-game suspension of Harbaugh; the implication of a booster known as "Uncle T" who may or may not have funneled money to Stalions; and, most recently, the dismissal of linebackers coach Chris Partridge some 24 hours before the Maryland game for his alleged interference with the NCAA investigation into Michigan's sign-stealing activity. 

How Michigan could look vs. Ohio State in "The Game"

During Saturday's postgame news conference, a reporter asked linebacker Michael Barrett, a sixth-year senior and one of the team's most respected leaders, if the nature of this tumultuous season causes players to wonder what might possibly happen next. 

"I try to tell the guys, man, I've been through so much I don't think nothing can break me," Barrett said. "Nothing can kind of pull my focus away from our ultimate goal. And we've just got to keep that mindset. We all know what our goals are at the end of the year."

Their goals are to notch a third consecutive win over Ohio State for the first time since 1995-97; to capture a third consecutive Big Ten title for the first time since 1990-92; and to secure the program's first outright national championship since head coach Bennie Oosterbaan was prowling the sideline in 1948. All of which are likely to hinge on what happens when the Buckeyes visit Michigan Stadium next week.

Highlights: No. 3 Michigan holds off Maryland

"Now that we're able to finally shift our focus to Ohio State," defensive back Mike Sainristil said, "everything is going into this game, you know what I mean? This is where a championship can be won, and hopes for [the] playoffs, a Big Ten Championship is all going into this game. So I can't wait for that opportunity next Saturday."

To get there, Michigan had to weather its most difficult on-field challenge yet against a surprisingly competitive Maryland team that had multiple chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The unsightly nature of what finished as the Wolverines' most narrow victory of the season made it fair to wonder if Ohio State had entered their subconscious too soon, or if the sheer volume of off-field chaos had swelled into a legitimate hindrance.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy turned in his worst performance of the year against Power 5 competition (12-of-23 for 141 yards) and was fortunate to finish with only one interception. Tailbacks Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards combined to rush for just 3.4 yards per carry as the Wolverines' offense produced just 8 points in the second half. They fought through injuries to No. 1 wide receiver Roman Wilson, who absorbed a big hit to the head and never returned; left tackle Myles Hinton, who was already filling in for injured starter LaDarius Henderson; and Barrett, who said he sprained the AC joint in his shoulder but returned to the game anyway.

"Nothing Tylenol can't fix," Barrett said with an ice pack strapped across his chest.

Another apt solution in a season full of problems.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.

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Michael Cohen