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Michigan Football Knocks Out Maryland For Win No. 9
With former Michigan football defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin taking his Maryland team to Ann Arbor, the Wolverines welcomed him back with a bang.
The 4-4 Maryland Terrapins could have become bowl eligible with a win against Michigan football on Saturday, but the Wolverines dashed those hopes just a couple minutes after they sang the national anthem.
First-year Maryland coach D.J. Durkin, who was Michigan’s defensive coordinator last season, got a taste of what other teams had to face a year ago in Ann Arbor. His Terrapins were held to three points in a 59-3 Michigan win.
Wilton Speight had a career day with 362 passing yards and two touchdowns. That’s a rather surprising stat because Maryland has actually defended well against the pass this season, allowing 181.9 yards per game. John O’Korn played the final couple drives for the Wolverines and added 25 yards of his own.
It’s the ground game where Maryland’s defense typically struggles, but it wasn’t like the Terrapins traded one strength for another; they were still bad in that department. Michigan rushed for 273 yards. De’Veon Smith led all rushers with 114 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
This game was never in doubt for Michigan, which scored 45 points for the sixth time this season. Additionally, this is the sixth time that the Wolverines’ opponent wasn’t able to score more than 10 points.
You’re familiar with Jabrill Peppers, yes? He had five tackles for loss and 19 rushing yards. He wasn’t a very big part of the offense against Maryland, but that’s because he wasn’t needed. His next true chance for a Heisman moment might come next Saturday on the road against Iowa.
Michigan struggled early to contain Maryland’s spread attack. The Terrapins were consistently getting the edge. It didn’t result in points, and the Wolverines were eventually able to contain that, but it’s something to keep in mind with Indiana and Ohio State still on the schedule.
One of the most pleasing stats from this game is that Michigan didn’t punt once. It was probably going to on its final drive, facing a potential fourth-and-4, but a roughing the passer penalty resulted in an automatic first down.
Maryland quarterback Perry Hills, the Big Ten’s most efficient passer coming into this week, started the game 4 of 4 for 71 yards, but he took a hit and had to leave. Caleb Rowe stepped in his place and was largely ineffective, throwing two interceptions to Delano Hill.
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