Maryland hits the road this week to face the 3-0 Michigan Wolverines, its first in-conference opponent of the season.
With three wins on their own belt, Maryland will face its toughest opponent yet. Last season, the Wolverines traveled to College Park and defeated the Terps on their own turf, 59-18. QB Taulia Tagovailoa was limited to just 178 passing yards and a single touchdown.
Michigan eventually won the 2021 Big Ten Championship against Iowa, 42-3.
The Wolverines are currently ranked No. 4 in the country after coming off of three dominant wins against Colorado State, Hawai’i, and Connecticut. On average, Michigan has scored more than 50 points per game.
“We have nothing to lose,” said head coach Mike Locksley in Tuesday’s press conference. “We are going to face the reigning champs, and we know we’ll get a really, really good team.”
Saturday is certainly Maryland’s biggest test yet, meaning there is far less room for error on both sides of the ball. Last week against SMU, Maryland racked up 15 penalties for a loss of 141 yards. Should the penalties even halve that number in this matchup, a loss would be almost inevitable.
On defense, Maryland will have to find a way to reduce the talents of RB Blake Corum and WR Ronnie Bell. Corum has rushed for 235 yards in three games and has already raked in a whopping seven touchdowns. He averages 6.9 yards per carry. Bell, on the other hand, leads the Wolverine receiving corps in passing yards (181) but is trailed closely behind by WR Roman Wilson (171).
Offensively, Maryland will need high productivity against a defense currently ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten for the fewest yards allowed per game (194). The difference in this year’s matchup will have to be a success in the passing game. Last season, WR Carlos Carriere led the Terps with just four receptions for 53 yards against the Wolverines. Now that NFL rookies Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo are absent from Michigan’s pass-rush scheme, things may look brighter for this Maryland offense, which has the No. 3 receiving corps in the Big Ten.
“We have to play with a faster tempo, we’ve got to be better on third down, and we’ve got to not turn the ball over,” said Coach Locksley. “When you do that as a play caller, you’re able to get these talented players more opportunities.”
Maryland will be fighting for their first win against Michigan since 2014. Kickoff is at 12:00 pm in the Big House, and the game will be broadcasted on FOX.
