Michigan football grades vs. Maryland: Defense and special teams save offense's bacon
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia grades Michigan football on a scale of A to F after the Wolverines' 31-24 win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon at SECU Stadium:
Offense: C-minus
Don’t let the 31 points distract from Michigan’s offensive struggles. For the third consecutive week, J.J. McCarthy didn’t have a touchdown. The junior, who entered Saturday No. 2 in the nation in completion percentage (76.2%), connected on just 12 of 23 passes (a season-worst 52.2%) for 141 yards. Worse yet, late in the first half as Michigan looked to extend its lead to 20, McCarthy forced a throw in the end zone that was tipped and nearly picked off. On the next play, he forced yet another throw and it was intercepted, giving the Terps new life. McCarthy connected on just five of his final 12 throws as U-M punted on four of its final five possessions. His leading receiver was Colston Loveland, who had just three catches for 36 yards.
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The run game wasn’t much better as the Wolverines ran 45 times for 150 yards (3.3 yards per carry), though they did manage three scores. Blake Corum ran 28 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns even though 25 of his carries went for five yards or fewer. Donovan Edwards, meanwhile, added 11 carries for 39 yards. Semaj Morgan touched the ball on offense just three times: two catches for 16 yards and a 13-yard end around in the third quarter for a just-barely touchdown that ultimately proved the difference. The 291 total yards of offense was a season low for U-M, as the Wolverines didn't have any drives longer than 68 yards.
Defense: A-minus
The defense, arguably the top unit in the nation, lived up to that when it was needed most. Mike Sainristil, the co-captain and fifth-year defensive back, continued to perform at an All-American level. He had an important interception in the third quarter — at midfield when the Terrapins had all the momentum — to set up U-M's lone points of the second half. He then had an even bigger interception in the fourth quarter in Maryland territory to put the game away; he was far from the only standout, though. Early in the first quarter, Michael Barrett strip-sacked Taulia Tagovailoa, and Maryland native Derrick Moore picked it up in stride for a 4-yard touchdown. There were moments the Wolverines looked vulnerable — the unit gave up not one, not two, but three drives of at least 75 yards resulting in touchdowns — but they ultimately forced as many turnovers (three) as touchdowns allowed, which will win a lot of games.
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Special teams: A
What seemed to be the biggest play came early, when Christian Boivin got free on Maryland's first punt attempt and came away with a clean swat, sending the ball bounding into the end zone. Michigan had three players crashing on the ball, and Maryland punter Colton Spangler made a heads-up play to kick the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety. But there was perhaps an even bigger play than that: Tommy Doman's punt in the fourth quarter that landed inside the 1 and took a perfect bounce in place before being downed. Two plays later, Michigan had its second safety of the day. “That was one of the best plays of the year in terms of special teams,” Boivin said. “The whole year we’ve been waiting to make big plays, it’s been kind of a sleeping giant on the team and I think it will be huge moving forward.”
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Doman punted five times, two of which went more than 50 yards and two of which pinned Maryland inside its 20. Semaj Morgan had just 13 yards on two kick return attempts and James Turner made all three of his extra-point attempts.
Coaching: A-minus
Michigan knew it would be without Jim Harbaugh in this game, but firing linebackers coach Chris Partridge just 24 hours before the game added another level of adversity. Still, even a loss wouldn't have derailed Michigan's chances against Ohio State, a Big Ten championship game berth and a chance at a College Football Playoff appearance. It would've been easy for Michigan to end up on the wrong side of an upset. Instead, U-M did what it had to do against a team that presented plenty of tough matchups in the passing game. The Wolverines won the turnover battle, committed fewer penalties (two for 25 yards while Maryland had five infractions for 35 yards) and won the time of possession (30:56-29:04). Michigan was also a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth downs while not going on every opportunity, striking a solid balance of aggression and reserve.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football grades: Defense and special teams star again
