Michigan football's win over Maryland reveals some concerns entering Ohio State showdown
Free Press sports writer Rainer Sabin answers three questions after Michigan football defeated Maryland, 31-24, on Saturday in College Park.
Should Michigan be worried about J.J. McCarthy?
The final throw J.J. McCarthy unleashed in the first half was intercepted, ending a promising drive that took the Wolverines to the cusp of the end zone.
It offered a painful reminder of that famous Darrell Royal quote: “Three things can happen when you pass the ball, and two of them are bad.”
Late in the season, during its most crucial stretch, it seems as if Michigan has come to the same conclusion. The Wolverines have reverted to a ground-based attack after leaning on McCarthy’s arm during the first nine games. Last week, Michigan finished off Penn State by running 32 straight times. This week the Wolverines tried to bulldoze Maryland from the outset. In the first half, they ran the ball twice as many times as they threw it.
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The philosophical shift, while sudden, seems premeditated. Perhaps it was made out of necessity. Left tackle LaDarius Henderson, after all, was ruled out before the game, which led to multiple offensive linemen serving as McCarthy’s blindside protector. Maybe the decision to run was made after Michigan’s brain trust realized it could exploit the vulnerability of its opponents who are now feeling the effects of the cumulative wear and tear from 2½ months of football. Regardless of the reason, McCarthy has done nothing to convince the coaching staff to reconsider their strategy.
On Saturday, he completed only 52% of his 23 attempts for 141 yards and no touchdowns. One of his 11 incompletions was an inaccurate deep pass to Cornelius Johnson, who was wide open down the field. He also made an ill-advised throw right before he was intercepted in the second quarter. Overall, it was his worst performance since a victory over Bowling Green, when he succumbed to his reckless tendencies and was picked off three times. It’s a troubling development considering McCarthy’s downturn has occurred right before the Wolverines’ showdown with Ohio State.
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How did Michigan fare against the best passing attack it has faced this year?
Up until Saturday, it was easy to praise Michigan’s defense.
By any statistical measure, it was impressive.
The Wolverines entered Saturday having allowed the fewest points and passing yards in the country.
But context matters.
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To that point, Michigan had faced only one quarterback, Penn State’s Drew Allar, ranked in the top 50 in total QBR.
The Wolverines knew they would face their stiffest test Saturday against Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland’s potent spread attack.
As defensive back Quinten Johnson said Tuesday, “We got to be on our Ps and Qs or we are going to get exposed.”
Johnson seemed to foreshadow what happened Saturday, when Tagovailoa and his legion of receivers repeatedly punctured the Wolverines. Executing well-designed play calls made by former Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, Tagovailoa threw for 247 yards and helped guide the Terps to three red-zone touchdowns – the same total allowed Michigan in its first 10 games.
Not since the Wolverines’ 51-45 loss to TCU in the College Football Playoff last December have they looked so defenseless.
If not for a few timely takeaways and a pair of safeties, Michigan may not have been able to escape Maryland with a win. The Wolverines can’t expect Ohio State, which owns the most prolific passing attack in the Big Ten, to commit the same fatal errors as Maryland.
Did Michigan miss Jim Harbaugh on the sideline?
Before it became official Thursday, Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston rued the fact his boss, Jim Harbaugh, could miss the Wolverines’ pursuit of their 1,000th victory Saturday.
“For him not to be a part of that would be an absolute shame,” he said Wednesday.
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Perhaps. But this was the price Harbaugh would ultimately pay after Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti determined Harbaugh’s program violated the league’s sportsmanship policy because a staffer, presumed to be former U-M employee Connor Stalions, engaged in a “years-long” impermissible in-person advanced scouting scheme” designed to gain an “unfair advantage” by stealing the play signals of future opponents.
Petitti issued Harbaugh a three-game suspension Nov. 10, which prompted Harbaugh and the university to seek injunctive relief that would forestall the enforcement of the penalty. Before they withdrew their complaint on Thursday and accepted the punishment, they argued in writing that the sanctions this deep in the season would “dramatically and irreparably harm” the team’s chances at success.
But after winning Saturday, Michigan moved to 5-0 in games when Harbaugh has been banned from the sideline. It’s hard to tell if his presence Saturday would have resulted in a more decisive victory.
The fact remains Michigan has repeatedly shown it can still prevail when Harbaugh isn’t calling the shots – even defeating its best competition these past two weeks. That should be a source of pride for Harbaugh on a day when he probably felt some regret for missing such a milestone moment.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Should Michigan football be worried heading into Ohio State showdown?
