No trap game here: Michigan football not looking ahead to OSU with Maryland game on tap
On the surface, Saturday appears to be about as clear of a spot for a "trap game" as possible.
Michigan football is coming off of its first victory over a top-10 foe this season, 24-15 at Penn State, and in less than two weeks will face Ohio State in a game that will essentially serve as a de-facto College Football Playoff play-in game.
In case that's not enough potential distraction, 27 hours before U-M is set to kick off its final road game against coach Mike Locksley and bowl-bound Maryland (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten), head coach Jim Harbaugh is due in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
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He and the University of Michigan Board of Regents are seeking a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten's ruling last week, which found U-M in violation of the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy; Harbaugh, as a result, was given a three-game regular season suspension.
So, how difficult will it be for the No. 2 Wolverines (10-0, 7-0) to continue to block out the outside noise, which is only getting louder, and stay focused on the task at hand?
"When the mission doesn't change, it's not that hard to stay focused, you know?" said left tackle LaDarius Henderson following Tuesday's practice. "We just want to win and that's what we intend to keep doing."
Michigan has not only done a lot of winning this season, but in this recent era.
U-M is 35-3 overall since the start of the 2021 season, its most victories in any three-year stretch in program history; the previous best was 33, which U-M did twice in in the early 1900s, with the best stretch of the modern era coming when Lloyd Carr's group racked up 32 wins from 1997-99, which included a national championship.
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But of all the wins that have happened, perhaps none will unite the layers and eras of the program like a victory on Saturday, which would be the 1,000th victory in program history. As Harbaugh pointed out Monday, no football team in America at any level, including professional or high school, has won 1,000 games.
"Want to shout out the Green Bay Packers, most wins in NFL history, 793," Harbaugh said. "Most wins in high school football, Valdosta, Georgia, 951. And Michigan Wolverines, 999. No one has won more. Nooo-body.
"I want to thank especially everybody who has put on the winged helmet, those who have contributed, those who've supported their efforts and the current support. ... It's monumental. It motivates us."
For the record, U-M has shown tremendous focus from the start of the season, but Maryland's tight game against Michigan last year in Ann Arbor is just another reason the Terps have this team's full attention.
Their talent doesn't hurt either, said safety Quinten Johnson.
"We feel like they're the best 6-4 you'll probably see around college football," Johnson said. "We take games like this as serious as any other week. We know they're the challenge in front of us and we've got to be on our P's and Q's or we're going to get exposed."
One reason a defensive back is talking that way is the secondary is expecting a significant test from Taulia Tagoviloa; Maryland's standout quarterback and the younger brother of Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagoviloa.
The younger Tagoviloa has completed 65.3% (245-for-375) of his passes for 2,769 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The senior has attempted at least 30 passes in every game and is averaging just shy of 40 attempts (39.4) during league play.
Though U-M has pushed back against the notion that it's 10-0 because it has played a "soft" schedule, there's no denying there have been few truly capable downfield passers: Purdue's Hudson Card (6.38 yards per pass attempt) and Penn State's Drew Allar (6.34 yards per pass attempt) conduct high-scoring offenses but don't push the ball down the field.
Tagoviloa (7.38 yards per attempt) will take chances and attempt deep passes, and U-M's secondary is prepared for it.
"I wouldn't say (Maryland) is a dress rehearsal (for Ohio State) but the next best threat," Johnson said. "At the end of the day, Maryland is a very good passing attack. They deserve their own credit to be looked up at the top echelon of passing attacks.
"It's not overlooking one team to get to another, it's about using these teams as a stepping stone to get to the best of our capabilities by the end of the year."
Big man turning heads
Kenneth Grant weighs 339 pounds, but that didn't stop the defensive tackle from getting a full head of steam on Saturday and tracking down Penn State star running back Kaytron Allen from behind to save what could've been a back-breaking touchdown.
It's all anybody on the team, including the coaches, have wanted to talk about since.
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"I was up off my feet. One of the best plays of the season, that play by Kenneth Grant," Harbaugh said. "Maybe one of the best plays ever. Compared it to a play Justin Smith made against the Eagles my first year coaching with the 49ers.
"It was a guardian-of-victory type of play, Kenneth was dominant in the game. He was the real tonesetter right from the first series. He's playing great, only a sophomore, tremendous."
Grant, who also made the game's opening stop, finished with four tackles. He now has 18 tackles this season, including 2½ for loss, 1½ sacks, five quarterback hurries, four pass breakups and one interception.
Wide receiver Cornelius Johnson recalled looking up and being amazed it was Grant moving that fast down the sideline, then remembered when strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert talked about how Grant's speed for his size was totally abnormal.
Donovan Edwards called it a once-in-a-generational play for a defensive lineman to make, and while he said personally he would be disappointed if he got caught by a defensive tackle, he would feel "honored" to be on a highlight tape like that.
"I wonder what his max velocity was when he ran that fast," Edwards said. "We said, 'You're definitely going to get drafted for that one.' Him and Mason (Graham) kind of unstoppable."
Grant appreciated the love, but wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.
“From my P-O-V, I was just tackling him and I had to get up and line up again,” Grant smiled. "One of our pillars is effort and angles, Just displaying my daily preparation, that I'm game-day ready."
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football not overlooking Maryland ahead of Ohio State game
