Michigan survives scare vs. Maryland, shows concerning signs ahead of showdown with Ohio State

For the first time all season, No. 3 Michigan was pushed. Not for a series or a half, but for four quarters by a Maryland team that had been routed by the likes of Ohio State and Penn State. 

In the end, the Wolverines survived a scare, but with a monster showdown against the Buckeyes now suddenly a week away, it’s fair to question if Michigan simply won its clunker or if the team is suddenly running on fumes after another week of slow-dripping bad news surrounding the program’s sign-stealing scandal. 

Quarterback JJ McCarthy struggled mightily all afternoon, but the Wolverines’ defense came up large in the 4th quarter against Taulia Tagovailoa, recording a couple of sacks, an interception and a safety to allow Michigan to remain undefeated with a 31-24 win over the Terps. 

Blake Corum converted a fourth-and-inches to ice the game in an otherwise uninspiring performance by a Michigan offense going up against one of the poorer defenses in the Big Ten. 

Corum rushed for two touchdowns and 94 yards on 28 carries, but he had to grind for every yard with just two carries over 10 yards. 

FIRST DOWN MICHIGAN

After review, the spot of the ball is confirmed as a first down for @UMichFootball ➡️ pic.twitter.com/fa8tnJgfgB

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 18, 2023

Meanwhile, McCarthy was nearly a liability for the Wolverines most of the day, consistently misfiring throws or putting the ball in harm’s way. 

The junior, who threw just eight passes in the win over Penn State last week, had a horrible red zone interception late in the first half — his first pick in eight games — and he nearly had another 3-4 passes that could’ve been turnovers, too. McCarthy finished the afternoon just 12 of 23 for 141 yards. 

A week after totaling a season-low 287 yards against Penn State — a Top 5 defense nationally — the Wolverines mustered only 291 against the Terps. That’s a concern heading into a game against a renewed Ohio State defense that has found real success in Year 2 under Jim Knowles. 

Michigan jumped out to a 23-3 lead before losing the middle eight of the first and second halves, allowing the Terps to score 14 unanswered points to make it a ballgame. Tagovailoa did his best ‘Wild Thing’ impression, completing a couple of perfect deep passes only to throw a couple of terrible interceptions. After showing some signs of a leaky pass defense, Michigan ultimately buckled down, with Mike Sainristil (two interceptions) and Kenneth Grant (a sack, a couple of QB pressures) leading the way. 

Exactly a year ago, Michigan scraped its way to an ugly win past Illinois (19-17) only to rout Ohio State in Columbus the next weekend. But the vibes around the program are suddenly much different just a week removed from its school president releasing a fan appreciation tweet thanking Big Blue Nation for their support during their time of “challenges and adversity” to countless UM players tweeting “bet” after head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten. 

The Wolverines were set to challenge Harbaugh’s suspension in court Friday, but the program totally changed its tune Thursday afternoon, with Harbaugh agreeing to a two-game suspension for the rest of the regular season. The next day, Michigan announced the firing of linebacker coach Chris Partridge, who reportedly destroyed evidence related to the sign-stealing scandal. 

More messiness is expected to come, too. And after an already tumultuous season of off-the-field news, will more turmoil become too much to bury?

The Wolverines played their worst game of 2023 but moved to 3-0 under acting head coach Sherrone Moore. If the beat Ohio State next weekend and go on to win the Big Ten title for the third-straight season, no one will remember a stinker against a crappy Maryland team. 

But if Saturday was a precursor of potential problems before their biggest game of the season, perhaps we’ll look back and say this was a week “Michigan vs. Everybody” finally tipped in “Everybody’s” favor.