Mike Locksley: 'It's more about us than Michigan'
Maryland coach Mike Locksley made it clear after his team lost a closer-than-expected, 34-27 game at Michigan — there are no moral victories. He also had a hard time giving the Wolverines too much respect for pulling out what Jim Harbaugh called a “gritty” win.
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“Obviously, you’ve got to give credit to Michigan, a top-five program,” Locksley said. “Like I told our team, we don’t believe in moral victories. Close is not good enough.
“But I’m proud of the way our team fought. I liked the effort that we played with. We faced adversity throughout the game, including spotting them a touchdown. Right at the beginning, which, as I’ve said here, good teams don’t need help. And we sure gave them a cheap, easy one right off the bat.”
That was a fumbled opening kickoff that led to a one-play touchdown drive, a pass from J.J. McCarthy to Luke Schoonmaker. Eight seconds in, the Wolverines were up 7-0.
Maryland moved the ball, but the Michigan defense adjusted in the second half. Two incredible interceptions, too — from DJ Turner and R.J. Moten — helped save the day.
“Michigan’s defense … our players not executing,” Locksley continued. “Most of the time when we don’t have success on offense, it’s not necessarily because of something that the other team is doing. It’s usually our execution. And we’ve got to execute at a higher level. You’ve got to make the plays that were there to be made.
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“It’s more about us than Michigan, and it’s going to always be that way, in my mind. Because if you watch the way this game played out, there’s nobody in our locker room that came in making this into a Super Bowl. Michigan’s a top-five team.”
Locksley finally gave them their due for where they are under Jim Harbaugh, but he finished by lamenting the missed opportunity.
“So … I give them tremendous credit and the way they built their program and established it,” he said. “But we knew that we would have a chance to be in this game, and that we would have to make some plays to take it because they won’t give it to you. And we didn’t take it today.”
Michigan faces Iowa in Iowa city next week. Locksley and Maryland host Michigan State, a 34-7 loser to Minnesota.
