B
Motivated by anger
Jim Harbaugh joked
that anger is a powerful
motivator, but his
Wolverines have a chance to
prove that true.
» SportsMonday Column,
Page 2B
Two to go
The Michigan field hockey
team reached the Final Four
of the NCAA Tournament
with a 3-0 win over
Northwestern on Sunday
afternoon.
» Page 3B
COLLEGE PARK — It isn’t
common that a game features a
battle between a third-string and
fourth-string
quarterback,
but
with both Michigan and Maryland
ravaged by injuries to their men
under center, that is exactly what
happened Saturday.
While
neither
quarterback
put their definitive stamp on
the contest, redshirt freshman
Brandon Peters had enough help
from both teams for the Wolverines
(5-2 Big Ten, 8-2 overall) to come
away with a 35-10 victory over the
Terrapins (2-5, 4-6).
“He made the big play, and he
was very accurate,” said Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh. “... He played
the kind of football we like, and he
did a nice job.”
He finished 9-for-18 with 145
yards and two touchdowns on the
day, but even those scores through
the air came off fortunate breaks.
The most work Peters had to
do was launch a deep throw over
the top of the defense to redshirt
sophomore tight end Zach Gentry,
who was wide open over the middle.
Gentry took the pass the rest of the
way into the end zone for a 33-yard
score with just over 11 minutes
remaining in the second quarter. By
that point, the Wolverines already
had a two-possession lead.
On Michigan’s first scoring
drive, Gentry came up with an
impressive catch in the red zone
when Peters’ pass looked to be
out of reach, even for his 6-foot-
7 frame. After catching the pass,
Gentry almost ran it into the end
zone, but he was knocked out of
bounds a few yards shy.
That presented an opportunity
for fifth-year senior Henry Poggi
to notch a career highlight. In
a homecoming game for the
Baltimore native, Poggi punched it
in from two yards out for his first
touchdown as a Wolverine.
On Michigan’s second drive,
Peters looked to be in trouble
as the Maryland defense came
barreling down upon him. But he
was able to drop it off to Higdon
before absorbing a hard hit, and
the running back weaved his way
through the defense for a 35-yard
gain.
The Terrapins were called for a
roughing the passer penalty, adding
15 more yards onto the play to move
the Wolverines all the way up to
Maryland’s 16-yard line. Evans had
to rush just three times after that
before leaping into the end zone for
the score.
Peters’ 33-yard touchdown to
Gentry was also the byproduct of
a Terrapin miscue. Down 14-0 at
the start of the second quarter —
after all three of its first-quarter
drives ended in a three-and-out
— Maryland tried to execute a
fake punt. But the Terrapins were
halted and called for a penalty,
giving Michigan the ball deep in
Maryland territory.
It took Peters all of one play to
end that drive with a touchdown
pass to Gentry.
“Their safety was playing way
backside,” Peters said. “The seam
just popped.”
His second score of the day
came in a similar fashion. On the
very next possession, sophomore
defensive
back
Josh
Metellus
blocked the Terrapins’ punt at the
19-yard line, giving the ball right
back to the Wolverines.
Junior running back Karan
Higdon broke toward the outside
for a 16-yard rush, and then Peters
lofted a pass to sophomore tight
end Sean McKeon for a three-yard
touchdown.
It took just two plays for that
drive to reach the end zone.
“I just really sold the fake,”
Peters said, “and they really bit on
it.”
Walk-on
quarterback
Ryan
Brand didn’t have the same amount
of support from either side in his
first career start for Maryland,
finishing 16-for-35 with 136 yards
and a touchdown.
Toward the end of the first
quarter, Maryland attempted to
wake up its offense with a double
reverse
pass
between
Brand
and Harrison. But with acres of
daylight in front of him, Brand
couldn’t come up with the catch in
the backfield.
And even when Brand had his
best opportunity of the first half
near the end of the second quarter
— after the Terrapins had managed
to reach Michigan’s 10-yard line —
sophomore defensive back David
Long intercepted the ball in the end
zone and returned it 80 yards.
Brand found some success in
the second half, though, At the end
of the third quarter, he completed
two consecutive deep balls to place
Maryland at the Wolverines’ five-
yard line. But the drive stalled at
the goal-line, and the Terrapins had
to settle for a field goal to finally end
the shutout bid.
On the next possession, Brand
finally found the end zone. After a
methodical drive through the air,
Brand hit receiver Taivon Jacobs
for a 10-yard touchdown to bring
the deficit down to 28-10.
“They were executing well,”
Harbaugh said. “I mean, the
execution was good the whole
game, but then we made a few
mistakes defensively, made a few
mistakes offensively.
“... (It) was a combination of
both, and they made some plays.”
But
Maryland
committed
another key error on the next
series, and Michigan capitalized
yet again. On a deep pass from
Peters
to
freshman
receiver
Donovan
Peoples-Jones,
the
Terrapin defender was called for
a pass interference penalty. Evans
made Maryland pay, rushing 17
yards into the end zone to seal the
victory.
Taking
advantage
of
the
Terrapins’
miscues
throughout
the day, the Wolverines had what
Harbaugh called one of the best
games of their season.
“I really think it might have been
our best ballgame — in all three
phases,” he said. “Very sound game
by our team.”
BETELHEM ASHAME
Managing Sports Editor
Maryland’s mistakes help Michigan to lopsided victory
MONDAY
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