SPENCER RAINES
Daily Sports Editor

Michigan outlasts Maryland in first 
taste of adversity

F

or weeks, the discourse 
around 
the 
Michigan 
football team has been 
about 
its soft non-conference 
schedule. 
Three 
consecutive 
opponents posed little to no threat 
to even test the Wolverines. Many 
wondered what they would look 
like when they finally faced a 
“real” opponent that could actually 
contend for the victory. 
Against 
Maryland, 
Michigan 
certainly received that challenge.
The fourth-ranked Wolverines 
(4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) wobbled 
but eventually righted themselves 
to beat the Terrapins (3-1, 0-1), 
34-27, in their Big Ten opener. 
“I mean, you learn more as you 
go, right,” Michigan coach Jim 
Harbaugh said. “Every single game, 
every single test, you learn more 
about your team (and) you’ll learn 
more about yourself as a player.”
On Saturday, Michigan learned 
how to win a tight game. It learned 
how to get back up after getting 
knocked to the ground. And, though 
it was ugly at times, it learned 
those lessons while remaining 
undefeated. 

Outside of the opening seconds 
when Maryland muffed the kickoff 
and Michigan scored immediately, 
the Terrapins controlled the first 
half. They handled the Wolverines’ 
defensive line, play after play. 
And led by quarterback Taulia 
Tagovailoa, 
Maryland’s 
offense 
consistently 
stayed 
ahead 
of 
schedule on its drives, racking up 
good chunks of yardage on first 
down leading to short second and 
third down situations. 
Finally, Michigan’s defense was 
tested, and throughout the entire 
game, it showed cracks.
“When situations like that come 
up where the defense just really has 
to step up, stick in there and just stay 
together, our message was just keep 
fighting,” senior defensive back 
Mike Sainristil said. “Keep making 
plays don’t give them anything.”
But the Wolverines’ defense let 
Maryland march down the field 
in chunks, certainly exposed to 
the harsh realities of conference 
play. In the second quarter, after a 
floundering offensive possession, 
the Wolverines once again let 
Maryland easily get into field goal 
range and secure three points. For 
the first time all season, Michigan 
trailed, 13-10.
In the waning seconds of the first 

half, the Wolverines responded with 
a 33-yard fourth-down touchdown 
scamper from junior running back 
Blake Corum to retake the lead. But 
they were still bleeding.
The Terrapins landed punches in 
the first half and knocked Michigan 
onto its heals but they couldn’t 
overcome a few key plays: The 
opening muff and an interception 
by senior cornerback DJ Turner 
that appeared to hit the ground, to 
name a pair.
Whether it was because of the 
jump in competition or because of 
simply playing poorly, Michigan 
looked out of sync nearly the entire 
game. Sophomore quarterback J.J. 
McCarthy looked human for the 
first time this season, fumbling 
twice and missing on the majority 
of his deep balls. 
After the game, McCarthy was 
still smiling, but he recognized 
his struggles and put much of the 
onus on him. There were a myriad 
of throws he “wanted back” and 
he deemed Saturday not his “best 
performance,” but then he pivoted.
“That was a good team out 
there,” McCarthy said. “Maryland’s 
got a great defense, they got a great 
offense and I’m just happy with 
the way we responded when some 
adversity creeped in.”

SPORTSWEDNESDAY

JEREMY WEINE/Daily

KATE HUA/Daily | Design by Lys Goldman

A 
three-point 
deficit 
may 
not seem like the most adverse 
situation, but for a Michigan team 
that outscored its opponents 166-
17 through its first three games, 
it was certainly more than it had 
experienced.
Of course in the end they 
responded. As the Wolverines had 
seemingly for the entire game, 
they did just enough to stay ahead 
and keep control. Junior defensive 
back R.J. Moten bobbled and then 
caught a practically game-sealing 
interception, and Corum placed 
an exclamation point on the game 
just moments later, finishing off 
his herculean day — 30 carries and 
243 rushing yards — with a 47-yard 
touchdown.
But the Wolverines were forced 
to play in a contentious second half, 
one where the game’s outcome was 
still unknown well into the fourth 
quarter.
Michigan did not look like the 
world-killers that the first three 
weeks of the season had painted 
itself as. But it survived its first test 
of the season, albeit not with flying 
colors.
Perhaps the next time the 
Wolverines face adversity, they’ll 
show that they learned a thing or 
two.

TORTOISE
the

SCAR
 E
and the

MICHIGAN 34
MARYLAND 27

JEREMY WEINE/Daily

JEREMY WEINE/Daily | Design by Lys Goldman

