Published Dec 2, 2020
Five Players To Watch: Michigan Wolverines vs. Maryland Terrapins
Clayton Sayfie  •  Maize&BlueReview
Staff Writer
Twitter
@CSayf23

The Michigan Wolverines are set to play host to the Maryland Terrapins Saturday afternoon at The Big House.

Here are five players to keep an eye on:

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Maryland Sophomore Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa

An Alabama transfer, Tagovailoa is completing 61.5 percent of his passes on the season for 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns.

Tagovailoa has been turnover prone with seven interceptions on the season, but that may not be a concern this week, considering the Michigan defense has only notched three takeaways through six games, which is tied with Nevada for the least in the nation among teams that have played six games.

The 5-11, 205-pounder has been inconsistent. Against Northwestern and Indiana — both stellar units — combined, he threw six picks and completed only 50.8 percent of his passes. But he's exploded for major statistics in games against Minnesota and Penn State, completing 72.1 percent of his passes for 676 yards and six touchdowns combined.

Michigan is allowing 255.5 passing yards per game (91st in the country), so there should be ample opportunity for Tagovailoa to light it up Saturday afternoon.

Michigan Redshirt Sophomore Linebacker Hassan Haskins

Haskins has officially emerged as Michigan's feature running back, after rushing for over 100 yards in two straight games and eclipsing the century mark for the fourth time in his career. He has combined for 40 carries in the last two weeks and has scored three touchdowns. The former linebacker is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has totaled six touchdowns this year.

Haskins is also used as Michigan's wildcat quarterback at times, and depending on the quarterback situation this week with redshirt freshman Cade McNamara being banged up, could be used in the role even more.

Maryland Junior Linebacker Chance Campbell

From the middle linebacker spot on Maryland defense, Campbell flies to the football and has a team-leading 43 tackles and 5.5 stops for loss on the season. He's also third on the squad in sacks with 2.5 and has one fumble recovery.

He is the highest rated player on the Terrapins' defense, per PFF, with an overall grade of 74.9. He's also a superb tackler, posting grades of 82.8 in tackling and 76.8 in run defense.

Campbell has been one of the few bright spots on a dismal Maryland front seven that is a part of a unit that ranks last in the Big Ten in rushing defense (allowing 228.8 yards per game) and 12th in total defense (442.8).

Michigan Redshirt Sophomore Cornerback Gemon Green

Green has notched 22 tackles and nine pass breakups this year.

Early in the season, Green played a part in Michigan's defensive struggles. Coordinator Don Brown is in charge of a group that ranks 91st in the country in pass defense and 88th nationally in total defense. Green has an overall PFF grade of 70.1 and a coverage grade of 68.6, but he took a huge leap forward last week against Penn State, grading out at 85.7 and 88.4 in the two categories, respectively. He was targeted five times against the Nittany Lions, and only allowed two receptions for 15 yards.

He has progressed all season long, and we'll see if he can continue that momentum this week while going up against Maryland's passing attack.

Maryland Junior Wide Receiver Dontay Demus Jr.

The Terrapins' leading receiver, Demus has accumulated 342 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 23 receptions through four games. He also has two outings in which he went off for more than 100 yards, including last week against Indiana, a tilt in which he scored a 43-yard touchdown.

He is by far Tagovailoa's favorite target, with his 23 catches being 11 more than the next most on the team (freshman Rakim Jarrett has 12). Against Michigan's suspect secondary, Demus may be in for another big day.

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