Michigan Wolverines Football: Previewing Maryland
Maryland football has experienced a season of turmoil.
Heading into the Terrapins visit to Michigan, Maryland is led by interim coach Matt Canada after scandal has plagued the program after D.J. Durkin was put on administrative leave. Durkin was Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2015.
The Terrapins have gone 3-1 in Durkin’s absence, defeating Texas, Bowling Green and Minnesota while losing to Temple 35-14.
While Maryland statistically is an average team, ranking 56nd per S&P+, the Terrapins have a strong rushing attack.
Heading into this week, Maryland is averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Senior running back Ty Johnson already has rushed for 300 yards and he’s flanked by freshman running back Anthony McFarland who has 291 yards and is averaging 10.8 yards per rush.
The Terrapins rushing attack already has 37 rushes of over 10 yards, good for 15th in the country, even though they have only played four games. They are also in the top-10 for rushes over 20 yards.
While Maryland has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, it’s also very inefficient.
Maryland’s 76th ranked offense by S&P+ is weighed down by the quarterback play and Freshman quarterback Kasim Hill is only averaging 6.8 yards per attempt and has just three passing touchdowns. Maryland is averaging under 150 yards passing.
Maryland’s offense struggles to convert on third down. The Terrapins are only converting 32.65% of its third downs, which is 116th in the nation out of 130 teams.
One area where Michigan might have success against Maryland is in pass rushing. Maryland is allowing 2.25 sacks per game, which is 82nd in the country.
On the defensive side of the ball, Maryland has the 50th best defense per the S&P+ rankings. The Terrapins are averaging 7.5 tackles per loss with junior defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. has 4.5 tackles for loss and senior defensive back Darnell Savage Jr. has four tackles for loss.
Michigan’s improved offensive line will be tested against Maryland as the Terrapins have the 31st ranked havoc rate in the country.
“Very highly ranked defense,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “A lot of speed on defense. Able to put points on the board offensively. Physical team. Very active in the secondary. A lot of team speed in their secondary. A lot of good things.”
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