Three Up/Three Down: Michigan Hangs On Against Maryland

Michigan got it going early and it looked like another blowout was coming, but Maryland battled back and made things very interesting before coming up short.

It wasn't pretty, but Michigan is now 11-0 after beating Maryland, 31-24. Michigan was certainly expected to win by more than seven points, but a win is a win and that's all the Wolverines have done in 2023. With Jim Harbaugh watching from a nearby hotel, his Wolverines got win No. 1,000 under Sherrone Moore's watch. The Wolverines took off quickly, but then let Maryland hang around before ultimately making some key plays to pick up the victory. 

Three Up

Mike Sainristil AGAIN

Michigan's captain continues to be in the right place at the right time and almost had one of the most impressive plays of the year. Midway through the third quarter, Sainristil read an out pattern perfectly, undercut Tagovailoa's throw and intercepted the pass. At first glance, Sainristil was tackled but came down on top of the Maryland receiver. It looked like he took it back for a touchdown but he was down by contact. Late in the fourth quarter, it was Mikey again who intercepted Tagovailoa, which essentially shut the door on the Terps. "Agent Zero" is just so clutch. He's always where he's supposed to be and today it resulted in two takeaways.

Defense And Special Teams Making Plays

Luckily for Michigan, the defense and special teams decided to take things into their own hands and put some points on the board themselves. With two minutes left in the first quarter, Mike Barrett got a free run at Taulia Tagovailoa causing a fumble that Derrick Moore scooped up for a touchdown. Just a minute and a half later, Michigan blocked a Maryland punt that the punter ultimately booted out of the back of the end zone for a safety. With less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Michigan's pass rush pushed Tagovailoa into a panic, which resulted in him throwing the ball to no one while standing in the end zone for a grounding call and another safety. In a close game, big plays like that proved to be the difference. Throw in Tommy Doman's incredible day and Michigan really thrived during the "off" parts of the game.

Win No. 1,000

It wasn't pretty, but Michigan is now the first program ever to get to 1,000 wins. The mark is historic, impressive and legendary. Unfortunately Harbaugh wasn't on the field to experience it, but 1k is a huge deal and Michigan will always be the first program to achieve it. Mark it down. Now, it's all about getting to win No. 1,001.

Three Down

Defense Looked Porous, Gives Up 3rd Quarter Points

Michigan's defense did make some key plays, but overall, they seemed to be a step off at times against Maryland during long stretches of the game. Taulia Tagovailoa did throw two interceptions, which he's prone to do, but he had some beautiful throws as well and also dinked and dunked the ball all over the field, which put a lot of pressure on Michigan's defense. He didn't throw a touchdown pass but he stressed Michigan's defensive backs throughout the game and had a decent day throwing the ball. He finished 21-for-31 for 247 yards with two picks.

It's also worth noting that Michigan finally gave up points in the third quarter. It took 11 games, which is insanely impressive, but the Wolverines defense is no longer perfect coming out of halftime.

Roman Wilson Gets Hurt

Michigan has been quite healthy all year long, but Roman Wilson was knocked out of the game early after taking a big hit to the head. Somehow, the targeting call was overturned, but Wilson was forced to watch most of the game from the sidelines while in concussion protocol.

The Tush Push

For the first time all season, Michigan faced the infamous "Tush Push" and fell victim to it on three separate occasions. On several goal-to-go situations today, Maryland brought in backup quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. to employ the unstoppable quarterback sneak. At 6-4, 220 pounds, it worked to perfection, resulting in three rushing touchdowns for the redshirt sophomore. This obviously isn't just a Michigan problem, as the play seems to work for everyone, but it ended Michigan's shutout streak in the third quarter and kept Maryland in the game.