7Nov 2016
Wilton Speight (image via Lexington Herald Leader)
Maryland just doesn’t have the horses. I actually liked what Maryland was doing offensively and defensively, but they just can’t match up physically. They have some speed offensively, but they’re not very good up front and they’re lacking talent on the defensive side of the ball. They knew they couldn’t push Michigan around at the line of scrimmage, so they consistently tried to get to the edge. That worked for a while, but once Michigan figured out that’s all they were going to do, the safeties and linebackers just started booking it for the edge. Lorenzo Harrison III is a pretty darn good running back to have for the future. If the Terps can keep some of that Maryland/D.C. home, then they have a chance to be dangerous in a year or two.
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(image via Twitter)
RUSH OFFENSE vs. MARYLAND RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #14 in rush offense (249 yards/game) and #22 in yards per carry (5.37). Senior De’Veon Smith retook the rushing lead last week when freshman Chris Evans played sparingly due to a concussion he suffered two weeks ago, but four players have 348+ yards. One to watch is sophomore Karan Higdon (7.6 yards/carry, 6 TDs), who seems to be gaining more and more trust from the coaches. Michigan’s offensive line struggled with Michigan State’s defensive line last week – especially Malik McDowell – but Maryland isn’t so talented on the defensive line. They’re #108 in rushing defense (220 yards allowed/game) and #96 in yards allowed per carry (4.8). The team is led by Shane Cockerille with 73 tackles; Cockerille was recruited by Michigan as a QB/S athlete and has grown into a 6’2″, 235 lb. ‘backer. Defensive tackle Kingsley Opara has 8 tackles for loss, but the defensive line is slightly undersized and lacks a dominant nose tackle to plug the middle. They’ll slant a lot and try to hit gaps, and it will be up to Michigan’s offensive linemen to wash them out of the play.
Advantage: Michigan
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Michigan suffered a big loss with Mario Ojemudia’s injury.
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Drake Johnson. Johnson looked a little slow in the first half, and I do think he has lost a half-step or a step since last year. I guess that happens sometimes when you tear an ACL, especially for the second time. His best asset before the injury was his speed, and he also showed pretty good vision last year. But once he caught the screen pass for a 31-yard touchdown, he seemed to find his confidence a little bit. He finished the game with 13 carries for 68 yards and 1 touchdown, plus the touchdown catch. He should probably be the #2 guy going forward.
Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.