Michigan vs. Maryland Prediction, Game Preview

That’s the Michigan (3-1) everyone was hoping for. The Wolverines are playing with power, toughness, and attitude, and now it’s time to make it all really count in the Big Ten opener at Maryland (2-2). The Terps are having a rough time with their quarterback consistency, the pass defense, and finding anything positive to work around, but beating Michigan would all but wipe the slate clean. Check out the Michigan vs. Maryland game preview and prediction.

Michigan vs. Maryland Game Preview

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
Game Time: 8:00 pm
Venue: Byrd Stadium, College Park, MD
Network: BTN

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Why You Need To Care

After ripping apart a tired BYU, Michigan has to keep on doing what it’s doing. The formula of power running, tough defense, and unlike the first few weeks, limited mistakes, has been able to make this look like a real, live team that could give Michigan State and Ohio State all they can handle in the Big Ten East race. With Northwestern up next at home before dealing with the Spartans, the team needs to find a bit more of a passing game and has to be a bit sharper overall. That’s what Maryland is for, at least at the moment.

Who are the Terps? While losing to Bowling Green and getting destroyed by West Virginia is hardly a positive, the Falcons are rolling past everyone with their passing game and the Mountaineers are playing as well as anyone in college football. Even so, Maryland hasn’t been playing well with a slew of issues on both sides of the ball. With a road trip to Ohio State up next before getting a week off, the season could get a whole bunch worse before any positive signs start to show up.

Why Michigan Will Win

The Maryland turnovers continue to be atrocious. The passing game isn’t working, and the defense isn’t stopping anyone, but the biggest overall problem continues to be turnover margin at a -9 on the year, going in the negative in every game, and giving it away 14 times in four games. For all the well-celebrated turnover issues Michigan has had, how many giveaways did it have against BYU? Zip. How many against UNLV? One. The mistakes have slowed down now that the offense has stopped pressing so much. Michigan will be at least a +2 in this game, and it’ll show on the scoreboard.

Why Maryland Will Win

Is it even remotely possible to make Michigan into a one-dimensional type of passing team? The Terps were killed by West Virginia for 304 rushing yards and two scores, and have allowed over 200 yards in each of the last three games, but if there was ever a time to sell out, this would be it. Michigan threw for over 200 yards once this year, and that came in the loss to Utah. It’s not throwing poorly – Jake Rudock has been far better – but everything’s been a function of the running game working, and now De’Veon Smith is fighting through an ankle injury. He’s supposed to be fine, but he’s not 100%.

Player Who Matters

So what is working for Maryland? Sophomore linebacker Jermaine Carter is making too many plays down the field and not enough impact stops up front, but he’s been a tackling machine with 46 stops on the year and 11 or more in each of his last three games. The 6-0, 240-pound big hitter did his best against West Virginia with three tackles for loss and 14 stops, and now he’ll have to do even more.

What’s Going To Happen?

Michigan will have to deal with a desperate Terp team at home, but it won’t be enough. The formula will continue to work. Keep running, play good defense, and win the turnover margin. Maryland is the perfect team for Michigan right now.