2022 Terps Football: The Focus This Week Vs. Michigan

A battle of two 3-0 teams is on deck in Ann Arbor this weekend after the Terps took care of business against SMU and Michigan trounced UConn in Week 3. The matchup with the Wolverines will mark the beginning of Big Ten play and be Maryland’s first opportunity against a ranked opponent this season.

With SMU being the only formidable opponent either team has faced so far this season, the Terps should be the more battle-tested team coming into this game, but Michigan is ranked No. 4 in the country, and for good reason.

The reigning Big Ten champs are coming into the season off of one of the school’s best years in recent history. Besides winning the conference title, the Wolverines got a long-awaited victory over Ohio State and earned themselves a College Football Playoff berth. While Michigan lost several key players on both sides of the ball, especially on defense, Jim Harbaugh’s team still returns a bevy of talent and is looking to build off of the momentum it built last year.

Maryland will surely have its hands full on the road this weekend, but what a measuring stick for the Terps to gauge their progress with. Here’s who we’re focusing on from each team this week…

Maryland Players to watch for…

Roman Hemby: The redshirt freshman running back has been arguably Maryland’s best offensive player so far this season and is coming off of a 16-carry, 151-yard performance where he scored a touchdown on the ground and also added 4 receptions for 62 yards. He’s looking like a renewed version of Ty Johnson out there and is going to be a player Maryland is going to have to ride to victory in big games. We’ve seen what he can do against lesser competition so far, but now it’s time to see if he can make an impact against the big dogs. He’s Maryland’s most explosive and versatile back, and while he’ll continue to get spelled by Colby McDonald and Antwain Littleton II, the Terps need to get him going early and often to keep the offense balanced.

Chad Ryland: Now a perfect 3/3 on field goal and 16/16 on extra point attempts this season, Ryland is living up to the hype he brought with him from Eastern Michigan. He looks like the most reliable kicker Maryland has had since Brad Craddock and that could be huge as games get more competitive. Now, with the way the Michigan offense has looked this season, settling for field goals doesn’t seem like it will be a recipe for success. But if the Terps find themselves in a position where they can get points and a field goal is the best option, they have to have them. Mike Locksley and his staff have to feel about as confident as they can be when Ryland is taking the field to kick.

Jaishawn Barham: While perhaps other members of Maryland’s linebacking corps received more hype entering the season, Barham has been the most productive and is coming off a big game against SMU where he had 13 tackles and a sack. Maryland is going to have to win up front as best it can against a very stout Michigan offensive line, and that will mean Barham getting pressure again. It’s not much secret that Harbaugh and Michigan like to line up and play smashmouth football, so Barham and the rest of the Maryland linebackers have to be prepared to fill their gaps and make tackles.

Michigan Players to Watch for…

J.J. McCarthy: There was a quarterback competition for the Wolverines this offseason, but it’s pretty clear they made the right choice. McCarthy is 30-for-34 passing on the season and has thrown 3 touchdowns without turning the ball over at all. He’s also a bit mobile, adding 73 yards on the ground on just seven attempts. The sophomore signal caller looks like one of the better quarterbacks the Wolverines have had during the Harbaugh era, but his first look at real competition will come against the Terps. McCarthy will have the advantage of the home crowd behind him at the Big House, but he’ll be throwing against a talented secondary that just got star corner Tarheen Still back last week.

Blake Corum: The bulk of Michigan’s offense runs through Corum, literally. The junior running back is averaging 6.9 yards per carry this season (34 attempts, 235 yards) and he has an impressive 7 rushing touchdowns through the first three games. He’ll split the backfield with C.J. Stokes, but Corum is the back the Terps have to be most concerned with. At 5-foot-8, 210-pounds, he’s not going to be a bulldozer, but Corum is plenty good at making people miss.

Junior Colson: Colson played a bunch for Michigan’s stacked defense last season but steps into a full-time starter role for the first time this year. He has been on the Michigan “all-hype” team for several seasons now and it’s starting to cometo fruition as he leads the Wolverines in tackles (17) through the first three games. Michigan always has dangerous linebackers, so Taulia Tagovailoa is going to have to be aware of them at all times and not let their deceptive pre-snap looks get in his head.

Coaching Expectations…

Yes, Maryland won against SMU. But it did so despite racking up 15 penalties in the game. If the Terps have 15 penalties against Michigan, most of us will be turning the game off by halftime. That’s inexcusable against any team and cannot happen again.

So what are the expectations for a Maryland coaching staff whose credentials pail in comparison to that of the other side? How about at least trotting a disciplined team out on the field that isn’t going to hurt itself?

Facing a top-five team like Michigan is always going to be an uphill battle, let’s not exacerbate that with costly, silly penalties. If Maryland can just clean that part of its game up then the Terps can let their play do the talking and get a true measurement of where they’re at compared to a program like Michigan. This isn’t going to be easy with the noise of the Big House, but this is the type of adversity that good teams have to overcome.