Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from Big Ten blowout of Maryland

3. The Michigan defense came out hungry for a big day

On Maryland’s opening drive, Michigan tackled quarterback Josh Jackson six yards behind the line on a planned run, gave up a four-yard gain to running back Anthony McFarland Jr. and then sacked Jackson for an eight-yard loss to cap the three-and-out.

The second drive proved less fruitful, as Maryland kept the ball on the ground and chipped their way downfield into the red zone. But Michigan’s defense stiffened closer to their goal line, picking off Jackson inside their own 10.

This proved to be a general trend for the Terrapins as they struggled to find space against a Michigan defense that was willing to offer an inch and prevent big plays. In the second quarter, Maryland once again marched inside the red zone. The Terrapins missed a 37-yard field goal as Joseph Petrino pushed the kick wide right from the left hashmark.

The goal was to lull Maryland into making mistakes, and that is exactly what they did in throughout the contest. Through the first half the Terrapins had 114 yards of offense, most of it piled up on those two long and fruitless drives. By halftime, Maryland was down 21-0 at home as they failed to capitalize on the few opportunities the Wolverines did offer up.

At the final whistle, Maryland finished with just 234 yards and 32 minutes of possession, preventing the shutout but unable to do much beyond that at home. That was a testament to a Michigan defense that heard everyone around the country talking up their Big Ten counterparts and stepped up to the challenge.