Michigan Football: Q&A with Maryland Football Writer
In preparation for Michigan football’s noon kickoff at Maryland, GBM Wolverine and Terrapin Station have teamed up for a comprehensive Q&A. Here’s our portion.
Michigan Wolverines
You can read the other side of the Q&A
.
Q: Maryland has held 10 blackout games since 2005, but a 1-9 record suggests—hello!—they should stop. It’s happening again on Saturday. Superstitious?
A: It’s no secret that Under Armour’s flagship school is Maryland. The uniform combinations are something that I really enjoy, but they haven’t really played well when wearing the Black and White Ops jerseys. The Terps wore the Black Ops against Michigan State last year and were dominated.
Am I superstitious? No. Am I nervous about Saturday’s outcome? Yes.
Q: Caleb Rowe has been a train wreck this season, but Michigan is No. 10 in the country when it comes to stopping the run. How to the Terrapins move the ball?
A: The passing game has been the definition of inconsistent whether it’s Perry Hills or Caleb Rowe. However, the running game has been effective for the most part. Brandon Ross was the only bright spot against West Virginia last week. Ross is running with a purpose and has topped 100 yards in three games this season. He may be Maryland’s only chance to keep this one close.
Q: Maryland is giving up just over 200 yards on the ground per game. Michigan averages 202. Will that be a problem?
A: When you have a quarterback like Jake Rudock, you need to rely on the running game in order to open things up for the passing game. The Wolverines do that with De’Veon Smith. If Smith plays, it’s going to be very difficult for Maryland to stop the run. This is a very young group that is still learning, so there is the potential for Michigan to have quite a bit of success on the ground.
Q: What’s one thing Maryland absolutely must do in order to win on Saturday?
A: It’s simple. The Terps have to take care of the football. This will be a tall task, considering Rowe threw four interceptions last week against the Mountaineers. Rowe has to make smart throws and not force anything that isn’t there. If he can do that and the running game continues to excel, Maryland has a chance to hang with Michigan.
Q: This is a more big-picture question, but I’m curious. What does Randy Edsall have to do to save his job? And do you think he does it?
A: This is a hot-button issue and has been for the last few seasons. While Edsall and company have got it done on the recruiting trail, the results on the field haven’t seen more than seven wins in a season.
In order for Edsall to keep his job, he has to get to the six-win mark. Many thought that this would be a down year for Maryland due to inexperience and adapting to a new defensive scheme. It certainly has been and we’ve seen that in a 2-2 record to start the season.
The Terps will need at least four wins to save Edsall’s job and that’s a tall order. Their schedule is not exactly what you would call friendly. Games like Indiana, Penn State, and Rutgers are no longer gimmes or even close to that. I honestly don’t think he gets to six wins and that will be hard for this program to swallow.