Michigan Football: Hypothetically Waiting At Maryland, Maybe
By Peter Arango
The Maryland and Michigan football programs are going through similar struggles at quarterback right now, though one is still lagging behind.
Maryland and Michigan are the only teams from the Power 5 conferences to start three quarterbacks this season, and Maryland is likely to make it four on Saturday when walk-on Ryan Brand takes the first snap in place of injured quarterback Max Bortenschlager, who took his snaps after Tyrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill suffered ACL injuries early in the season.
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Brand stepped in after Bortenschlager went down with what what appeared to be a shoulder injury or a concussion. Head coach D.J. Durkin has kept the mystery alive. The plot thickens a bit as well in that Durkin has hinted that Bortenschlager may be able to play on Saturday after all. When asked directly about the nature of the injury, Durkin showed some tricky broken field manoeuvres himself:
“He took a pretty good hit right there,” Durkin said. “Max is a tough kid, he’s bounced back many times. Max will be just fine.”
OK, Coach, but will he start on Saturday?
“Max is doing good, he’ll get better and better every day. … Nothing definitive yet, probably a game-time decision,” Durkin said during his weekly news conference. “We’re only Tuesday right now, we’ll continue to evaluate things every day, nothing we haven’t been through before.”
So, there’s that. Durkin’s evasions may come from his fear that Harbaugh knows him all too well. Durkin coached with Harbaugh at Stanford and was Michigan’s defensive coordinator in the 2015-2016 season.
There are some observations to be made outside of the quarterback quandary, most notably that Maryland hasn’t defeated a ranked team in the Big Ten since joining the conference. Without condoning or promoting wagering on college football, it may also be worth noting that they haven’t even covered the spread.
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They’re a 15-point underdog at the moment and may find it tough to reach that level of containment of a Michigan offense which is on a roll. Maryland allowed 239 rushing yards against Rutgers. It is pleasant to remember that Michigan ran for 334 yards and three touchdowns against Rutgers, allowing them a total of 39 yards while racking up 600 total yards.
Maryland has some weapons, including receiver D.J. Moore, who is tied for the most catches in the Big Ten, having hauled in 59 this far. Running back Ty Johnson picked up 41 yards on 10 carries but scored twice. Johnson is capable of catching a pass from the backfield and gives the Terps some pass-run options.
Maryland may not be the biggest threat on the Wolverines’ schedule, but this game matters in a number of ways, primarily in recruiting the next class of Michigan stars.
Some Big Ten fans were not happy about adding an ACC school to the conference, and not happy about shifting the eastern boundary from Pennsylvania to Maryland and New Jersey.
Ah hah! New Jersey, the Northeastern equivalent to Texas, Florida and California, recruit-rich and ready to take a look at Michigan as it plays near the high schools the coaches would most like to impress. One has only to say “Rashan Gary” or “Jabrill Peppers” to remember why New Jersey matters, why the eastern edge matters.
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Michigan should prevail helmet-to-helmet, especially as Maryland’s helmets are universally considered an idea that must have seemed great at one time but which leaves the team looking like something out of an Alice In Wonderland tableaux. Just keep an eye on the Maize and Blue Winged helmets, devised by Fritz Crisler for the opening game against Michigan State in 1938.