Michigan football and Maryland had only played three times prior to the Terrapins joining the Big Ten in 2014. The two teams played nine straight years before taking a break from the series last year. Michigan has a significant edge when it comes to success in this series, but Maryland has not always made it easy for the Wolverines. In their latest matchup, Michigan became the first-ever college football team to eclipse the 1,000-win mark. Let's take a look at the numbers, an all-time performance from Blake Corum, and what the future holds between these two programs.
All-time record: Michigan leads 11-1
Most recent meeting: Michigan won 31-24
First meeting: Michigan won 20-0 in 1985
Largest margin of victory: Michigan 59-3 in 2016, Maryland 23-16 in 2014
Favorite game from the series: Michigan won 34-27 in 2022
Michigan vs Maryland in 2022 was a battle of two 3-0 teams. Michigan came into the game as the No. 4-ranked team and Maryland was unranked. This game was slotted in the Big Noon Kickoff time, so it certainly had some build-up and the potential to be a good game.
However, I do not think many Michigan football fans could have expected what they would see on this day. The game started with Maryland fumbling the kickoff return and Michigan scoring on the very next play as JJ McCarthy hit Luke Schoonmaker for the touchdown pass.
Three seconds into the game, it was 7-0 Wolverines. After some turnovers and field goals from both sides, Blake Corum ran the ball 33 yards to the house to put Michigan up 17-13 going into halftime. JJ then hit Roman Wilson to give the Wolverines the 24-13 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Maryland would not quit as they converted two fourth downs on their next drive enroute to scoring a touchdown and bringing the score to 24-19. After a Michigan field goal, Maryland got the ball back with a little over eight minutes down eight. An RJ Moten interception ended that drive. Blake The Great put the game on ice for Michigan as he took a handoff 47 yards to the house to put Michigan up 15. Blake Corum finished the game with 30 carries for 243 yards and two touchdowns. One of the best performances from a Michigan running back of all time.
Future outlook
Michigan will travel to College Park on November 22nd of this year to play the Terrapins. The next time these two programs will meet is in the 2028 season, when they will play in The Big House. The game vs Maryland this upcoming season scares me because it is the week before The Game. Maryland is a dangerous team to play in a trap game scenario because they always seem to give Michigan a difficult game. However, I fully expect Michigan to continue its dominance in this series. Go Blue!