'We have something special': Blake Corum runs wild, Michigan holds off Maryland

Ann Arbor — After three weeks of staying focused while going through the motions of noncompetitive nonconference games, fluffing statistics and sitting near the top of the national rankings, Michigan got a huge dose of reality with the start of Big Ten play.

There were lots of questions about the No. 4 Wolverines after the first three games. Had they been tested? What does anyone really know about this team?

Michigan running back Blake Corum, coming off a career performance with 30 carries for 243 yards and two touchdowns, said he knows what this team is all about and what it can be after Michigan defeated Maryland and its dangerous offense, 34-27, on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.

The Wolverines (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will spend the next two weekends on the road against Iowa and Indiana.

BOX SCORE: No. 4 Michigan 34, Maryland 27

Corum, with sidekick back Donovan Edwards out for the second straight game because of a leg injury, scored on a 47-yard run on his final carry of the day, and his 33-yard touchdown on fourth down with 22 seconds left in the first half gave the Wolverines a 17-13 halftime lead.

“That was only supposed to go for like 1 or 2 yards,” Corum said of his fourth-down touchdown. "But, you know, the coaches got it in quick, J.J. (McCarthy) snapped the ball quick. We caught them off guard. Maryland’s defense was good. Maryland's offense was good. It wasn't like we were playing some scrub team. That definitely was a momentum change in my opinion.”

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It was a personal-best performance for Corum, who became the first Michigan running to rush for more than 200 yards since Karan Higdon (2017, Minnesota) and had the most rushing yards in a game since Denard Robinson’s 258 yards in 2010 against Notre Dame. Even Corum said after the final nonconference game that while it was hard to know who the Wolverines were at that point, he had a good feeling about them. He confirmed that after the first Big Ten win.

“Maryland was a good team, stout up front,” Corum said. “They have good athletes and they played pretty well as a team, so this is definitely a great challenge for us. We can go back to the drawing board, see where we made a few mistakes and where we can get better and where we can grow.

“But the sky's the limit for this team now, and I really believe we have something special here.”

By no means were the Terrapins (3-1, 0-1) expected to be an easy out for the Wolverines, who were more than two-touchdown favorites.

Dual-threat quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa entered the game as one of the nation’s more efficient passers, with plenty of receiving options. Michigan entered the game No. 3 nationally in total defense yielding an average 194 yards a game. The Terps had 195 in the first half.

“Taulia was great,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Getting out of the pocket, extending plays, stepping up in the pocket. A lot of things to learn from there. He proved to be really slippery and good. We had some shots to get him back, get him on the ground, but he was tough. It's tough to get him on the ground. And receivers were making plays and then so did our guys.”

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Tagovailoa took some hits in the second half, though, and Maryland coach Mike Locksley told reporters after the game his quarterback was “banged up” with injuries to his knee and ribs. Tagovailoa was 20-of-30 passing for 207 yards and a touchdown, but he was also intercepted twice, by DJ Turner in the first half and R.J. Moten with about six minutes left in the game after Michigan had taken a 27-19 lead.

A highlight for Michigan’s defense in the first half, besides the Turner interception, was defensive tackle Mazi Smith’s tackle for loss, the first for the team, on a third-down play. He forced the Terps to settle for a field goal and a 13-10 lead.

The Wolverines’ defense rebounded from that sluggish first half with the second-half interception and three sacks from Mike Sainristil, Mike Morris and Derrick Moore. The Terps also were less effective running the ball after halftime, averaging 3 yards per carry after averaging 4.6 yards a run in the first half.

“Getting off blocks, adjusting to tackling their back (Roman Hemby) lower,” Harbaugh said when asked about the defense getting punched in the mouth in the first half. “He runs high and runs hard and they're bleeding out some yardage. Some of those first downs are going for 5 or 6 or 7 (yards). But thought Mazi Smith was exceptional, stepping up and getting off blocks and, and creating that run wall. We got the key stops when we needed them.”

The Wolverines were without several key offensive pieces because of injuries, including tight end Erick All, Edwards and left guard Trevor Keegan. Backup quarterback Cade McNamara was on the sideline with a brace on his right leg after suffering an injury last week, and linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green has yet to play.

Tight end Luke Schoonmaker had a record performance with seven receptions on eight targets. He had 72 yards receiving and Michigan’s first score, a 10-yard touchdown from J.J. McCarthy. The quick-hit scoring drive happened in the opening seconds when Matthew Hibner recovered Maryland’s fumbled kickoff.

“The opportunities were going to be more, and I had to step up and be ready for anything,” Schoonmaker said.

Which is the approach Michigan will have to take the next two weeks when those tests happen on the road.

achengelis@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @chengelis