We've now rolled the calendar over to November and the weather here is responding accordingly. Fortunately for my Wolverines the forecast in Maryland looks quite nice for a noon matchup against the Terps.
This will be the ninth game in the series, and the sixth since Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference in a deal that fans rue to this day. The lone blemish for Michigan was that conference debut in 2014, which was mercifully the last season for idiot AD Dave Brandon and overmatched HC Brady Hoke. Since then the Wolverines have won by a 164-34 margin, with the closest being last year's 42-21 victory I was able to take in in person thanks to Jeff.
While Maryland is riding a three-game losing streak after a dynamic pair of season-opening wins, #14 Michigan is 6-2 and coming off a statement win in obliterating a Notre Dame team that had be ranked in the top 10. The Wolverines are a different team since the second half of the Penn State game, and opponents would do well to fear them if they've finally got it all figured out.
As if the Wolverines needed any additional motivation this afternoon, new OC Josh Gattis spurned new Maryland HC Mike Locksley to join Jim Harbaugh's staff, leading to some bad blood between the two. Just as it did last Saturday, respectful competition may take a back seat to running up the score, and we may finally see significant garbage time action for the rest of the depth chart.
Things can always go haywire--that's why they play the game--but I'm looking for Michigan to continue the momentum of the last few weeks before enjoying a bye that should help them prepare to face Mark Dantonio's tire fire out of East Lansing. Harbaugh's guys should build more confidence today on offense and keep things rolling on D to get November started on a positive note. Some kids may like turtles, but I'll take Wolverines any day.
LET'S GO BLUE!
Had no idea a terrapin was a turtle. I learned something new today. Congratulations on the win.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fuji! I'm pretty sure Maryland's mascot is the only time I've heard that term referenced or I wouldn't know what it was either.
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