The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 133 BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT There usually aren't many teams that end up starting three quarterbacks in a season like Michigan did in 2017, however Mary- land is one of them. Not only did the Terra- pins match that number, they beat it — start- ing four different signal-callers last season. Redshirt sophomore Tyrrell Pigrome and redshirt freshman Kasim Hill both missed almost all of last season after suffering knee injuries in games one and three, respectively, forcing junior Max Bortenschlager into ac- tion. He played the majority of the year, until he got hurt against Ohio State, which pushed walk-on redshirt sophomore Ryan Brand to start against the Wolverines. Brand has since left the program, leaving Pigrome, Hill and Bortenschlager to compete for the top spot. Needless to say, Maryland and head coach DJ Durkin — a former defensive coordinator at Michigan — are hoping for a year without quarterback injuries. Both Pigrome and Hill showed promise in limited action, combining to complete 82.0 percent of their passes for 405 yards with four touchdowns and one pick. The battle for the starting job this fall should be a fierce one, though Pigrome won the job last year when everybody was healthy. Maryland has a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, however, so that means a fresh start for all quarterback contestants in a new system. The Terrapins offense ranked No. 118 in the country out of 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams last year, averag- ing 325.2 yards per game. A healthy signal- caller should change that this fall, especially when you factor in star senior running back Ty Johnson, who is one of the best returning ball carriers in the Big Ten. Last season, Johnson led the Maryland backfield with 875 yards and five touch- downs after he ran for 1,004 yards as a sophomore. He averaged a healthy 6.4 yards per tote, but split rushing duties with junior running back Lorenzo Harrison III, who also returns. Harrison had the same number of carries as Johnson (137), but rushed for 622 yards and three scores. Johnson heads into the season ranked No. 13 in school history for career rushing yards (2,129). He was the No. 8 rusher in the conference last year, one spot behind Michigan senior running back Karan Higdon, who had 929 yards. Maryland's offensive line also stays intact, returning all five starters. That, coupled with the ground game, should provide a boost on the field and mentally for the quarterbacks. One area that the squad will have to find some new faces is wide receiver. D.J. Moore, who led the Big Ten in receiving last year with 80 catches for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns, will need to be replaced after he was drafted in the first round by Carolina. The man expected to take over the No. 1 role is Taivon Jacobs, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility due to season-ending injuries suffered in 2014 and 2016. He was second on the team in catches (47), receiving yards (553) and touchdowns (five) in 2017. The Terrapins will need to find depth behind Jacobs, however, since no other wide receiver on the team caught a touchdown last year and only one hauled in more than five passes. They also lack a receiving threat at tight end. Maryland returns five starters from a unit that finished No. 86 in total defense a year ago, allowing an average of 419.4 yards per game. Junior defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. is the team's leading returning tackler after fin- ishing second on the team last fall with 77, and he also grabbed two interceptions. Junior linebacker Isaiah Davis, the team's third-leading tackler from 2017, also comes back, after he notched 70 stops. Joining Brooks in the secondary is senior safety Dar- nell Savage Jr., who led the team with three interceptions and eight passes broken up. While the secondary may be strong in 2018, the front seven needs to create more pressure on opposing quarterbacks if the Ter- rapins hope to reach a bowl game. The team recorded just 16 sacks last year, which ranked 112th in the nation and tied with Rutgers for second worst in the Big Ten, trailing only Ne- braska, which tallied 14 sacks in 2017. Notes Maryland struggled immensely on third downs last sea- son — on both sides of the ball — finishing No. 127 in the nation on offense (28.6 percent) and No. 126 on defense (49.5 percent) … Not only is Ty Johnson a threat out of the backfield, but he also returns kicks, scoring a touchdown and averaging 24.3 yards per return in 2017 … Michigan and Maryland were the only two teams in the country to win at least three different games started by three different quarterbacks last season. ❑ Armed With Healthy Quarterbacks, The Terrapins Eye Improvement 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Sept. 1 vs. Texas* W, 51-41 Sept. 8 at Bowling Green — Sept. 15 Temple — Sept. 22 Minnesota W, 31-24 Oct. 6 at Michigan L, 35-10 Oct. 13 Rutgers L, 31-24 Oct. 20 at Iowa — Oct. 27 Illinois — Nov. 3 Michigan State L, 17-7 Nov. 10 at Indiana W, 42-39 Nov. 17 Ohio State L, 62-14 Nov. 24 at Penn State L, 66-3 * at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Tyrrell Pigrome, R-So., QB — Will compete for the starting job after making just one start last season against Texas in the season opener … Completed 9 of 12 passes for 175 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and rushed for 65 yards and a score, before tearing his ACL … Was the 2015 Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year and is a two-time Alabama Mr. Football runner-up. Defense: Antoine Brooks Jr., Jr., DB — Totaled 77 tackles, 9.5 tack - les for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and two interceptions last season … Was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media in 2017 … Led the Big Ten in regular-season tackles for loss by a defensive back … Returned a blocked field goal 71 yards for a touchdown against Texas in the 2017 season opener. Senior running back Ty Johnson eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards and averaged a school-record 9.1 yards per carry (minimum 100 attempts) in 2016. He fell short of the achievement last year with 875 yards on the ground. PHOTO COURTESY MARYLAND MARYLAND TERRAPINS • OCT. 6 • GAME 6 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 6-1 First Meeting: U-M 20, Maryland 0 (Sept. 28, 1985, at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 35, Maryland 10 (Nov. 11, 2017, at College Park, Md.) Head Coach: DJ Durkin, 10-15 at Maryland (3rd year) and 11-15 overall (3rd year, was interim coach at Florida for 2015 Birmingham Bowl) 2017 In Review: 4-8 overall, 2-7 Big Ten (T-6th East Division) Final 2017 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 14 (8 offense, 5 defense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2016 (Quick Lane vs. Boston College, L 36-30) Big Ten Championships (last): 0 (Have won 11 con - ference titles with the last coming in the ACC in 2001) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Max Bortenschlager (1,313 yards, 10 TD, 5 INT) Rushing: Ty Johnson (875 yards, 5 TD) Receiving: Jahrvis Davenport (123 yards, 0 TD) Tackles: Antoine Brooks Jr. (77) Sacks: Keiron Howard (2) Interceptions: Darnell Savage Jr. (3)