It took until the middle of the third quarter for the No. 22 Michigan Wolverines to score a touchdown, but two earlier field goals plus three touchdowns helped lead them to a 28-0 win over the Maryland Terrapins.
The first touchdown for the Wolverines (4-1; 1-0 B1G) was a 31-yard score off the hand of quarterback Jake Rudock to Drake Johnson, which made it 12-0. Michigan, however, completed the two-point conversion to make it 14-0 with eight minutes left in the third quarter.
It was the first touchdown for Johnson since he rushed for two scores against the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 29, 2014.
The first six points for Michigan came off the foot of Kenny Allen, who made a 30-yard field goal and a 32-yard field goal. The first came with six minutes left before half and the other with just 53 seconds to go before the halftime break.
Turnovers were the story for both teams on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines came away with three intereptions from Jourdan Lewis, Jeremy Clark and Desmond Morgan. The interception from Lewis led to the Michigan touchdown.
While Maryland turned the ball three times, so did the Wolverines. Rudock threw an interception and lost a fumble, while another running back lost one of his own.
After throwing three interceptions, starting quarterback Caleb Rowe was pulled out of the game. The Terrapins (2-3; 0-1 B1G) went with Daxx Garman, who could not help Maryland get anything going on offense.
Michigan forced a three-and-out against Garman in his first drive of the game. It took no time for Michigan to find the end zone again, as Jehu Chesson carried the ball on a jet sweep for 66 yards to the house. Michigan extended their lead to 21-0 over Maryland.
As for Rowe, the defense was just too much to handle. He completed 8-of-27 passes for just 47 yards through the air. Michigan contained him and put pressure on him the entire afternoon. Garman felt the pressure, as he was sacked multiple times.
The senior transfer from the Oklahoma State Cowboys finished 1-for-5 with 22 yards through the air. Garman tried to carry the ball, but was either sacked in the pocket or wrapped up on the run to give him a horrible -17 yards on four attempted carries.
Rudock proved all game that head coach Jim Harbaugh made the right choice in making him the starting quarterback this season. He completed 16-of-30 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. The numbers were not anything crazy, but his leadership showed on the field. Rudock added three carries for 12 yards.
The Michigan quarterback found Jake Butt and Chesson four times, while connecting with Amara Darboh three times for 27 yards. Butt had a game-high 61 receving yards and Chesson chipped in with 41 yards.
Leading the run game for Maryland was Brandon Ross. The senior carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards, but could not find the end zone against a tough Michigan defensive line.
As the game was winding down, Johnson added a rushing touchdown to his earlier receving touchdown. Johnson leaped over a pile to find the end zone and give Michigan a 28-0 lead over Maryland with seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Johnson finished the game with a combined 99 yards and two touchdowns to push the Maryald defense to the brink of destruction.
The defense for Michigan forced multiple three-and-out's against Maryland in the late fourth quarter to seal the deal and earn the Maize and Blue a 28-0 win on the road at Byrd Stadium over the Terrapins.
Next up for No. 22 Michigan are the No. 16 Northwestern Wildcats (5-0; 1-0 B1G). The game will be played at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM ET.
As for the Terrapins, they will face the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0; 0-0 B1G) on the road next weekend at 12:00 PM ET.