There are no moral victories in college football. Wins and losses are what define a program. Yet, the Maryland Terrapins shouldn’t lower their heads after a hard-fought effort against No. 4 Michigan on Saturday.
On the road in the Big House, the Terrapins gave the Wolverines all they can handle. Maryland withstood a fumble on the game’s opening kickoff that led to a Michigan touchdown on the next play to eventually hold a 13-10 lead late in the second quarter.
Maryland’s defense stifled Michigan’s passing game. Meanwhile, the Terps’ offense had the Wolverines on their heels throughout the first half.
But Michigan had running back Blake Corum. Corum, who played high school football in Maryland at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, rushed for a collegiate career-high of 243 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan escaped with a 34-27 win.
It was the closest margin of defeat ever for Maryland against Michigan. Maryland is 1-10 all-time against Michigan.
The reaction exemplified the growth of Maryland even in defeat.
Even the hard to impressed FOX sports personality Colin Cowherd sang the praises of Maryland for their effort.
During the Jim Harbaugh era, Michigan had never beaten Maryland by less than 21 points in six previous meetings. Last year, the Wolverines beat Maryland 59-18 en route to the Big Ten Championship.
Mike Locksley is in his fourth season as Maryland head coach. His recruiting has been impeccable, keeping a good portion of the rich talent from the DMV area. That talent was on display Saturday against Michigan.
The talent gap is closing as Maryland gets settled in the Big Ten, a conference it joined in 2014. Now Locksley is tasked to build on Saturday’s strong performance and prove Maryland is a program to be reckoned with.
