Field Level Media
Nov 2, 2019
No. 14 Michigan returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and freshman Zach Charbonnet rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Wolverines to a 38-7 win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon in College Park, Md.
The Michigan defense did the rest, holding the Terrapins without an offensive score and to 233 total yards.
Michigan (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) won for the fifth time in the past six games and jumped out early with a 97-yard kickoff return by Giles Jackson. The Terrapins (3-6, 1-5) have dropped four consecutive games and six of seven since a 2-0 start.
The Wolverines, who came in averaging 246.3 yards rushing in their past three games, managed to control the game despite being held to 155 yards on the ground.
After Maryland went three-and-out on its initial possession, the Wolverines went 41 yards in 11 plays, cashing in on Charbonnet's 2-yard scoring run, his 10th rushing score of the season to set a Michigan freshman record, moving him past Mike Hart and Tyrone Wheatley.
The Terrapins toughened up in their homecoming game before a crowd of 40,701, but they squandered two first-half red-zone chances. Josh Jackson was intercepted by safety Josh Metellus, and Maryland then missed a 37-yard field goal after a drive that reached the Michigan 8.
The Maryland defense rallied to slow the Wolverines, holding them to just 47 rushing yards in the first half. A 14-yard Michael Barrett run on a fake punt keyed a Michigan scoring drive just before the intermission. Shea Patterson hit Nico Collins for 51 yards on the next play, and two plays later Charbonnet cashed in from 8 yards for a 21-0 lead 1:28 before halftime.
Patterson completed 13 of 22 passes for 151 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Eubanks in the third quarter before sitting out the fourth quarter.
The Terrapins got on the board with Javon Leake's 97-yard kickoff return at 1:18 of the third quarter. It was his school career-record-tying third kickoff score, his second this season.
Michigan has defeated Maryland five straight times and leads the all-time series 8-1.
--Field Level Media