COLLEGE PARK — Right away against Maryland on Saturday afternoon, the passing game was on point. The No. 18 Michigan football team scored on all of their first three drives, with the pass game accounting for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
It had been over a month since freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood found the end zone through the air, dating back to the Wolverines’ game against Washington. With three interceptions and no touchdowns the last three games, Michigan was looking towards their bout against the Terrapins as an opportunity to settle back into the passing game.
With a receiving corps that has frequently favored the hot hand, the Wolverines’ utilized their versatility and depth in the receiver room to help Underwood settle into Saturday’s win over Maryland as quickly as possible.
“All my receivers I have confidence in no matter if it’s a drop pass or anything that could possibly happen,” Underwood said. “I trust my guys 100%.”
Before Saturday, the Wolverines had yet to play a game where it combined a strong passing attack with one that was also well balanced between a multitude of receivers. Against No. 15 Southern California, Michigan State and Northwestern, freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh more than doubled the next receiver in yards. Against No. 8 Oklahoma it was graduate wide receiver Donavan McCulley, and against Washington and Purdue it was junior tight end Zack Marshall that did nearly the same thing.
All season, the passing game has left much to be desired. Last week against the Wildcats, although Underwood hit his stride for the first three quarters, he mostly utilized Marsh and it started to fall apart in the fourth quarter. When interceptions and better coverage threw Underwood out of rhythm, that reliance on one receiver no longer worked.
But against Maryland, Marsh, McCulley, Marshall and senior tight end Marlin Klein all had more than 30 yards and a reception of 20-plus yard reception. The ability to read through progressions and find multiple players open helped Underwood initially settle into and stay settled into the game. While Marsh was still the favorite target — leading the team with five receptions and 76 yards — four other players had multiple receptions.
“Andrew Marsh is just doing what Andrew Marsh does,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “… He just continues to make plays, so we just keep putting the different places to do it.”
Two passing touchdowns especially accentuated that versatility as Underwood hit Marsh perfectly on a fade route and McCulley broke multiple tackles on a screen play to showcase the ability for multiple receivers to be dynamic targets.
“The guys showed up when they needed to,” Underwood said of Marsh and McCulley’s performance. “They executed the play every single time it came to them. That’s really all.”
All game Underwood found receivers in different ways. Whether it was Klein up the seam in a tight window, Marshall wide open on a deep crosser or sophomore wide receiver Channing Goodwin on a screen after going in motion, the wide outs and offensive scheming gave Underwood multiple different looks that he was able to find.
The Wolverines’ passing game hit its stride against the Terrapins. Ahead of Michigan’s toughest challenge to date, Underwood’s ability to settle into the game and hit multiple receivers in different ways shows promise for The Game.
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