Three Things To Watch: Encore, Encore For Haskins

What will Michigan's offensive philosophy be tomorrow? Can the Wolverines get off to a fast start on the road? We take a look at three things to watch in U-M's trip to Maryland.

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Offensive Identity: Over the last four games, Michigan's offense has averaged 214.8 yards rushing per contest and just 187.8 yards through the air. 

For the season, Michigan ranks 75th nationally in passing with 224.6 yards per game, and it appears that the Wolverines' super talented receiving corps will finish another year playing the undercard to U-M's ground attack. 

Or maybe not. 

This weekend, Michigan will face off with a Maryland team ranking 115th nationally in allowing 273.6 passing yards per game, opposing quarterbacks completing 65.0 percent of their passes with 8.2 yards per attempt. The Terrapins are middle-of-the-pack in rush defense too (No. 55 nationally) but surrender just 3.80 yards per carry. 

In other words, every time an opponent throws the ball they average 4.4 yards better per play than when they run the ball against Maryland. 

Maryland's defense also struggles defending the big play, yielding 29 completions of 20 yards or more this season (almost four per game) and while Michigan has 30 such completions this season, it has just 10 of 30 yards or more as the Wolverines have largely avoided throwing downfield with any level of consistency. 

So what happens tomorrow? Does U-M continue to build a running game that has come alive, pounding the Terrapins into submission? Or do the coaches recognize that they erred a year ago going into the Ohio State game with a plan focused on defense, field position and running the football, and instead begin building the confidence and chemistry in the passing attack that the Maize and Blue will almost certainly need to keep pace with the Buckeyes?  

Starting Fast (or Slow): According to USA Today's Sagarin rankings, Maryland is the No. 78 team in the country after eight games. The Terrapins do not fall into the purview of "ranked teams," which is good because in two games this season against Top 25 teams on the road, the Wolverines have been outscored 21-0 in the first quarter and 49-7 in the first 30 minutes (and subsequently lost both games). 

A year ago, Michigan was outscored 21-3 in the first quarter against three ranked foes on the road. Also alarming, the Maize and Blue were outscored 17-7 against two unranked opponents away from home in the first quarter, trailing at Northwestern 10-0 and tied at Rutgers 7-7. 

This season, U-M has played just one non-ranked team on the road, Illinois, and led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 28-7 at the half. 

In last year's matchups in Evanston and Piscataway, the better team eventually prevailed and the Wolverines overcame their deficits to beat Northwestern and Rutgers. Chances are the Maize and Blue could afford another slow start and still beat Maryland handedly but with a sneaky tough game at Indiana remaining on the schedule, Michigan needs to show it can be mentally locked in to begin games.

Neutering Their Playmakers: Don't let the 3-5 record or No. 73 ranking in total offense fool you - this Maryland team has explosive playmakers at running back, receiver and even quarterback (when senior Josh Jackson is under center). 

The Terrapins rank 47th in scoring at 32.4 points per game because of those big-play players and the consistency in which they get the ball down field in a hurry. Maryland ranks 14th nationally in offensive plays of 30 yards or more (23, or 3.0 per game).

Junior tailback Javon Leake leads the way with seven plays of 30 yards or more while sophomore WR Dontay Demus Jr., has eight receptions of 20 yards or more (no one for Michigan has more than six).

Maryland is one of the worst teams in the country at possessing the football (125th out of 30 teams, 26:27), third-down conversions (97th, 36.2%) and red-zone success rate (116th, 72.4%). If Michigan's defense can string out UMD's possessions, the Terrapins eventually fail. But Maryland counts on enough big plays per game to drive its scoring and will hope to catch U-M in mismatches as Penn State did.