UMGOBLUE.COM
Posted on by Jeff Cummins

Big Ten Openers – – Maryland — Looking Back – 2015

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The fourth installment of this series looking back at Michigan’s Big Ten conference opening games takes us to 2015. The previous seven years had been frustrating by Michigan standards, and the fan base desperately sought a return to the glory days. Jim Harbaugh returned to his alma mater as head coach, bringing an air of optimism that had been missing for many years. Suddenly, Michigan alumni and fans everywhere immediately felt better about the Wolverines’ prospects.

Of course, the landscape of the Big Ten had changed considerably since Harbaugh played for Michigan. Several new schools had been added to the conference, and the 2015 Big Ten opener was at Maryland, representing the first time that Michigan would open its Big Ten slate against the Terrapins. Michigan was a prohibitive favorite, but the Wolverines started the season looking sluggish, and fans could be forgiven if they felt a little concern about any opponent.

Sure enough, the Wolverines got off to a slow start against Maryland, causing a pretty fair amount of angst among the Michigan faithful. Fortunately, while the offense took a while to get untracked, the defense picked up where it ended the previous game against BYU. Michigan turned the ball over several times in the first half, but the defense never yielded any points. Finally, on 4th down and three yards to go, Jake Rudock provided the spark that the Wolverines needed, scrambling for 20 yards and a first down. The drive stalled, and Michigan was forced to settle for a Kenny Allen field goal.

Midway through the third quarter, it was only 6-0, and Michigan fans were feeling anxious. Dreams of dominance under Harbaugh were replaced by fears of mediocrity.

In classic Michigan fashion, the defense provided the remedy. Maryland quarterback Caleb Rowe sensed that the entire Michigan defensive line was about to converge on him, and he threw a risky pass that Michigan DB Jourdan Lewis caught on his shoulder for his second interception of the game. Sensing blood in the water, Michigan wasted little time attacking the Maryland defense. Rudock tossed a screen pass to Drake Johnson, who followed a convoy of blockers to the end zone. Suddenly, a tight, hard-fought game had just been blown open. Jehu Chesson followed that with a 66-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep, and the route was on. Michigan went on to defeat Maryland 28-0, the Wolverines’ second of three consecutive shutouts. Michigan finished its season by trouncing Florida, 41-7, in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

Thanks to the Big Ten Network, YouTube, and YouTube poster WolverineDevotee for this video of the game. As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this blog post, which is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

About Jeff Cummins

Jeff Cummins has written about football since 1998, including nine years with The Record of Hackensack, N.J. He frequently contributes feature stories to Touchdown Illustrated, an insert in the national college football game program, published by University Sports Publications, and he has also written the official pregame stories for the game programs of the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Gator Bowl, and the BCS National Championship game. He has written the preview story for the official program for the NHL Winter Classic at MIchigan Stadium, and numerous college basketball feature stories for College Hoops Illustrated, another game program insert published by University Sports Publications. In addition, he has written stories about theater, music, physical therapy, and newsletter marketing. He’s an avid Michigan football fan and long-time New York Jets season ticket holder, and he can be reached at jeffcummins@optonline.net.

Related Posts