Wolverines Ups & Downs: Who Stood Out In Michigan’s Win Over Maryland

In its previous two matchups, Michigan had played closer games than it had hoped. Both Purdue and Northwestern gave them a run for their money, and the Wolverines just weren’t playing to their standard.

Saturday against Maryland, however, Michigan finally played a truly complete game, coming away with a blowout 45-20 win because of it. The Wolverines were expected to handle business, and they did, which could be very important when it comes to the College Football Playoff rankings

Now, it’s all hands on deck in preparation for the biggest rivalry in college football — and probably college sports in general — when Michigan takes on Ohio State next Saturday at noon.

Here are four ‘Ups’ and two ‘Downs’ from the Wolverines’ big win over the Terrapins…

Last week against Northwestern, freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood looked quite solid for most of the afternoon. His performance against the Wildcats was tainted by two late-game interceptions, but otherwise, he looked as comfortable and confident as he had all season.

Against Maryland, Underwood took the good things about his performance against Northwestern and replicated them without the mistakes. Other than one pass that was very nearly an interception, Underwood played with the poise and skill of a much older, more experienced quarterback.

In total, he threw 16-for-23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, all in just over three quarters of play, since he was taken out for most of the fourth quarter. With the biggest game of the season on the horizon, Underwood is looking as good as he has all year.

Another game, another 100-yard performance from a Michigan running back, and junior Bryson Kuzdzal becomes the third Wolverine to achieve the mark on the season.

With Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall both sidelined due to injuries, head coach Sherrone Moore called on the former walk-on Kuzdzal to shoulder the lead back duties. And he took advantage of the opportunity, gaining 100 yards on 20 attempts and punching in three touchdowns.

A lot of credit certainly goes to the Wolverines offensive line as well, which has truly come into its own as the season has worn on. But Kuzdzal still looked the part of a starting running back in the Big Ten. Even down to its third string running back, Michigan can still produce stellar results.

This ‘Down’ is certainly a little bit nitpicky, but in a game where almost everything went right for the Wolverines, sometimes the small things stick out a little more.

There were several plays where Maryland had wide open receivers down the field — or even in the end zone — and Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington simply threw an inaccurate pass to bail the Wolverines out. 

While these plays didn’t result in any damage, against a team like Ohio State, they might not be as lucky. The secondary certainly had great moments against Maryland, but it’s going to need to be near perfect next week.

Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh has been a revelation for Michigan. He was a highly-touted recruit for a reason, and Marsh’s performance since early October has cemented himself as one of the best freshmen receivers in the country.

Saturday, he brought in five catches for 76 yards and an impressive touchdown in the corner of the end zone. He is Underwood’s favorite target, and he’s been quite reliable in that role, even as a young guy. 

Coming into Saturday’s game, Maryland had allowed just four sacks on the entire season. In this game alone, Michigan sacked Washington three times. 

This was largely thanks to senior edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham, who both recorded a sack. But even when they weren’t tackling the quarterback, they were still putting a lot of pressure on the Terrapins’ freshman signal caller.

Graduate defensive lineman Tré Williams also earned a sack, and Barham and Moore were large contributors on that play, collapsing the pocket and giving Williams the opportunity to complete the rep.

It was another volatile day for senior kicker Dominic Zvada. After his stellar year last season, Zvada has had his fair share of struggles in 2025. 

Even though he hit the game-winning field goal last week against Northwestern, his struggles rolled into Saturday’s game against Maryland. On his first chance, he pushed a 38-yard attempt wide to the right. Even though he’s had struggles all season, they’ve yet to play a direct role in the outcome of a game, and that was the case against the Terrapins — Michigan didn’t end up needing those three points.

Zvada redeemed himself in the fourth quarter, however, knocking through a 46-yard attempt. Regardless, the Wolverines need him playing at his best, because in last year’s game, Zvada was one of the most important factors in Michigan’s improbable win.

Graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown…Running backs Jasper Parker and Tomas O’Meara both had solid production even on their limited snaps…Sophomore safety Mason Curtis picked up his first interception of the season, which led to a touchdown.