Maryland (2-2) at Michigan (2-4)
December 5, 2020
Michigan Stadium
3:30 pm EDT
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland football team will play its third straight road game as it travels to Michigan to face the Wolverines in the Big House on Saturday. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff to be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and Maryland Sports Radio Network.
GAME FIVE STORYLINES
DEPENDABLE DEMUS
- WR Dontay Demus Jr. has caught at least four passes in five straight games (7 at Michigan State, 11/30/19; 4 at Northwestern, 10/24; 7 at Minnesota, 10/30; 6 at Penn State, 11/7; 6 at #12 Indiana, 11/28), the first Terp to do that since Stefon Diggs had four or more receptions in seven games to start the 2014 season.
- Demus' five game streak of four-plus receptions is tied for the second-longest in the Big Ten, tied with Ohio State's Garrett Wilson and trailing Purdue's Ronnie Bell who has a 12-game streak.
- Demus leads Maryland with 23 receptions for 342 yards and three touchdowns this season.
TAULIA TALLYING YARDS
- QB Taulia Tagovailoa has thrown for 917 passing yards over the last three games (394 vs. Minnesota, 282 at Penn State & 241 at #12 Indiana), the most by a Maryland quarterback over a three-game stretch since Danny O'Brien had 975 passing yards in 2010 against Virginia (11/13), Florida State (11/20) and NC State (11/27).
- Tagovailoa had the fifth most passing yards among all Power Five quarterbacks with 676 over a two-week span when Maryland beat Minnesota (10/30) and Penn State (11/7), only trailing Florida's Kyle Trask (819), Clemson's D.J. Uiagalelei (781), Miami's D'Eriq King (752) and UNC's Sam Howell (678).
BRING THE FUNK
- RB Jake Funk is averaging 7.81 yards per carry (336 yards on 43 carries), the third-highest average among all FBS running backs, only trailing Buffalo's Jaret Patterson (8.60) and Virginia Tech's Khalil Herbert (8.18).
- Funk broke out in the Terps win over Minnesota (10/30), rushing for 221 yards, the 11th-most in a single game in program history and the most since Anthony McFarland Jr. had 298 vs. Ohio State (11/17/18) and followed that up with another 80 yards including a 38-yard touchdown in the win at Penn State (11/7).
youth surge
- The Terps have the 11th youngest team in the country and the youngest in the Big Ten by percentage of underclassmen on the roster, with 63.6 percent of the 118 student-athletes being freshmen or sophomores (46 true/redshirt freshmen, 29 sophomores).
- Maryland started four true freshmen over the first four games of the season, WR Rakim Jarrett, who has tallied 12 receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns and CB Tarheeb Still, who has posted 13 tackles and four pass breakups each started in the first three games and RB Isaiah Jacobs and LB Ruben Hyppolite II started in the Terps last game against #12 Indiana.
- Jarrett and Still starting in the first three games was the first time the Terps have started two true freshmen in the first three games of a season since K Brad Craddock, QB Perry Hills and S Sean Davis started the first three contests of 2012 (William & Mary, Temple & UConn).
- The Terps have had 22 players and 12 true freshmen see the first action of their careers over the first three games of the season. JUCO transfers Johari Branch and Ami Finau have both started all four games for Maryland.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
- This week's game at Michigan will be Maryland's third-straight road game, the first time the Terps have played three in a row on the road in 29 years, since Maryland played at #17 Pittsburgh (10/5), at Georgia Tech (10/12) and at Wake Forest (10/19) during the 1991 season.
Click here for this week's game notes.
