The Michigan Wolverines have embraced the "Michigan vs. Everybody" mantra recently, even if it gets under the skin of their detractors and critics. That's because of the sign-stealing scandal that resulted in the three-game suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh.
After initially planning to fight it in court, Michigan and Harbaugh accepted the punishment after the NCAA showed recent evidence that they had received in their investigation, resulting in the firing of linebackers coach Chris Partridge.
Michigan had a big week ahead of them as they took on the Maryland Terrapins. A win would set them up in a pivotal season-finale matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
On Saturday, Michigan squeaked out a 31-24 win over Maryland to improve to 11-0 on the year. It didn't come easy, as the Terrapins defense held the Wolverines offense, led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum, to 291 yards of offense. But, the Wolverines were able to pull out the win after a controversial safety call late in the fourth quarter.
Controversy or not, a win is a win for Michigan, as they head into "The Game" next week looking to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship. But, those on social media, including Ohio State fans, were critical of the team escaping with a win ahead of the big matchup in Week 13.
Social media reacts to Michigan's narrow win over Maryland
Early on in the game, it looked as though the Wolverines were going to cruise to a victory, as they took a 23-3 lead behind two touchdown runs by Corum, a fumble return touchdown by Derrick Moore, and a safety. But Maryland wasn't going down quietly, as Billy Edwards Jr. ran for two touchdowns to cut the deficit to 23-17.
Michigan increased their lead to 29-17 after a 13-yard touchdown run by Semaj Morgan. That would quickly disappear after Edwards' third touchdown run of the game.
Pinned deep in their territory, Michigan was rewarded with safety after calling quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa with intentional grounding on a pass to Tai Felton. This play was controversial, as while the pass did land a big chunk of yardage ahead of Felton, it was heading in his direction. The play wasn't reviewable, so Michigan took a 31-24 lead and got possession of the football back.
Michigan will now set its focus on Ohio State. Both teams are in the College Football Playoff picture, so a loss could very well knock that team out of it, especially with teams like the Washington Huskies, Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, and Alabama Crimson Tide sitting just outside of the four spots. The tensions will be high between both schools, considering the stakes.