Maryland vs. Michigan: Game Grades, Analysis for the Wolverines

Well, the chances of a bowl game are in serious jeopardy now that Michigan has to beat Ohio State in order to qualify. 

It didn't have to be that way. All the Wolverines had to do was beat Maryland. But that didn't happen. Instead, the Terps slid away with a 23-16 victory—their first at The Big House and against Michigan—thanks to Wes Brown's one-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. 

C.J. Brown, Maryland's quarterback, also contributed with an eight-yard rush earlier in the fourth. 

Michigan (5-6, 3-4 B1G) couldn't get the job done on senior day, which was the final go for players such as Jake Ryan, Devin Gardner, Brennen Beyer, Raymon Taylor and kicker Matt Wile, who tied a season-high three field goals. 

Grades are based on factors such as statistics, opportunity, frequency, execution and prior performances. Feel free to discuss them in the comments section. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	D-
Pass Defense	C	C
Run Offense	C-	C-
Run Defense	C+	C-
Special Teams	B (Wile hit 3 FG)	D-
Coaching	Individual grades below	Individual grades below

Pass Offense

Gardner threw for 106 yards, three fewer than he did during the 10-9 win over Northwestern. He completed 13 of 24 attempts and also threw an interception. Needless to say, he didn't produce desired results on senior day. 

The pass offense gets a D-. 

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Pass Defense

The Wolverines defense didn't allow any Terps receivers to reach the end zone and it held C.J. Brown to a modest 165 yards. Jourdan Lewis stood out as the unit's star of the night. He saved a touchdown with a sideline tackle in the second half. 

Run Offense

Believe it or not, the Wolverines rushed for 292 yards. Joe Kerridge rumbled for 52 after a fake-punt attempt in the first half. Gardner scored a 15-yard rushing touchdown in the second half. Drake Johnson had 14 carries for 94 yards. 

But other than Gardner, no one could put six on the board. The run offense gets a C- for lack of meaningful production. 

Run Defense

The Wolverines gave up both touchdowns on the ground, so that'll knock down the grade a notch or two. Four Terps combined for 147 yards, or about 45 more than Greg Mattison's defense typically surrenders on any given Saturday. 

Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown rushed for 87 yards, a total aided by a 30-yard burst in the first half. 

For that, the rush D gets a C-.

Special Teams

Michigan made three of its four field goals, so Matt Wile deserves mention for keeping his team in the hunt. Without those nine points, well, it would have been a 23-7 loss.

Dennis Norfleet, who's been due for three years, almost had a touchdown, but it was called back due to an illegal block by Michigan. 

The Wolverines get another D. The entire year has been a D, as in "D"-isappointment. 

Coaching

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

This was the one Brady Hoke had to win. He's not going to beat Ohio State, which stands in the way of a bowl game. Hoke gets a D. 

Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier just doesn't seem to know what to do with his offense. Another lackluster showing by Gardner and his receivers; Devin Funchess had five catches for 30 yards but was a no-show in the second half. 

Nussmeier gets a D. 

Mattison's defense has been the only positive of Team 135's dreadful season. He gets a C-. His defense gave up the touchdowns. Can't change that. 

Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81