MIKE LOCKSLEY

Taulia Tagovailoa threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Octavian Smith, Chad Ryland kicked three field goals and Maryland outlasted No. 25 North Carolina State 16-12 to win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Coach Mike Locksley on Tuesday wasn’t definitive about their status when Maryland (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) hosts Michigan State (2-2, 0-1) on Saturday. His 88.4 completion percentage is the highest Michigan State allowed in a game since at least 2000, according to Sports Reference. “He gets the ball out quick and he’s very shifty,” Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon said. “We just got to keep him in the pocket.”Three improvements needed for Michigan State’s defenseThrough the first two games this season, Michigan State led the nation in sacks with 12. Michigan State owns a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series against Maryland and has won four straight but will take an injury-riddled team on the road this weekend.

Michigan State has lost its last two games by 11 or more points. Michigan State opened as a four-point road underdog for its Saturday game at Maryland on Circa Sports. Visit MLive’s Betting Home for latest odds & sportsbook promosIt marks the third straight week Michigan State will be an underdog. Michigan State lost, 39-28, at Washington in Week 3, then fell 34-7 at home to Minnesota on Saturday in its Big Ten opener. Before losing to Michigan, Maryland was 3-0 against Buffalo, Charlotte and Southern Methodist.

“Good teams don’t need help,” Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said. But Maryland wasn’t taking any moral victories from its first loss of the year. Despite Corum’s numbers, Michigan didn’t dominate the game, certainly not like it had through its 3-0 start. On the other side of the ball, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy looked less comfortable than he had all year. Michigan wasn’t perfect on Saturday, but ran the ball well, won the turnover battle 3-1, and took advantage of Maryland’s major mistakes.

No. 4 Michigan will start the Big Ten season against unbeaten Maryland on Saturday in what figures to be a stern test.

Betting Market Best bet for Saturday, 9/24 Point Spread prediction Michigan -17 (-110)All new customers can click here to claim a risk-free bet worth up to $1,250 from Caesars Sportsbook. Maryland Football vs. Michigan Football prediction featuring Michigan -17 at Caesars SportsbookThe Michigan Wolverines have traditionally performed well in Big Ten openers under Jim Harbaugh, and we don’t see that changing on Saturday. Therefore, our Maryland vs. Michigan prediction is on the Wolverines -17. If you want to fade or follow our experts’ Maryland vs. Michigan prediction risk-free, click here to claim a No Sweat First Bet from FanDuel. No matter what you’re betting on Maryland vs. Michigan this Saturday, click here to win a risk-free first bet from Caesars.

Maryland is off to a fast start this season, but head coach Mike Locksley knows his program’s place in the Big Ten’s pecking order. Michigan, meanwhile, is the defending league champ and ranked fourth in the country after a record-setting start to the season. “We have nothing to lose,” Locksley told reporters at a press conference in Maryland Tuesday. “We’re going to face the reigning champ and we know we’ll get a really, really good team.”In studying tape, Locksley sees weapons all over Michigan’s offense. “That’s why you come to Maryland, to have this opportunity to play really good teams like Michigan,” Locksley said.

No. 6 Michigan stayed put in the rankings after its 21-17 win at Penn State last week.

Michigan State and Maryland were twice scheduled to play last season. For Michigan State, there’s some carryover in preparation from last season. The Terrapins also see familiar faces from when they looked at Michigan State last year along with new ones, namely No. “Last week we knew the type of player Jahan Dotson was and he still had a big game. “I like our guys and the energy they bring in the run game,” Locksley said.

C.

Former Michigan State quarterback and assistant coach Dan Enos is back in the Big Ten. Enos, who was the associate head coach and running backs coach at Cincinnati this season, was named Maryland’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Monday by head coach Mike Locksley. Enos left East Lansing to become the head coach at Central Michigan from 2010-14 before spending three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas. Following one season with the Crimson Tide, Enos was the offensive coordinator at Miami before being fired and landing at Cincinnati. Maryland offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery was ousted after two seasons, leading to Enos replacing him.

Michigan State against Maryland is canceled. A Michigan State spokesman confirmed to MLive the Spartans won’t play another team on Saturday. This is the fourth Maryland game canceled this season due to COVID-19 – three due to testing within its own program and one because of results at Michigan. Michigan State lost at home against Ohio State two weeks ago and at Penn State last week. The two games Michigan State had canceled this season were both due to positive COVID-19 results for Maryland.

Maryland’s football team felt the effect of missing several key offensive players in its 27-11 loss to No. “I want to give Indiana credit,” said Locksley, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 18. “Tom Allen and his staff had their team prepared to play today. On Nov. 11, the team paused activities after eight players tested positive for COVID-19. An additional 15 players and eight staff members tested positive the following week.

Mel Tucker was optimistic he would have a game this week. The first-year Michigan State coach is now facing a gap in the schedule. Maryland (2-1) on Thursday morning canceled Saturday’s game against Michigan State (1-3) due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program. It was obvious the Terrapins’ game against Michigan State was in jeopardy but Tucker on Tuesday said he spoke with Maryland coach Mike Locksley that morning and wasn’t even thinking about the game not happening. Michigan State, which is coming off back-to-back losses to Iowa and Indiana by a combined score of 73-7, is scheduled to host No.

Maryland (2-1), which has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, announced Thursday morning that Saturday’s game against the Spartans (1-3) is canceled. It’s the second straight game the Terrapins canceled, following last week’s game against Ohio State. Maryland suspended team activities last Wednesday after announcing eight players tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous seven days. Michigan State is coming off back-to-back blowout losses while being outscored 73-7 combined in defeats against Iowa and Indiana. Michigan State coach Mel Tucker previously expressed confidence the game at Maryland would be played.

Michigan State doesn’t know yet if its Saturday game against Maryland will be played as scheduled. Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said during his Tuesday afternoon press conference that Michigan State was holding its regularly scheduled practices as it waits for Maryland to announce if it will be able to suit up a week after a COVID-19 outbreak hit the program. “Everything I’ve been told, they’re trying to play and so we’re preparing to play,” Tucker said. Tucker said that if Maryland wants to play the game as scheduled, Michigan State is comfortable traveling to College Park given the extensive testing and medical protocols all Big Ten teams go through. “Right now, we are preparing to play,” Tucker said.

What about the rest of the Big Ten’s head coaches? Fleck, Minnesota; Jeff Brohm, PurdueLet’s start with a disclaimer: All these coaches are very safe for the timing being. It’s unclear whether the Terps will be able to take the field this coming Saturday against Michigan State. The Big Ten has been mostly spared: Before Maryland, only Wisconsin had suffered an outbreak that required canceled games. In the season opener, he led Rutgers to its first Big Ten win in three years.

Another Big Ten football program is dealing with a COIVD-19 outbreak and this time it could affect Michigan State. Maryland (2-1) on Wednesday afternoon announced it paused all football activities and canceled Saturday’s game against No. Michigan State ‘tightening the screws’ while searching for consistencyThe next scheduled game for Maryland is at home against Michigan State (1-2) on Nov. 21 and that appears to be in jeopardy. Wisconsin on Oct. 28 announced team activities were halted after 12 positive cases in the program. Related Michigan State football stories:Mel Tucker’s second look at Michigan State’s loss at Iowa wasn’t pretty3-star Florida CB Steffan Johnson commits to Michigan StateIndiana, ranked in top 10 for first time in 51 years, heads to Michigan State with ‘earmuffs and blinders’Why Oak Park 4-star DT Rayshaun Benny chose Michigan State over Michigan, othersMichigan State looks to respond to ‘pain and pressure’ after blowout loss at Iowa

15 Michigan looks to build on its biggest win of the season when it visits Maryland on Saturday in Big Ten play. The Wolverines rolled up 303 rushing yards en route to an emphatic 45-14 win over then-No. Michigan has held four of its last five opponents to fewer than 65 rushing yards. Maryland extended its turnover streak to 20 straight games, which is the longest in the nation. PREDICTION: Michigan 35, Maryland 13

Anthony McFarland #5 of the Maryland Terrapins runs against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at Capital One Field on November 3, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. - Maryland looks to put a tumultuous season in the rearview mirror when it kicks off the 2019 campaign at home against FCS outfit Howard on Saturday. LINE: Maryland -31"We're all aware of the things that have taken place here, but this 2019 team will be defined in the present," Locksley told reporters. The Terrapins ranked fourth nationally in red zone offense (93.5 percent) last season. PREDICTION: Maryland 42, Howard 13More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.