Michigan football stock watch: Career day for nose tackle Mazi Smith

Free Press sports writer Michael Cohen breaks down Michigan football’s 34-27 win over Maryland and looks at players who helped or hurt their stock Saturday at Michigan Stadium:

Stock up

RB Blake Corum: Corum (30 rushes for 243 yards and two touchdowns) thrived behind an explosive offensive line that created consistent push at the line of scrimmage against a Terrapins’ run defense that now ranks tied for 78th nationally. The running lanes were so clear that Corum only broke five tackles en route to a new career high in yardage. Six of his carries gained at least 10 yards and five of them gained at least 20.

He punctuated both halves with lengthy touchdown runs that helped the Wolverines seize momentum late in the second quarter (33-yard score) and then seal the victory (47-yard score) with 3:31 remaining. Saturday’s outburst marked just the second time Corum rushed for at least 100 yards against a Big Ten opponent, with the other coming last season in a blowout of Northwestern.

Corum proved he is strong enough to convert short-yardage opportunities and durable enough to withstand the punishment attached to a heavier workload.

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TE Luke Schoonmaker: With Erick All sidelined due to injury, Schoonmaker emerged as a reliable receiving threat for quarterback J.J. McCarthy on a series of underneath patterns, crossing routes and play-action passes. Schoonmaker hauled in a team-high seven catches and tied wideout Ronnie Bell for the team lead with 72 receiving yards — both of which established new career highs. He also scored his first touchdown of the season on a 10-yard reception on Michigan’s first play from scrimmage following the fumble recovery on special teams.

Just as important were Schoonmaker’s contributions in the running game, where his fabulous blocking along the edges of U-M’s offensive line sprung Corum for plays gaining 24 yards and 33 yards, the second of which produced a touchdown. His seal on the left side of the line during a key short-yardage play cleared a path for Corum to move the chains. Schoonmaker’s role in the offense could expand if All’s injury sidelines him for an extended period of time.

“We always think that Luke is right there with Erick and Erick right there with Luke as being the top guy in the conference, if not the country, at the tight end position,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said.

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CB Gemon Green: It’s amazing how far Green has come from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when he allowed three touchdowns in six games and yielded an average of 15.4 yards per catch, according to Pro Football Focus. Two years later — and following a 2021 campaign in which he lost his starting job — Green is one of Michigan’s most reliable defensive backs and a strong partner for DJ Turner, the team’s No. 1 corner.

Opposing quarterbacks who are reluctant to challenge Turner on deep passes have tested Green time after time the last few weeks. His nine targets against the Terrapins were more than twice the number of passes thrown at Turner and nearly double the amount directed at nickel back Mike Sainristil. That Maryland only completed four of them for 28 yards speaks to the stickiness of Green’s coverage, especially on downfield passes.

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw deep passes in Green’s direction four times in the first half and failed to complete all of them. Green’s lone mistake was getting lost in traffic on a tricky crossing route near the goal line that produced a 4-yard touchdown for wideout Tai Felton. He's given up seven yards per catch through the first four games.

NT Mazi Smith: The anchor of Michigan’s defensive line took his game to another level against the Terrapins by setting a new career high with eight tackles (including one for loss) and repeatedly crashing into the opposing backfield. He slipped a block and flattened tailback Roman Hemby for a 3-yard loss on third down. He tossed aside Maryland linemen on consecutive plays to thump Hemby again for a pair of 3-yard gains. He flashed a beautiful swim move against interior lineman Amelio Moran before hauling tailback Antwain Littleton II to the ground with one hand.

He even fought through a guard-tackle double team in the fourth quarter to stop Hemby two yards downfield. And if his contributions in the run game weren’t enough, Smith was also credited with four quarterback pressures to double his output from the first three weeks combined.

“I thought Mazi Smith was exceptional,” Harbaugh said. “Stepping up and getting off blocks and creating that run wall, especially when we needed it. We got the key stops when we needed them.”

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Stock down

QB J.J. McCarthy: Everyone knew there would be growing pains for the sophomore quarterback as he entered Big Ten play for the first time in his new role as Michigan’s starter.His performance against the Terrapins stretched from one end of the spectrum to the other, from clutch throws to wideouts Ronnie Bell (three catches, 72 yards) and Roman Wilson (two catches, 25 yards, 1 TD) in the fourth quarter of a close game to a pair of fumbles and one pass that was nearly intercepted.

The glimpses of poise when he breezed through his progressions for easy completions were offset by a handful of overthrown deep passes that could have widened Michigan’s lead. He also absorbed several unnecessary hits following lengthy scrambles that Harbaugh and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss will surely address on film. McCarthy finished 18-of-26 for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his fumbles were recovered by the Wolverines.

“I would probably say that it definitely wasn’t my best performance,” McCarthy said, “and I want some things back that went on out there. But I was happy with the way we were able to move the ball in times where we needed to respond.”

ILB Kalel Mullings: The soft-tissue injury that has kept Nikhai Hill-Green on the sideline this season afforded the rest of U-M’s linebackers an opportunity to cement a starting role alongside Junior Colson. In Saturday’s win over the Terrapins, Mullings showed signs of regression in line with last year’s weaknesses. Mullings played a season-high 27 snaps against Maryland but finished as Michigan’s lowest-graded defensive player. His missed tackle on Littleton late in the first quarter sprung an 11-yard gain to kickstart a drive that ended in a field goal by ex-Eastern Michigan kicker Chad Ryland.

Mullings’ issues in coverage resurfaced in the fourth quarter when he got caught looking into the backfield rather than dropping deeper in zone coverage. Backup quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. lofted a pass over Mullings and into the hands of tight end CJ Dippre for an 18-yard score that pulled Maryland within seven in the waning seconds. Neither mistake was particularly egregious, but Mullings failed to capitalize on his largest dose of playing time as Hill-Green reportedly nears a return.

Contact Michael Cohen at mcohen@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football stock watch: Blake Corum soars, J.J. McCarthy falls