Wes Brown at Michigan

The Terrapins football offense took over possession Saturday at Michigan with a seven-point lead and 4:16 remaining in the final quarter. The Wolverines had one timeout remaining, and a couple first downs running the ball could cement a victory for coach Randy Edsall in the program’s first trip to The Big House as a member of the Big Ten.

The Terps never gave the ball back.

Quarterback C.J. Brown handed off to Wes Brown on seven straight snaps. The running back rushed for gains of seven, six, nine, two, six, one and one yards on those seven plays, and two of those carries earned first downs. Michigan coach Brady Hoke called his final timeout with 47 seconds remaining, but the stoppage did nothing to prevent a 23-16 Terps win as the final seconds eventually ticked of the clock.

And one week after Edsall’s rushing attack compiled just six yards in a loss to Michigan State at Byrd Stadium, the Terps broke 140 yards on the ground Saturday for the first time since Oct. 18 and just the fourth time all season. “The defense has been doing a heck of a job all year,” said C.J. Brown, who led the Terps with 87 rushing yards against the Wolverines. “For us to go out and end on the offense’s terms, run the ball in four-minute, get those first downs, make them use the timeout and end the game with ball in our hands is huge.”

Wes Brown rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown in the win over Michigan, but none more important than the 32 he gained on the final possession.

“My mindset is just to punish the guy that comes to try to tackle me and hold onto the ball with two hands,” Wes Brown said. “If they give me more than that, I’m going to take it.”

After sitting out last season because of a university-ordered suspension, Wes Brown began his 2014 campaign as the Terps’ third-string running back behind junior Albert Reid and starter Brandon Ross.

But as Reid was sidelined with a knee injury and Ross continued to struggle with ball-security issues, Brown slowly took on a larger role in the offense. And the powerful tailback has made his first two starts in the past two games. Brown said the increase in opportunities also stemmed from his steady improvement, both mentally and physically. After his extended time away from the team, the sophomore struggled to adjust at the beginning of the season despite his raw ability.

“When you have a whole year off, you’re not going to remember everything, all your reads, all your keys, what you’ve got to read when the quarterback pulls the ball, who you’ve got to block,” Brown said. “So it was just those small things that I had to get adjusted [to] — the technique, getting my footwork back under me. And then after that, [the coaches] saw that I was progressively working on it and getting better and realized that they wanted to give me a chance and trust me. And I had to take on that responsibility.”

Despite his improvement, Brown said the Terps’ performance on the ground Saturday had less to do with his and C.J. Brown’s play and more to do with the commitment from the offensive line.

Edsall said he challenged the unit during the week after an underwhelming performance against Michigan State.

He also made a switch at left tackle, moving senior Jake Wheeler into the starting lineup.

“As a coach, sometimes you have that gut feeling that you’ve got to make a move, and you make the move because you think it’s going to help your team win,” Edsall said. “It paid off, and a lot of credit to Jake.”

Now a fixture in the Terps’ starting lineup, Wes Brown was asked after the game if he’s playing the best football of his career right now.

The sophomore said he was, but not because of any personal achievement.

Just as he did on those seven rushes at the end of regulation against the Wolverines, Brown said he’s doing whatever it takes to secure a victory.

“This is the first time I’ve ever played the game and not been selfish. Ever,” Brown said. “It’s not about me anymore; it’s about this team. So I don’t care what I do in the game. If I make a good block and C.J.’s protected, that’s my job. That’s what I was meant to do.”