Through the first three games, Michigan had not given up a first half touchdown.
That changed exactly one minute into their early afternoon matchup against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights – when quarterback Gavin Wimsatt connected with Christian Dremel on a dig route. Wolverines defensive back Rod Moore missed the tackle on the 5-foot-9 senior, leaving nothing but open field behind him for a 69-yard touchdown. One minute into the much-ballyhooed return of head coach Jim Harbaugh, and Michigan was trailing for the first time all season.
It didn’t get easier from there.
On the offense’s first drive, quarterback JJ McCarthy failed to connect with Colston Loveland as the sophomore couldn’t create enough separation to avoid a PBU. On the next play, McCarthy would get sacked for a two-yard loss after waiting a second too late to escape a collapsing pocket. This left Michigan vulnerable to a threat that they hadn’t faced yet – a slow, drawn-out slog where the Scarlet Knights could go above and beyond in shutting down the middle of the field both on the ground and through the air, while their offense focused on ball control and extending drives.
Following a three-and-out that was largely self-induced by two penalties on Scarlet Knights lineman Hollin Pierce (one of which wiped away a 30+ yard run on the outside), Michigan responded with a 94-yard drive that stemmed largely from back-to-back 30+ yard plays of their own. The first saw Donovan Edwards line up wide in the formation, and the Rutgers secondary would not make the necessary adjustment pre-snap – leaving the right side of the field plenty open for an easy completion. On the very next play, the Wolverines would dive into their bag of tricks with a reverse flea flicker to connect with Colston Loveland on a 33-yard pass down at the 2-yard line, setting up Blake Corum for the easy touchdown run that would put Michigan on the board.
Rutgers wouldn’t be deterred easily.
With things tied up 7-all, Greg Schiano’s side made it their mission to test the home side’s patience – which yielded a 10-play, 6-minute drive. To the dismay of the Wolverines’ secondary, Wimsatt had little issue connecting with his receivers on quick out routes for modest gains to convert on critical downs. Even more frustrating, the quarterback executed a savvy QB keeper run on 3rd & 4 after a charging DB blew up the running back. If not for a key tackle by Quinten Johnson, the Scarlet Knights could have had their second house call of the first quarter, instead of a 15-yard gain that drew them to midfield. The drive fizzled out and ended in a missed field goal by Jai Patel from 51 yards.
With the end of the half nearing, Michigan kept the ball on the ground on a pivotal drive – including a 22-yard run on a QB keep of their own from McCarthy, and ultimately yielding an 18-yard touchdown catch by true freshman Semaj Morgan on a well timed back shoulder throw from JJ. The Morgan TD was the first of the season to come through the air that wasn’t corraled by Roman Wilson.
The biggest play of the day came on a questionable coaching decision from Rutgers. On 4th-and-2 from the Wolverines’ 27 yard line and down by just 10 points late in the third quarter, the Scarlet Knight would pass on a 45 yard FG in favor of their short passing attack. The gamble would prove costly, as a pair of deflections off nosediving players for both Michigan and Rutgers would present an opportunity to the Wolverines’ preeminent ball hawk, Mike Sainristil. The senior didn’t look back, going 71 yards to reach the endzone and putting his team up 24-7.
It’s hard to be overly critical of Michigan when they haven’t given up more than 7 points to any opponent in the first month of the season. After the game, Coach Harbaugh shared some comments from Friday’s team meeting by defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale.
One of them was, “don’t flinch.”
Those words struck Harbaugh after the team gave up the early touchdown to the Scarlet Knights – and, ultimately, he was exceedingly proud that his players on both sides of the ball didn’t.
It might not always be picture perfect, but the Wolverines seem keen on finding areas for improvement. And, moreover, this group relishes when opposing sides try to pick a fight with them in the trenches. So far, it hasn’t proven to be a good bet.
Michigan go on the road next Saturday to face Nebraska.
