3 keys for Michigan football vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
After starting 3-0 with nonconference foes, No. 19 Michigan opens up with Rutgers on Saturday to start out Big Ten play.
This is just the eighth time the Scarlet Knights and Wolverines have met on the football field with Michigan holding a 6-1 edge.
Outside of 2014, when Rutgers defeated Michigan in the first contest between the two schools, the maize and blue have dominated the series. In a game last year where neither defense could stop the other, the Wolverines defeated the Scarlet Knights, 48-42, in triple-overtime. It was the first game that Cade McNamara got to show Michigan fans what he was capable of when he replaced Joe Milton after the former starter struggled early.
The 2021 Rutgers team appears to be a new animal — it is 3-0 having defeated Temple, Syracuse and Delaware. The Scarlet Knights seem to have a shaky offense, but the defense appears to be as good as it’s been in some time.
Here are the three keys for a Michigan win against Rutgers.
List
What Jim Harbaugh said in his Rutgers week press conference
Take advantage of the shorthanded secondary
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Rutgers are without starter, and perhaps the best pass defender, Max Melton this Saturday. Melton, along with Chris Long, was arrested on Monday involving an incident with a paintball gun. Melton had a 76.0 PFF grade, which was the third-best on the defense, and led the team with two interceptions. This is a big loss for the Scarlet Knights. As a team, Rutgers has the 15th-best passing defense in the country, only allowing teams to throw for 145.7 yards-per-game against them. This is where Michigan needs to take full advantage. According to PFF, the Wolverines have the 13th-best passing attack in college football -- they grade out with an 86.7. McNamara only averages 163.3 yards per game, but he has been extremely efficient and he has yet to throw an interception in his collegiate career while also completing 64.9% of his throws. More than likely, Melton would have covered Cornelius Johnson much of the game, so we could see Johnson take advantage of Melton's absence. Johnson is leading the team from the PFF viewpoint -- save for Ronnie Bell who only played in one game (83.2 grade) -- grading out at 77.0 through three games. Michigan took a few deep shots last week in the passing game and one of them connected with Johnson, so we may be in store for some more this week.
Hold steady against the Rutgers pass rush
Photo: Isaiah Hole
The Scarlet Knights' front eight is a big reason for their early success. Rutgers is fourth in the nation averaging 4.6 sacks-per-game -- it has 14 total sacks thru three games. Junior linebacker Olakunle Fatukaski leads the team with 3.5 sacks on the year and he ranks third on the team with a 78.1 pass-rushing grade from PFF. Five of the Scarlet Knights defensive linemen all have at least one sack, so the Wolverines will need to watch out for plenty of Rutgers' pass rushers. On the other side, Michigan has not allowed Cade McNamara to be sacked all season. The Wolverines have the 36th-best pass-blocking team according to PFF with a 68.0 grade. We already know that Michigan will continue to pound the rock early and often since it has rushed for over 300 yards in all three games so far this year. Depending on how the protection is for McNamara, we may see some quick throws from the Wolverines until the Scarlet Knight line starts losing some energy.
Make the Rutgers passing game beat you
Photo: Isaiah Hole
The Rutger offense isn't overly exciting, but it appears to be a much better offense than what we're used to seeing from the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers returns running back Isaih Pacheco who has run for 152 yards and three touchdowns on the season. PFF ranks the Scarlet Knights as the 51st-best running attack in football with a 76.7 grade. The Scarlet Knights also return quarterback Noah Vedral who has thrown for 606 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions on the year. PFF ranks the Rutgers passing game as the 116th attack in the nation with a 53.1 grade. Michigan has been pretty stout on defense, but even better against the run -- it only allows 112 yards per game. I think the Wolverines need to make Verdal throw the ball, and I believe Rutgers will have to throw the ball to keep up with the maize and blue. The maize and blue only allow 176 yards-per-game thru the air, and Michigan finally got its first interception last week thanks to Gemon Green. Rutgers has yet to turn the ball over on the season, like Michigan, so this could be a week that the fast-improving Michigan secondary could force a turnover against the Scarlet Knights.
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