Michigan Football Opponent Preview: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Non-conference play is in the rearview mirror for Michigan. The Wolverines are out to a 3-0 start and while the numbers look dominant, to the naked eye, the Wolverines appeared to sleepwalk at times during the first three weeks.

But now all eyes turn to Big Ten play and the Wolverines will host undefeated Rutgers on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights have defeated Northwestern, Temple, and Virginia Tech by a combined score of, 95-30.

Michigan may hold an 8-1 record against Rutgers in the series, but in the past two out of three games, the Wolverines have won by just a score. The maize and blue usually get all they want from the Greg Schiano-led team.

Rutgers has been getting the job done on the ground. The Scarlet Knights have one of the better-rushing attacks in the country, and it's led by running back Kyle Monangai -- he was most recently named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

Michigan will want to key in the on Rutgers running game. More specifically, the Scarlet Knights like to run plays to the edge of the line. The Wolverines' Edge defenders need to be sound this coming Saturday.

Here are some stats to know, and some of Rutgers' top players to know.

2023 stat comparison:

Scoring offense: Michigan (56th) 32 PPG -- Rutgers (57th) 31.7 PPG

Scoring defense: Michigan (1st) 5.3 PPG -- Rutgers (7th) 10 PPG

Passing offense: Michigan (61st) 245.3 YPG -- Rutgers (126th) 135.7 YPG

Passing defense: Michigan (8th) 141.3 YPG -- Rutgers (57th) 202 YPG

Rushing offense: Michigan (70th) 156.6 YPG -- Rutgers (20th) 210.6 YPG

Rushing defense: Michigan (18th) 81 YPG -- Rutgers (12th) 69.6 YPG

Total offense: Michigan (61st) 402 YPG -- Rutgers (95th) 346.3 YPG

Total defense: Michigan (2nd) 222.3 YPG -- Rutgers (20th) 272.7 YPG

Turnovers Lost: Michigan 5 -- Rutgers 2

Sacks Allowed: Michigan 1 -- Rutgers 1

Sacks: Michigan 8 -- Rutgers 10

2023 PFF comparison:

Overall grade: Michigan (4th) 95.5 -- Rutgers (64th) 84.5

Offense: Michigan (8th) 88.4 -- Rutgers (111th) 63.4

Passing: Michigan (16th) 89.4 -- Rutgers (102nd) 59.9

Pass block: Michigan (25th) 76.2 -- Rutgers (42nd) 73.3

Running: Michigan (64th) 75.2 -- Rutgers (126th) 64.1

Run block: Michigan (19th) 71.6 -- Rutgers (95th) 56.5

Defense: Michigan (3rd) 91.1 -- Rutgers (12th) 89.2

Run defense: Michigan (4th) 91.5 -- Rutgers (14th) 89.7

Pass rush: Michigan (30th) 75.0 -- Rutgers (16th) 77.6

Coverage: Michigan (10th) 90.0 -- Rutgers (29th) 84.8

Top Rutgers players to know:

QB Gavin Wimsatt: Wimsatt had a turnover issue a year ago, throwing seven interceptions compared to five touchdowns. But so far, Wimsatt has done a respectable job of taking care of the football. The dual-threat quarterback has thrown for 407 yards and three scores. He has also rushed for 144 yards and a couple of scores on the ground.

RB Kyle Monangai: As I mentioned above, Monangai was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his outing against Va Tech. He ran for 143 yards and three scores last week. For the season he has rushed for 357 yards and five touchdowns.

WR Isaiah Washington: Washington is the only returning wide receiver from 2022 with much experience. He is currently tied for first on the team with seven catches this year. Washington has 65 receiving yards. But with Rutgers not throwing the ball a ton, it's hard telling who might be the No. 1 option.

LB Tyreem Powell: Powell was the fourth-leading tackler for Rutgers a season ago, but the Scarlet Knights lost the top two out of three to graduation. Now Powell is the leading tackler in 2023 with 29. He also has two sacks and two TFLs this season.

DL Aaron Lewis: If this name sounds familiar, it's because he was a Michigan commit. Lewis was a part of the 2020 recruiting class, but he didn't last very long in Ann Arbor before he transferred to Rutgers to be closer to home. The former Wolverine has 12 tackles, one sack, and one TFL this season.

Rutgers secondary: Five different players have recorded an interception and four of them belong in the secondary. Shaquan Loyal, Robert Longerbeam, Flip Dixon, and Max Melton have all got their hands on the ball this season. The Scarlet Knights have done a great job at forcing opponents to turn the ball over and it's worth noting who the ball hawks have been.

Michigan and Rutgers will kick off at Noon ET on Big Ten Network on Saturday.