Michigan Football Report Card: High Marks for Tommy Carr in Michigan's 28-21 Victory over Rutgers

Sure Michigan won, but what does it really mean? We will get to that at another time. The Wolverines were able to escape New Jersey with a 28-21 win that saw some bright spots on offense, but some atrocities in the kicking game as well.

The report card reflects that. Let’s dive in.

Pass Offense

Does Michigan have a quarterback? Saturday’s game at least gave a glimpse into what Michigan could have under center if Tommy Carr proves to be the man they want to build around for 2027 and beyond.

Carr was sacked just once, but showed some excellent poise in maneuvering the pocket to make plays down the field. When Carr leaves the pocket he is looking to throw, which was a positive as he made some plays down the field to Mason Bonner and JJ Buchanan on some extended plays.

Carr finished the day with 266 yards and one touchdown pass which came on the opening series to JJ Buchanan. Carr also added two rushing touchdowns on plays that we are including in the passing offense because they came on plays that were called passes.

Yes, the Wolverines missed two deep balls to Andrew Marsh that could have been touchdowns. Carr is going to want those back. The biggest key here is that Carr got better from last week to this week. Can he take another step next week in his first taste of a rivalry game?

We will see.

Grade: A

Rush Offense

The final numbers look good considering Michigan was able to pile up 160 total yards on the ground, but did not get any explosive runs. Savion Hiter had an 11-yard-run, but that was the best moment of the day.

Captain Jordan Marshall looks like he’s playing hurt or pressing. He ran five times for zero yards and a touchdown. That’s one of the oddest stat lines of the year, but it happened.

Oct 31, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Jordan Marshall (23) scores a rushing touchdown during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Considering what Saturday’s game was supposed to be a bounce back performance for the ground game, the output from this group was disappointing. That’s been the case all season.

Grade: D

Pass Defense

How hard it is to complain about a performance where a team only allowed four completions total? They gave up two first downs via big pass interference penalties, which were forgivable with as much man coverage as the Wolverines play.

There was one big blunder. Michigan gave up an 80-yard passing touchdown that saw Smith Snowden get caught flat footed as AJ Surace escaped the clutches of Troy Bowles.

One thing to watch for the stress run is John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols both missed the game with injuries that have been nagging at them.

Michigan will need more from its four-man pass rush as the schedule flips to November. For this game, however, they were good enough.

Grade: B-Plus

Rush Defense

Michigan’s run defense should have been in a better spot considering the Wolverines did not have to commit a lot of resources to stopping Rutgers’ passing attack. Despite that, Rutgers averaged more than five yards-per-carry when you remove sacks from the equation. They gave up two explosive runs of 54 yards and 20 yards. They gave up another big run on a second-and-long with Rutgers backed up deep in their own territory which ended up flipping the field.

Bigger games are on the horizon, perhaps some health could be a welcome sight for them.

Grade: C-Minus

Special Teams

Trey Butkowski…. Make the kicks. Simple as that. He has four missed kicks in two weeks. Michigan’s not good enough for their kicker to leave points on the field.

Michigan kicker Trey Butkowski (99) reacts after missed a field goal against Indiana during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Grade: F

Coaching

There were no major mistakes strategically save for Kyle Whittingham’s bizarre clock management at the end of the first half that appears to be a weekly occurrence.

Jay Hill turned up the dial in the second half and put a cap on Rutgers’ passing offense. The Michigan defense did not allow a completion in the second half for the second consecutive week.

With no major errors, Michigan’s coaching staff breaks average for this week.

Grade: C

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