Rutgers Week: Three Keys To A Michigan Football Victory
Michigan walked out of non-conference play 3-0 and won by a combined total, of 96-16. That may be a giant number, but at times, it felt like the Wolverines were sleepwalking their way through the first three weeks.
But now all eyes turn on Big Ten play. The maize and blue get Jim Harbaugh back on the sideline and Michigan's first task is to defend its home turf from Rutgers. Usually, when speaking of Rutgers it's 'Rutgers' but this feels like a much improved Scarlet Knights squad. Rutgers also is 3-0 and beat the likes of Northwestern, Temple, and Virginia Tech.
Here are my three keys to a Michigan victory over the Scarlet Knights.
1. Michigan's defense needs to key in on the run
Here is a stat comparison right off the bat: Rutgers' pass offense is ranked 126th in the country and its run offense is ranked 20th. The Scarlet Knight's offense is centered around Kyle Monangai and that's no knock on quarterback Gavin Wimsatt who has been excellent at managing the game and not turning the ball over.
But this Rutgers team needs to be able to run the ball in order to control the game and ultimately win it. The Scarlet Knights have run the ball more than double the times it has thrown the ball. Monangai was recently the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week against Virginia Tech and he's off to a great three-week start. He has rushed for 357 yards and five scores on the ground.
Wimsatt, a dual-threat quarterback, helps with the rushing attack, but Monangai is a one-man show and Michigan will want to key in on him.
To get a little more in-depth on the Rutgers' run game, the Scarlet Knights like the run toward the edge. The Scarlet Knights have run it the most towards the left of the left tackle -- scoring four times -- and then 20 times to the right of the right tackle. The Michigan Edge rushers will need to be disciplined and be ready for the run.
2. Offense: clean up mistakes from last week
Michigan may have beat Bowling Green 31-6, but it was sloppy. J.J. McCarthy had arguably his worst performance as a Wolverine last weekend. He threw three interceptions and two were just flat-out bad throws and another looked like a communication error with his receiver.
Either way, those cannot happen against a Big Ten team. Rutgers has the No. 7 scoring defense in the country giving up 10 points per game and the Scarlet Knights have forced five interceptions in three games.
Rutgers hasn't faced an offense like Michigan's but the Scarlet Knights have found ways to create turnovers which builds confidence in their defense.
Michigan needs to play clean, like the first two weeks, and Michigan needs to see a more poised J.J. McCarthy. It's hard to believe you would see a repeat performance this week like we saw a week ago, but it's paramount that doesn't happen or Week 4 could be a doozy for the Wolverines.
3. Michigan needs to be able to run the ball on Rutgers
Rutgers is one of the better run defenses in the country. Through three weeks the Scarlet Knights are ranked No. 12 allowing 69.6 yards per game. Rutgers has done a good job at stopping the run, but again, it hasn't played a team like Michigan yet.
The Wolverines, who usually have a dominant ground game, haven't lived up to the billing yet this season. Michigan finally had a better outing last weekend running the football. Blake Corum ran for 101 yards and two scores and looked back to form being able to cut effectively.
While Corum looked back to form last week, Donovan Edwards is still struggling. Edwards has 96 yards and is averaging 3.5 yards per carry so far this season -- a far cry from last year.
Although Rutgers has a stout run defense so far this year, Michigan has an identity and it's been running the football. The Wolverines need to assert themselves in the trenches, running backs need to be patient and find the hole, and Michigan needs to get yards on the ground. If Michigan can develop a ground game against the Scarlet Knights, it's hard to imagine the Wolverines being in a close game on Saturday and it bodes well for the future success this season in Big Ten games.
