Michigan Football: What we learned from Wolverines win over Rutgers

Michigan football beat Rutgers 35-14 Saturday at the Big House. Here are three things we learned and one question we are still asking.

The start against Rutgers was a little shaky for the Michigan football team Saturday at the Big House, but the result is what we expected, a 35-14 win. What’s even better is that the Wolverines not only got their sixth victory, they also found a new starting quarterback.

Michigan football started the game with John O’Korn, which was the seniors third straight start. And against probably his easiest opponent, he played his poorest game. He was 3-of-6 passing for just 13 yards. He also threw an interception and fumbled two snaps.

The score was tied 7-7 when Jim Harbaugh finally had enough. Brandon Peters got the call midway through the second quarter and from that point, Michigan outscored Rutgers 28-7.

The redshirt freshman led four scoring drives. He threw a touchdown pass to Chris Evans with about a minute before half, capping a well executed two-minute drill and played mistake-free football.

Peters was solid and efficient. But the running game was dominant too. The Wolverines racked up 334 yards rushing. Both Karan Higdon and Ty Isaac got more than 100 yards on the ground. UM also piled up four rushing touchdowns.

The defense did its job too, although it did give up another long run from a wildcat formation, which is a concern. However, the Scarlet Knights got less than 200 total yards. The defensive line won the day, getting five sacks and 11 TFL.

Michigan got to 6-2 with the win and earned bowl eligibility. Lots of good things happened against Rutgers and here are a few things we have learned, plus one question we are still asking.