Michigan Football: Grading Wolverines victorious rebound vs Rutgers

Special teams, play-calling, and analysis

Punt returners are as interchangeable as the running backs.

Special teams

Grade: A

Finally, DPJ is back to what looks like 100%. At least we know he’s healthy enough to be dangerous as a punt returner. Although, Rutgers punt coverage team had a good day, limiting Donovan to just 18 yards on three returns.

Bell was out there for one punt which he took back 11 yards, and Mike Sainristil entered the game late and fumbled a punt which he recovered for no gain.

Kicker Jake Moody was perfect from his one attempt from 33 yards out and Quinn Nordin hit all of his extra points.

Play-calling

Grade: A

There was speed in space, but this wasn’t a test of the offense like it was in Madison. Josh Gattis is going to have to prove his system works against a much more robust defense from Iowa.

Defensively, the line covered the gaps they missed a week ago and the secondary – aside from the crossing routes – didn’t fail.

Matt’s musings

Fantastic game by the maize and blue. This team far exceeded expectations. If you were monitoring social media last week, there were fans out there that thought this team wouldn’t win a game for the rest of the year and others wondered if Michigan could cover the spread of 27.5 with an over/under of 49.

Not only did they cover, but they also held Rutgers scoreless and still hit the over for the game.

They were meant to do that to a struggling Scarlett Knight squad so don’t think for one minute this is a complete turnaround. It’s a building block for a successful season. If the team can carry the momentum into next week and beat Iowa, that will be a direct indication that this team is back to championship caliber.