Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from alarming win over Rutgers
By Nick Popio
Michigan faced real adversity for the first time this season.
Not every week is going to be a walk on the beach for this group of Wolverines like it has been. That most certainly was the case today as Rutgers came to the Big House destined not to lose.
The maize and blue went into cruise control in the second and Rutgers took advantage of it by making a close affair out of it.
The winged helmets took things for granted in half number two and it almost cost them dearly. Rutgers flipped the switch and outplayed the Wolverines in every aspect of the matchup. The Scarlet Knights found creases in the run defense and Isaih Pacheco bullied his way to another 100-yard outing against the Michigan defenders.
‘When they start making space for ‘pretty’ on the scoreboard, we’ll worry about that.’ — Jim Harbaugh
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) September 25, 2021
Noah Vedral was making the right choices in their defiant run/pass option attack. Whether Vedral kept it or handed it off to Pacheco, Rutgers made the Michigan defense work for every inch in this victory.
Expect opponents to study what Rutgers did correct with the RPO and force Michigan’s defenders to prove they can stop it going forward.