Michigan Football: First-half highlights, analysis against Rutgers

Michigan football leads Rutgers at halftime. Here are highlights as well as thoughts from the first half on the Wolverines.

In the first Big Ten game of the season for Michigan football, the Wolverines have looked much the same as they did in the first three games, at least through 30 minutes.

Quarterback Cade McNamara has been sharp. He completed seven of his first eight passes and led a pair of touchdown drives in the first half. One touchdown, the second one, was set up by this pass from McNamara to Roman Wilson.

It was worth asking how well Michigan football could run the ball against Rutgers, which had a top-10 scoring defense coming in.

Rutgers did do a solid job and actually held the Wolverines to 3.7 yards per attempt in the first half. Hassan Haskins was able to score twice and the first drive was a 17-play monster that put the Wolverines in front 7-0.

While Michigan led wire-to-wire in the first half, it’s been a competitive game and the difference has been the Wolverines’ ability to score in the red zone.

Rutgers first drive ended in a field goal. The second also saw the Scarlet Knights advance the ball deep into Michigan territory until facing a fourth-and-one. Rutgers tried some trickery and it failed, leading to a turnover on downs.

As we said in our predictions, both teams want to run the ball and it certainly had an NFL feel to it. The clock ran throughout the first half and there were very few penalties.

Michigan football got just five possessions. The Wolverines scored on four and punted once. Rutgers also had four which led to a field goal, a punt, as well as a turnover on downs twice.

The difference between the two teams has been Michigan’s ability to convert on third and fourth downs, while Rutgers wasn’t able to do that or convert its scoring chances.

A curious decision to go for it on fourth-and-10 near midfield late in the first half cost Rutgers as McNamara getting the ball at his own 46, completed a 51-yard strike to Mike Sainristil, which was his fourth completion of at least 24 yards in the first half.

That gave Michigan a first-and-goal. McNamara did miss a sure-fire touchdown pass, but beyond that, he was solid and 8-for-11 for 156 yards.

All in all, you have to like what you saw from the Wolverines in the first half as they built a 20-3 lead over the Scarlet Knights.