It was a lot closer than anyone thought it would be, but Michigan walked out of SHI Stadium with a win over a struggling Rutgers team. Kyle Whittingham can know he is safe for another week in Ann Arbor, but he was close to possibly not getting out of New Jersey with a job.
For once, the offense has the better day on the field, with the Michigan defense struggling more than usual, allowing 21 points to opposing offenses for the first time this season. Tommy Carr really showed why he deserves to be the starter for the Wolverines as well, showing off both his arm and his legs.
Carr and a few others landed on the winners list this week, while some new names landed on the losers list for the Wolverines after their performance against Rutgers.
Losers
K Trey Butkowski
Two missed field goals that would have made this a much more comfortable win for the Wolverines are what land kicker Trey Butkowski on the losers list. Not only did Butkowski miss two key field goals in this game, but two against Indiana, which would have probably saved that game from going into overtime and could have the Wolverines sitting at 6-2 right now.
Even on the extra points, Butkowski is barely getting them through the uprights. On the final scoring drive for Michigan, it felt like no matter what, the Wolverines would have needed to go for it on fourth down if the drive got to that point. Butkowski at this point can't be trusted in those moments, and it might be time for Kyle Whittingham and Kerry Coombs to bring in a new kicker.
S Smith Snowden
Utah transfer Smith Snowden has had some really great moments this season, but also some big low moments. His biggest came against Iowa when he was in coverage on the touchdown the Hawkeyes scored to win the game. Against Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights were targeting Snowden a lot on the deep ball, and it paid off.
Snowden's day started with a questionable roughing-the-passer call, but was followed by Rutgers scoring an 80-yard touchdown, with Snowden simply getting beat on the line and then tripping over himself to try to catch the receiver. Snowden struggled defensively today when the Wolverines were already down John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols, two big players on the defense.
RB Jordan Marshall
Michigan's 2025 leading rusher has struggled to really get going this season, currently on pace to have under 600 rushing yards by the end of the year. That number may not be attainable after his performance against Rutgers, in which he had five carries for zero yards.
Marshall has seen his running back position slowly be taken over by freshman Savion Hiter, who was Michigan's leading rusher for the Wolverines against the Scarlet Knights. Injuries have been a problem for Marshall all season, and with a talent like Hiter on this roster, the veteran could continue to see his role diminish.
Marshall did have a rushing touchdown, but it came on a short-yardage run.
Winners
QB Tommy Carr
Tommy Carr really didn't get a fair shake, having his first career start come against Indiana. Even announcer Jake Butt said before the game that going against the Hoosiers' defense as his first start didn't seem fair and that against the Scarlet Knights, everyone would get a better look at what Carr can do.
Well, Butt was correct, as Carr has a phenomenal game against Rutgers, going 22-for-27 for 266 passing yards, a passing touchdown, two rushing touchdowns, and 51 rushing yards on 11 carries. Carr's decision-making was the best part of his game, knowing when to tuck the ball and run and knowing when to evade the defense to allow plays to develop.
Even though it wasn't a perfect day for Carr, seeing him underthrow the ball on a couple of deep shots that would have been touchdowns, this was the game that fans wanted to see to know their true freshman was truly the guy for the job.
Carr;s biggest play definitely was his 3rd-and-1 QB push to ice the game for the Wolverines.
RB Savion Hiter
We have been waiting for a game like this from Hiter. While it hasn't been the explosive season many were hoping for from the five-star true freshman, Hiter has gotten better as the season went on, and his game against Rutgers felt like a true breakout. Hiter was breaking through tackles, getting the chunk plays that this rushing unit hasn't been able to get this season.
Hiter was so close to icing the game on a 2nd-and-6, breaking multiple tackles, but after review, he came up just a yard short, but it wasn't without trying. Hiter did his best to reach for the first down, but he came up just short. Either way, it was a strong game from Hiter with 20 carries for 76 yards.
WR JJ Buchanan
It had been a quiet couple of weeks for JJ Buchanan, but some of that came with the woes of the offense and quarterback play. Against this struggling Rutgers defense, which looked a lot better today, Buchanan finally got going again with the help of Carr.
While Buchanan didn't lead the team in receptions, he did lead the team in yards with 63 and was the only receiver with a touchdown. Buchanan didn't see as many receptions and targets as he is used to, but that is because Carr spread the ball more than Bryce Underwood typically did.
What landed Buchanan on the winners list was his ability to catch some tough passes from Carr, like his touchdown. Buchanan was being held throughout his entire route and still went up and caught a perfect pass from Carr, showing his size and athletic ability.
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