Whatever excuses that Kyle Whittingham wants to make for Jason Beck, it will be hard to come up with any if the Wolverines don't run all over Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights, who are 2-5 on the season, with one Big Ten win, are next up for Michigan football, which will go on the road for just the second time this season.
Michigan is a 14.5-point favorite. The Wolverines should win this game with relative ease. Yet, nothing has come easy for a team that's 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten.
There have been some bad breaks. Michigan should have won the Iowa game. It was also fortunate to win the Western Michigan game.
Beyond that, the offense has competely fallen apart. Michigan's offense managed just seven points against Minnesota. The Wolverines scored one of their two touchdowns on a pick-six. The offense couldn't run the ball and didn't score a point in the second half.
Michigan did score six points against against Indiana in the second half. Three of those came after a Zeke Berry interception gave the Wolverines the ball at the 10. Tommy Carr also led a game-tying drive at the end of the second half, forcing overtime.
If Michigan could have scored on a goal-to-go situation there, or on another goal-to-go situation where the ball reached the one-yard line, it would have won the game.
Despite ranking outside the top 100 in total offense, pass offense, rushing offense, and scoring offense, Kyle Whittingham has stood by Jason Beck.
Michigan's offense has to rebound against Rutgers
That will be more difficult to do if there isn't more production this week.
For starters, Rutgers has the worst run defense in the Big Ten, allowing 229 rushing yards per game against Big Ten teams, as well as 6.6 yards per rushing attempt.
Greg Schiano will probably try to use some of the same tactics other teams have used, but Michigan should be able to take a few plays with them to Piscataway and win the game. It worked against Penn State and Rutgers run defense is even worse.
If Michigan can't get the run game going, it could be a close game. Rutgers might even pull off an upset. The Wolverines are shaky throwing the ball with Bryce Underwood and Tommy Carr. It hasn't really mattered.
If they don't run the ball well, Schiano will make their lives difficult. That could lead to turnvoers, like the two we saw in the first half each of the past two weeks.
Michigan needs to be able to lean on the run game to win. If they can't do it against Rutgers, then Jason Beck really should be fired. Immedidately.
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