It seems like every week we are talking about a game not being pretty for Michigan, but at least this week, it ended with a win. It was definitely closer than many believed it would be, but the Wolverines took down Rutgers 28-21 in a game where the offense was actually the shining star for Michigan.
Let me say that again. The offense was the shining star for Michigan, not the defense, the offense. It seems backwards and something that was never possible this season, but quarterback Tommy Carr led this offense well and helped support the Michigan defense that uncharacteristically struggled, well at least in the first half.
The Michigan defense struggled with unforced penalties and stopping the run, especially without defensive ends John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols out. However, in the second half, for the second straight game, the defense didn't allow a single completion, allowing just one touchdown, making it possible for the offense to finish off the game for once this season.
"It was nice; we made it more difficult than we needed to, but it was good to see us close it out," Kyle Whittingham said postgame.
For the first time this season, Michigan's offense has to support the defense
Apparently Michigan can't have it all this season. If the offense is playing well, the defense struggles. When the defense is playing well, the offense struggles. Either way, for the first time this season, the offense has to cover the defense for the Wolverines, and it was honestly a bit of a breath of fresh air.
After a rough first career start against Indiana, Carr, who has been battling the flu all week and still got the start, went out and performed as well as he could, going 22-for-27 for 266 passing yards and a passing touchdown. What was even more impressive was Carr's ability to use his legs when necessary, rushing for 54 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.
When it mattered most, Carr was able to make the big play with his legs, which resulted in two touchdowns for the Wolverines. The play from the offensive line wasn't great, which resulted in a total of just 161 rushing yards for Michigan against a Rutgers defense that has given up an average of nearly 200 rushing yards to opponents.
The Michigan defense allowed 21 points for the first time all season, and it came as a huge surprise against a Rutgers offense that was playing with backup quarterback AJ Surace and lost its star receiver, KJ Duff, within the first few minutes of the game.
The penalties reared their ugly head for Michigan again this week after the Wolverines had played fairly clean games for a few weeks in a row. The Wolverines had seven penalties for 90 yards, many of them coming from unforced errors.
This was the win Michigan was expected to get this season, but it was a lot closer than anyone would have thought it would be. The Wolverines now head into one of their two rivalry games this season, welcoming the struggling Michigan State Spartans to the Big House. That is a game Whittingham can't afford to lose either, with the Spartans looking worse than the Scarlet Knights this season.
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