Recap: Michigan football takes care of business in dominant second half at Rutgers

Michigan football was in a fight with the gritty Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday night in Piscataway, but moved to 9-0 on the season with a 52-17 win thanks to a dominant second-half performance. The push in the final 30 minutes of play was emblematic of the team’s fight and resolve so far this season.

Here is the full game recap from the day’s action in New Jersey.

First quarter

Rutgers won the coin toss and elected to defer, putting the Michigan offense on the field first. Sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy started the drive with a 35-yard strike to graduate wideout Ronnie Bell. It would be the most significant play on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended in junior running back Blake Corum‘s 15th rushing touchdown on the fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Graduate Jake Moody hit the extra point, giving the Wolverines a 7-0 lead with 8:47 left in the first quarter. Michigan’s defense would force a three-and-out on the first Rutgers offensive possession, leading to a punt down to the U-M 18-yard line at the 7:49 mark.

Michigan’s next offensive possession was headlined by a miss on a deep ball to sophomore wideout Andrel Anthony. A few plays later, Rutgers blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:04 to play in the first. The Scarlet Knights followed it up with an onside kick, but Michigan recovered at the 50-yard line. Six plays later, McCarthy scored on a QB sneak at the 1:46 mark on fourth-and-1 to give U-M a 14-7 lead after Moody’s second extra point.

The quarter would end with Rutgers facing first-and-10 from the U-M 36-yard line. Michigan held a 14-7 lead after the first 15 minutes of play.

Second quarter

The Scarlet Knights would be forced into kicking a field goal from 32 yards out that was good, narrowing the Michigan lead to 14-10 with 13:33 to go in the second quarter. The Wolverines would have to punt on the ensuing drive, but the defense forced a three-and-out next on a third-down sack from senior Mike Morris. A Rutgers punt would give the Wolverines the ball at their own 38-yard line with 10:06 left in the half.

Michigan went 30 yards in 9 plays, but Moody missed a 50-yard field goal attempt that kept the score at 14-10 with 4:42 to go in the half. Rutgers capitalized with an 8-play, 68-yard drive and a touchdown from Gavin Wimsatt to Sean Ryan to give them a 17-14 lead after the extra point with 1:44 to go in the half. Michigan drove down the field, but Moody missed another 50-yard field goal as the half expired.

Rutgers would lead 17-14 after 30 minutes.

Third quarter

Rutgers started the half on offense, but Michigan’s defense quickly forced a punt, putting the offense back on the field. An eight-play, 54-yard drive ended in a 14-yard touchdown pass to sophomore back Donovan Edwards. The Moody extra point made it 21-17 in favor of Michigan with 8:24 remaining in the third quarter. The defense stepped up immediately with graduate linebacker Michael Barrett picking up his first career interception down to the Rutgers 10-yard line. Corum finished the drive with his 16th rushing touchdown of the season two plays later, helping extend the lead to 28-17 with 6:53 to go in the quarter. Barrett grabbed his second interception of the night — this time a pick-six — on the following defensive snap. After the Moody extra point, U-M’s lead ballooned to 35-17.

An interception from freshman corner Will Johnson — the first of his young career — occurred on the following drive. That set up Michigan on the Rutgers 31-yard line on a three-play drive capped off by a 6-yard Cornelius Johnson touchdown from McCarthy. Moody’s extra point gave Michigan a 42-17 lead with 23 seconds left in the quarter.

The third would end with Michigan leading 42-17.

Fourth quarter

The Michigan offense drove 61 yards in 8 plays to start the fourth quarter, capped off by a 29-yard field goal from Moody, his first make of the night. This extended the U-M lead to 45-17 with 11:18 remaining in the game. The Wolverines began to empty the bench in the early stages of the final stanza with sophomore quarterback Davis Warren taking over with about 7:30 to go in the game.

Michigan added more damage with 3:23 to go in the game on a 4-yard run from walk-on running back Isaiah Gash. Moody’s extra point was good, extending the lead to 52-17 over Rutgers.

Michigan at Rutgers final box score, statistics