Michigan vs. Everybody: RUTGERS

 RUTGERS

Saturday, September 23, 2023

MPLS – Thunderstorms rolled in this afternoon, giving me an excuse to stay inside and watch college football all day guilt-free, in bliss. The slate of games for college football’s fourth week looked to be the biggest Saturday yet; matchups included #4 Florida State at Clemson, #6 Ohio State against #9 Notre Dame, #19 Colorado at #10 Oregon in the Buffs’ first real test, #15 Ole Miss at #13 Alabama (Kiffin v. Saban), and #14 Oregon State at #21 Washington State. The slate started, of course, with #2 Michigan hosting Rutgers at 11 a.m. (‘Sota time). Back on the sidelines for the maize and blue was our head coach, who returned from a three-game suspension in time for Michigan’s first Big Ten game. 

Not long ago Rutgers represented a genuine challenge for the Wolverines. Most notable in their recent series history is the game in Piscataway from the Covid-shortened 2020 season, a game in which Rutgers led 17-7 at half before Michigan rallied and forced overtime. Even then, it took three overtimes for Harbaugh’s squad to prevail. That victory was one of only two the Wolverines notched during that failed season, one after which many clamored for Harbaugh's head while others, having lost faith, hedged on the issue. Harbaugh returned to lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten Championship the following season, but we still struggled to put away Rutgers. In that one, Cade McNamara and Michigan’s offense looked lackluster. They narrowly escaped with a 20-13 victory despite getting outscored 10-0 in the second half. 

On a personal level, such recent memories contributed to a tempered confidence level going into the 2023 contest against Rutgers. So did the game’s first drive, which ended after only three plays in a touchdown for the Knights. On third down, Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt threw a spiral over the middle to Christian Dremel. Michigan’s secondary had allowed Dremel to get behind them, and the result was that they never touched him after he caught the ball. Dremel went 69 yards to the house. It took Rutgers only one minute to take the lead.

Didn't Michigan's defense start slow last week, too, I wondered? Rutgers’ fast start felt less like a fluke, however, after JJ and the Michigan offense answered with a three-and-out. Corum ran for five on first down, JJ misfired on second, and then the Knights sacked McCarthy on third down. Oh dear. Tommy Doman, a Junior from West Bloomfield, Michigan, punted the ball back to the Knights.

Fortunately that was the extent of today’s panic. Aided by two flags that went against the Rutgers offense, Michigan's defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession. Then, despite a 75-yard whale of a punt that pinned them inside their own ten-yard line, Michigan’s offense got back on track with its second drive. After a 33-yard completion to Donovan Edwards pushed the drive into Rutgers territory, Sherrone Moore dug into his bag of tricks, calling for a flea flicker. JJ handed the ball to Corum, Corum flipped it to Edwards, and Edwards pitched it back to McCarthy; McCarthy then threw a dime down the sideline to Colston Loveland, who nearly scored, going 35-yards before being brought down at the Rutgers 2-yard line. From there, Blake handled things, smashing it in for his first of two touchdowns on the day. 

Tied 7-7, the game settled down thereafter – Michigan’s defense tightened following Rutgers’ opening-drive touchdown, holding the Knights to only 182 yards the rest of the game. Neither side scored until late in the second half, when Michigan got its second TD with five minutes left on the clock. That drive saw JJ lead the offense 79 yards in 11 plays; it culminated in an 18-yard touchdown pass to Semaj Morgan, the outspoken freshman who also hails from West Bloomfield. 

24-point favorites in Vegas, Michigan led only 14-7 at half, leaving a bitter taste. To make up for it they turned on the burners in the third quarter. Michigan got the ball to open the half and executed its boa-constrictor modus operandi with a 14-play drive that ate up nearly eight minutes of game clock. After McCarthy took a sack on a third and eight at the Rutgers 21-yard line, Harbaugh called for his field goal team. A senior from Saline, James Turner nailed the 46-yarder, putting to rest any notion of a Jake Moody hangover and pushing the home team's lead to 10.

The ensuing Rutger’s possession felt like the nail in the coffin. It started well enough. The Knights’ offense drove 48 yards to the Michigan 27-yard line before the Michigan defense forced a fourth and two. Down only 10, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano chose to roll the dice by going for it on 4th down, a decision that backfired. Gavin Wimsett attempted a screen pass, but Mike Sainristil jumped the route, picking it off before he found open grass and took the interception 71-yards to the house for a dagger of a touchdown. Sainristil donned the turnover buffs on the sideline and Michigan pulled ahead 24-7. Corum scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter, giving Michigan a 31-7 lead that proved the final score. The 4-0 Wolverines travel to Nebraska next weekend for their first road game of the season.

Meanwhile Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks had started tearing apart Cinderella’s gown. The Ducks steamrolled Coach Prime’s heretofore undefeated Colorado Buffaloes, racing to a 36-0 lead by halftime. Oregon looked better than Michigan, hands down. That halftime score was a statement. It indicated that Oregon was a legitimate national championship contender, but it also provided a dose of humility for the Buffaloes, previously the darlings of the college football season. The blowout diminished the value of the 2:30 slate of games, which saw few competitive matchups. On the road in East Lansing, Taulia Tagavailoa and the Maryland Terrapins housed Michigan State, whose season appeared lost already following the recent suspension and imminent firing of head coach Mel Tucker. Other afternoon results included Alabama defeating Ole Miss in a game that saw Jalen Milroe reinstated as the Tide QB and Utah beating UCLA in a 14-7 snoozer. 

Saturday night featured the day’s marquee matchup, Ohio State at Notre Dame in the first top-ten showdown of the year. Iowa also went on the road to Happy Valley, but most expected Penn State, 14-point favorites in the game, to remain undefeated. Indeed, the Nittany Lions smothered Cade McNamara and the Hawkeyes 31-zilch in front of a white-out crowd. Iowa's offense looked putrid.

At Touchdown Jesus Stadium in South Bend, the Irish trailed the Buckeyes 3-0 at halftime when Kara, a Tinder match, made an inquiry about coming over. What the hell, I said, come on over, but give me some time to clean up a bit. While I cleaned Ohio State defeated Notre Dame in wild fashion. Up 14-10, Notre Dame punted to Ohio State with only 86 seconds left on the clock. Kyle McCord, the first-year starter for OSU, utilized his talented cast of receivers to march the Buckeyes down the field, setting up a 1st and goal from the 1-yard line with only seven seconds left. Two incompletions set up a 3rd and goal with only a second on the clock. In a coaching gaffe, Notre Dame fielded only 10 players for the last play of the game, which saw Chip Trayanum run it in for the game-winning score. What a big win for Ryan Day and the Nuts.

Kara arrived as Pac-12 After Dark started, featuring reigning-Heisman winner Caleb Williams and USC v. Arizona State. She was a fourth grade teacher, and that gave us plenty to talk about. I enjoyed the night with her. In fact, I kind of liked her. I told her I hoped I’d get to see her again. It rained and stormed all night.

As ever, Sunday morning found me alone. I watched Cujo while drinking coffee in continuation of a week-long Stephen King marathon.  I watched Graveyard Shift, Silver Bullet, and Thinner earlier in the week, commencing my tradition of watching horror movies throughout October a little early this year. In my book, Edgar Allan Poe's despondence ("it was night in the lonesome October/ of my most immemorial year") produced the poem "Ulalume," in which the narrator stumbles upon the mausoleum of his dead lover "in the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir."