By The Numbers: The Lopsided Series Between Michigan And Rutgers

Rutgers and Michigan are the two oldest programs in major college football, with the Scarlet Knights first playing in 1869 and the Wolverines beginning their storied history in 1879.

Piscataway, N.J., the home of Rutgers, is considered the "birthplace of college football," after hosting the sport's inaugural contest Nov. 6, 1869 (RU beat Princeton, 6-4). The Maize and Blue played their first game May 30, 1879, a 1-0 victory over Racine College.

Despite the two teams being around longer than just about any other program in the nation, they're set to do battle for just the eighth time. They didn't square off on the gridiron until 2014, Rutgers' first year in the Big Ten after making the move from the Big East.

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Rutgers actually got the better of the Wolverines in that first meeting Oct. 4, 2014, with the Scarlet Knights beating former U-M head man Brady Hoke and Co. by a final score of 26-24 behind a stellar performance from quarterback Gary Nova, who threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns.

Hoke was let go following the year, and in came Jim Harbaugh, much to the displeasure of Rutgers' fans. The two programs went in opposite directions from that point on. In fact, the Scarlet Knights haven't posted a winning season since 2014 and went 16-53 from 2015-20. The Wolverines, on the other hand, are 52-22 under the seventh-year head man (win percentage of 70.2).

Harbaugh and Co. beat former RU head coach Kyle Flood and his final team, 49-16, at The Big House Nov. 7, 2015, with the Wolverines going for a two-point conversion early in the third quarter up 25 points because, well, "the chart" told him to.

That set the stage for the 2016 matchup in Piscataway, when the fourth-ranked Wolverines ran up the score again — yes, including a two-point conversion — on first-year head man Chris Ash and his group. The 78-0 decision marked the third-largest margin of victory in program history since 1920.

The Maize and Blue won easily each of the next three seasons, as well, outscoring RU 129-21. Ash was fired the day after the Wolverines' 52-0 victory Sept. 28, 2019.

Months later, a familiar face, Greg Schiano, was tapped as the program's head coach. He had previously held the position from 2001-11, before he bolted to take over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Schiano has brought new life back to a program that was dreadful for several years. The Scarlet Knights hadn't won a Big Ten game since the 2017 season, before he and his squad were able to come out on top in three conference contests in 2020.

They were close in one other game — versus Michigan Nov. 21, 2020, in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights led 17-0, with 4:23 remaining in the second quarter, before Harbaugh benched quarterback Joe Milton in favor of redshirt freshman signal-caller Cade McNamara, who led the Maize and Blue to a comeback victory in triple overtime, 48-42.

McNamara is slated to start this week's contest (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC), the first time the two teams have met while both being undefeated.

5 Players on the Michigan roster who are New Jersey natives: fifth-year senior safety Brad Hawkins (Camden), second-year freshman safety R.J. Moten (Delran), second-year freshman safety Jordan Morant (Parsippany), freshman defensive tackle George Rooks (Jersey City) and freshman defensive tackle Dominick Giudice (Freehold).

8 Total touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving) for second-year Michigan running back Blake Corum, which leads the nation. He also tops the country with 16 points per game.

12 Three-and-outs forced by Michigan's defense on 44 drives this season (27.2 percent). When taking out the four end-of-half possessions by opponents, the percentage moves to 30 (12 of 40).

13-2 Is Michigan's record in its last 15 Big Ten openers. U-M is 36-3 in its last 39.

17.5 (7 for 40) Is the third-down conversion percentage for the Scarlet Knights' opponents, which is the second-best mark in the country for a defense. They also rank eighth in turnovers gained (eight) and tied (with Michigan and Baylor) for eighth in scoring defense (11.3 points allowed per contest).

21-4 is the Wolverines' record in their last 25 Homecoming games, with a 5-0 mark during Harbaugh's tenure.

45-Yard field goal attempt from RU kicker Valentino Ambrosio was no good in overtime last season. If it had found its way through the uprights, the Scarlet Knights would have won the game right then.

58 Percent chance of precipitation in Ann Arbor Saturday, meaning the Wolverines will likely play in the rain for the first time this season. Weather.com projects a high temperature of 65 degrees and a low of 46 degrees, with winds expected out of the west at 13 miles per hour.

111 Rushing yards for Michigan redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins at RU last season, the fourth-most rushing yards for a Wolverine against the Scarlet Knights.

2006 Was the last time RU was unbeaten and took on another undefeated opponent, when the Scarlet Knights beat No. 3 Louisville in 'Pandemonium in Piscataway.'

2012 Was the most recent season before this one in which Rutgers began 3-0. That year, RU began by rattling off seven straight victories. Their three-game win streak is also the program's longest since 2012.

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