Michigan’s defense set the tone against Rutgers on its first play of the game.
Scarlet Knights redshirt junior quarterback Giovanni Rescigno took the snap, dropped back and was introduced to Michigan fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr., who increased his season sack total to 2.5 on the play.
“[That sack] was important,” sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson said. “I was actually in man coverage and turned around and was like, ‘This is going to be a great day for us.’ The defensive line is very important because we send a lot of pressure and we expect them to get a lot of pressure since we’re playing man to man. It’s better on you because you don’t have to cover as long.”
The Wolverine defense had its way for much of the game, leading to Michigan’s 35-14 win against Rutgers at The Big House.
With the win, the Wolverines (6-2, 3-2) become bowl-eligible.
It was the kind of bounce-back game the team needed after the defense played its worst game of the season at Penn State. Rutgers gained just 195 total yards — a stark contrast from the 506 the Nittany Lions piled up a week ago.
Sixty-five yards and seven points of Rutgers' total came on the long touchdown run off an option keeper from wildcat quarterback/wide receiver Janarion Grant. The Scarlet Knights gained just 130 yards on its other 46 plays (2.8-yard average), with a long rush of nine.
“The big thing for us was just making sure we were focused,” Hurst said. “We just came out this week with the mindset to be focused. We take it very seriously and put everything that we have into it.”
Hurst has now recorded at least half a sack in each of the last three games. He also had his second-highest number of tackles this season, with eight.
He was second on the team in total stops. Sophomore linebacker Devin Bush Jr. had 11, including half a sack.
The defense tied a season high in tackles for loss with 11 for 39 yards. The Wolverines also had 11 against Florida in the season opener.
Sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary was third in tackles with five, including two tackles for loss. He also recorded a sack and was frequently in the Rutgers backfield causing pressures.
Pro Football Focus credited Gary and fellow defensive end Chase Winovich (who recorded three tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the official box score) with a combined 15 quarterback pressures — they awarded Gary with five hurries in addition to his sack and two quarterback hits, while Winovich was given two sacks and five hurries per the website's numbers.
“We feed off each other a lot,” Hurst said of himself and Gary. “We always try to get the best out of each other. We play on the same side so there’s a lot of communication that goes on between us. A lot of stuff I’ll see and let him know. Sometimes we’ll switch some of our patterns for blitzes based on what I see and what I think Rashan can do. It’s great communication between us.”
Gary said that while he didn’t have as many sacks as he thought he could’ve, he’s happy he was getting pressure that allowed other teammates to make plays or force incompletions.
Rescigno completed just eight passes on 16 attempts, and five of those completions went to either a tight end or running back.
The defense saw a new face in the starting lineup, with freshman defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon earning his first career start. He ended up with three tackles and half a tackle for loss.
“Aubrey is an amazing player,” Hurst said. “You can see him definitely starting to break through and create his own identity on the field. He’s extremely strong and extremely talented, and I think he’s going to play some really good football going forward.”
On the special teams, redshirt freshman kicker Quinn Nordin missed his lone field goal attempt in the third quarter, sending the 37-yard try wide right and ending a streak of 10 consecutive makes. He’s now 14 of 17 on field goals this season.
Freshman cornerback Ambry Thomas had three kick returns for 59 yards. His long was 32.
Freshman wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones returned three punts for 28 yards with a long of 17.
Miscellaneous Notes:
· Michigan’s five sacks is tied for the second most it has had this season. U-M recorded five against Michigan State and six against Florida.
· Sophomore defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour posted his first career sack in the fourth quarter.
· Michigan played eight of its 12 New Jersey natives against the Scarlet Knights. In addition to Gary and Dwumfour, the others were: senior FB Joe Beneducci, senior offensive lineman Juwann Bushell-Beatty, freshman safety Brad Hawkins, freshman offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Jon Runyan and redshirt freshman running back Kareem Walker.
· Michigan is now 90-27 in Homecoming games and has won 43 of its last 50.
· The first and fourth quarters were the strong points for Michigan’s defense. It allowed 11 total yards of offense in the first quarter and just 17 in the fourth. Rutgers didn’t complete a pass in the first quarter.
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