After a five game home stand the Michigan football team is on the road for the first time this season to take on Rutgers, and Mike McCray is excited about it.

“I love playing on the road, just to get away for a little bit,” said the senior linebacker. “Going out there getting a win on somebody else’s field, it’s a great feeling. I’ve always loved playing on the road, ever since I was in high school. This will be fun.”

Fun wouldn’t be the way to describe the last time the Wolverines traveled to Piscataway, New Jersey to play Rutgers. That last time came in October 2014, and that game was also a night game. Michigan will be hoping for a drastically different outcome this time around, since the Wolverines lost that game 26-24, and the Rutgers fans stormed the field after the game went final.

Michigan gave up 402 yards through the air to the Scarlett Knights, and the Rutgers offense was able to convert all three of its red-zone opportunities. This time, however, McCray and the rest of his defensive teammates come into the game as one of the top defenses in the country. The Wolverines are the No. 1 third down defense nationally and are second in the country in passing defense, allowing 135.4 passing yards per game.

The team has also forced nine turnovers this year, just three short of their season total from last year. McCray has already made contributions to that number with an interception and 22-yard return against Penn State.

“We always want to create turnovers, in any system you’re in,” McCray said. “I feel like now we’re a lot more comfortable with the new system that we’re in. I feel like we just go out there and execute our plays, and good things happen when you execute so that’s a big part of it.”

Though McCray has been able to make an impact on the field this year, that hasn’t always been the case. McCray saw no action his freshman year as a Wolverine, and though he made 11 appearances and notched a blocked punt his second season he missed all of last year with a shoulder injury.

Despite missing that time McCray has found his place on the defense this season. He is fourth on the team in tackles with 28, and his 2.5 sacks is good for second on the team.

“I’m real comfortable now. At first, that first game, I was a little nervous. Now I feel a lot more comfortable,” McCray said. “Me and Ben (Gedeon), we’ve had a good chemistry together since we first came in. And just being around the other guys, most of them are in my class so we’re pretty close. Some of them are in a class above us. They made me feel comfortable just encouraging me, having my back basically.”

Michigan has benefited greatly from having a comfortable McCray in a linebacking group that lost a lot of experience in the off season. Michigan fans should be just as excited as McCray to see this defense go to work again Saturday.