Instant Recap: Michigan 52, Rutgers 0
The Michigan Wolverines' football team blew away Rutgers, 52-0, this afternoon at The Big House — here's how the entire game unfolded:
First Half
Michigan got off to a hot start this afternoon, driving 80 yards in five plays on its first series of the day, with senior quarterback Shea Patterson finding junior wideout Nico Collins on a 48-yard touchdown at the 12:52 mark to grab a 7-0 lead.
U-M strung together a second straight scoring drive on its ensuing possession, advancing 61 yards in nine plays and concluding the series with a two-yard touchdown run by Patterson to go up 14-0 with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter.
Rutgers' offense built some momentum early in the second frame when it drove down to the U-M five-yard line, but was stopped short on a fourth down attempt when sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson smacked down RU sophomore quarterback Artur Sitkowski well short of the first down marker.
The Wolverines couldn't capitalize, however, and were forced to punt at the 13:29 mark.
The Maize and Blue finally got on the board against with 7:33 left before halftime, when Patterson found the end zone from four yards out to put his club up 21-0, capping off an eight-play, 53-yard scoring drive.
Sophomore kicker Jake Moody added a 33-yard field goal with just 15 seconds remaining in the half, and Michigan held a 24-0 edge heading into the locker room.
U-M's offense racked up 252 yards prior to the break, while the Scarlet Knights' mustered just 74.
Second Half
The second half started with a bang, with Scarlet Knight defensive back Tre Avery fumbling the opening kickoff and Wolverine redshirt junior defensive back Tyler Cochran recovering it at the RU 15-yard line.
Michigan cashed in on a seven-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman running back Christian Turner just 55 seconds into the half, putting the Wolverines up 31-0.
U-M drove into Rutgers territory on its next series, but Patterson was picked off by senior cornerback Damon Hayes at the Scarlet Knight four-yard line.
RU then drove to midfield before being stopped short on a fourth-and-one attempt, on an impressive open field tackle by junior cornerback Ambry Thomas.
Patterson's final possession of the day was then capped off with a five-play, 40-yard series that culminated with a one-yard quarterback sneak to give his crew a 38-0 advantage with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Milton entered the game on U-M's next possession, and promptly led his club on a 10-play, 51-yard drive that was capped off with a one-yard TD run by the young signal caller, making the score 45-0.
The rout continued on the squad's next series when Milton found freshman wideout Giles Jackson in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown that made the score 52-0 with 9:08 remaining.
A pair of punts ensued by both teams, before the Wolverines ran out the clock on its final drive of the day.
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