We take a look back this morning at what went right and what all went wrong for the Michigan Wolverines' football team in Saturday night's triple overtime victory at Rutgers.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara and the spark he gave the club headlines the analysis below, though there were finally some other positive signs surrounding the team that hadn't been present the last three weeks.
Key Moment of the Game
This one is a no-brainer. With 4:23 remaining in the second quarter, head coach Jim Harbaugh benched redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton in favor of McNamara, with the Wolverines trailing 17-0 at the time.
The entire makeup of U-M's team changed, with the squad playing with a confidence and swagger from that point forward that had been missing prior to that. McNamara helped Michigan's offense run smoothly the rest of the game, serving as the key cog in an attack that racked up 48 points over the final two-plus quarters and the three overtime sessions.
Not only was Harbaugh making the move to McNamara the key moment of Saturday's game, but also potentially the season. He looked confident and poised while leading the Wolverines, and has at least reinstated some excitement into what has been a lost season so far.
Three Things That Worked
1. McNamara's Effectiveness
This is far and away the top storyline surrounding this game, with the redshirt freshman finishing 27-of-36 through the air for 260 yards with four touchdowns and no picks. McNamara's throws were right on the money all game long, he showed great pocket presence and delivered numerous times in the face of pressure, and seldom put the ball in harm's way or risked any potential turnovers.
2. Hassan Haskins as a Workhorse Back
Fans have been clamoring for a running back to emerge and spearhead the ground game in U-M's offense, and redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins finally did that on Saturday. He ran for 109 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, and perhaps more importantly the Michigan coaches actually stuck with him and rode the hot hand once he got into his rhythm.
3. The Swagger U-M Rediscovered and the fun it was Having
McNamara's insertion into the game reinstated a swagger Michigan hadn't played with since the season-opening win at Minnesota, with people actually expecting the offense to score every time it took the field ... thanks to the redshirt freshman's play. He did an outstanding job firing his teammates up and providing an emotional spark that had been missing over the last three games, and the team finally looked like it was having fun again.
Three Things That Didn't Work
1. Milton's Performance
Last week's dismal performance against Wisconsin was followed up with another subpar effort (completed just five of his 12 passes), and Michigan's offense displayed no efficiency whatsoever while Milton was in the game. His throws and decision making simply were not good enough while he was on the field, and that sentiment was reinforced after he was benched and McNamara made it look easy moving the team up and down the field.
2. Michigan's Pass Defense
This one has become a broken record but U-M's secondary struggled to stop the pass yet again, allowing the Scarlet Knights to throw for 381 yards and complete 65.9 percent (29-of-44) of their passes. Two different Rutgers players hauled in at least 109 yards (redshirt junior wideout Shameen Jones with 127 yards and senior receiver Bo Melton with 109 yards), despite the fact RU hadn't thrown for more than 256 yards in a game this year prior to Saturday.
3. Offensive Line Play
Sure, U-M had three of its usual starters out with injury (redshirt sophomore left tackle Ryan Hayes, fifth-year senior center Andrew Vastardis and redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield), but there is still no excuse for how poorly the unit continues to run block. The club racking up 146 yards on the ground was due to the play of the running backs (Michigan still averaged a dismal 3.3 yards per rush), as they consistently found yards after contact despite having Scarlet Knight defenders in their face as soon as they touched the ball.
Position-by-Position Battles
Michigan's offensive line vs. Rutgers' front seven
U-M's offensive line pass blocked well enough, but the run blocking was still not up to par. The 146 rushing yards came on a dismal 3.3 yards per carry, and the Scarlet Knights' defensive front was able to rack up six tackles for loss and two sacks.
Rutgers' offensive line vs. Michigan's front seven
Michigan still wasn't able to create the kind of pass rush one would like to see (two sacks and just three tackles for loss), but they did at least do a good job of slowing down Rutgers' rushing attack. The Scarlet Knights only ran for 105 yards and averaged 2.6 yards per carry, with explosive junior running back Isaih Pacheco limited to 43 yards on 15 attempts.
Michigan's wide receivers vs. Rutgers' secondary
Michigan's wideouts looked good once McNamara came into the game, with sophomore receiver Cornelius Johnson leading the way with two touchdown grabs. U-M's pass catchers didn't seem to have much trouble getting open against the Scarlet Knight secondary, with the Wolverine team as a whole throwing for 349 yards and completing 66.6 percent of its passes (32-of-48).
Rutgers' wide receivers vs. Michigan's secondary
This was unfortunately a mismatch yet again, with three different Rutgers players reeling in at least 70 yards. The Wolverine secondary didn't have answers for an RU passing attack that had been lackluster this season, with redshirt sophomore cornerbacks Vincent Gray and Gemon Green once again serving as the two defensive backs who were primarily picked on.
Quarterbacks
Again, McNamara was the storyline here thanks to the poise he showed while leading Michigan out of a 17-point hole, but Rutgers redshirt junior Noah Vedral deserves plenty of praise as well. He threw three touchdowns and a career-high 381 yards in what was by far the best game of his collegiate tenure.
Only one pick was thrown among the 92 two total passes attempted between the two teams, with sophomore safety Daxton Hill picking off Vedral on the final play of the game.
Running backs
Michigan's rushers get the nod here, thanks to Haskins' effort and the way he took the position by the horns and ran with it. Rutgers' running backs, on the other hand, were nonexistent. Pacheco only rushed for 43 yards, while sophomore Kay'Ron Adams was the team's next leading rusher with just 24 yards.
Special teams
It was an up-and-down night for both clubs' special teams, especially Michigan's. Sophomore receiver Giles Jackson's 95-yard kick return for a touchdown to start the third quarter was the highlight of the evening for the Wolverines in this phase, while fifth-year senior kicker Quinn Nordin's three missed field goals was the lowlight.
Rutgers had some kicking problems of its own, with Valentino Ambrosio missing a 45-yard field goal in the first overtime that would have won the game.
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