Michigan Wolverines football redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton struggled to a 5-of-12 passing start in the club's contest at Rutgers Saturday night, and was benched as a result in favor of redshirt freshman Cade McNamara with 4:23 remaining in the second quarter.
The Maize and Blue trailed 17-0 at that juncture, but what ensued was a masterful performance from McNamara, who led the Wolverines to a 48-42, triple-overtime victory.
McNamara connected on 27 of his 36 passes (75 percent) for 260 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, in what was just the second extensive game action of his career (he was inserted late in the third quarter last week against Wisconsin and finished out the game).
The redshirt freshman was poised both while dragging Michigan out of its 17-point deficit and throughout the overtime sessions, playing like a grizzled veteran and not a youngster with zero career starts under his belt.
McNamara's 27 completions, 36 attempts, 260 yards and four touchdowns were all career highs. He entered the night with just 10 passing attempts and 87 yards through the air in his college career.
“A lot of it was about staying relaxed," he said afterward, when asked about digging U-M out of its hole. "I’m not going to get 17 points back immediately. As an offense, we have to take it play by play, and that’s what I was preaching.
"No matter how much we get down, we’re still in this thing. The level of trust between all of us tonight led to us pulling this off.”
Two of McNamara's touchdown passes went to sophomore receiver Cornelius Johnson, while fifth-year senior tight end Nick Eubanks and sophomore wideout Mike Sainristil each hauled in one apiece.
The signal-caller even made a huge play with his legs, finding the end zone from two yards out in the second overtime session to knot the game at 42-all. In doing so, he became just the fourth player in school history to throw at least four touchdowns and find the end zone on the ground in a single game.
"I could tell he was having fun," head coach Jim Harbaugh noted in the postgame. "It was great to see our players having fun. I saw so many good things out of him. The way he played, how he executed and how he was prepared for the game was gritty.
"That was a gritty performance, and also really great quarterback play."
Hassan Haskins Spearheads Michigan Football's Ground Game
U-M's rushing attack had struggled mightily each of the last two weeks, rushing for just 47 yards last Saturday against Wisconsin and only 13 at Indiana Nov. 7. It found somewhat of a rhythm at Rutgers, however, thanks in large part to redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins.
He ran for 109 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, consistently breaking tackles and gaining yards after contact all game long. His 109 yards and 25 carries were both season highs amongst U-M running backs, while it marked the third 100-yard game of his career (both other occurrences came last season).
"I just got in a rhythm," Haskins explained. "It played out on my half. It was a good thing, getting a couple more carries. I'm good with any carry amount, so to have [25] was a blessing.
"I kind of knew a little bit [I'd be seeing more action], because I was getting a few more carries in practice. It just played out in my favor."
Haskins has gained a reputation as being Michigan's running back who runs the hardest, and the way the carries were divvied up reflected that. The redshirt sophomore was used as a workhorse against the Scarlet Knights, with sophomore Zach Charbonnet checking in a distant second with only six carries.
Haskins also scored Michigan's game-winning touchdown, finding the end zone from just a yard out in the third overtime period on a fourth-and-goal play.
The Wolverines wrapped up their evening with 146 yards on the ground, the most they had recorded in a game since running for 152 yards in the Oct. 31 loss to Michigan State.
Their 3.3 yards per carry in Piscataway were also their most in an outing since averaging 4.5 against the Spartans.
Miscellaneous Michigan Football Offense Notes
• Michigan's first lead occurred at the 13:38 mark of the fourth quarter when McNamara hit Sainristil for a six-yard touchdown pass to put U-M up 28-27. It was the club's first lead in any game since the season-opening, 49-24 win at Minnesota Oct. 24.
• Redshirt freshman center Zach Carpenter made his first career start, filling in for injured fifth-year senior Andrew Vastardis. It was the third different starting offensive line Michigan has used this season (five games).
• The 495 yards U-M racked up were the most the team had compiled in a game since logging 507 in a 31-20 win over Indiana Nov. 17, 2018.
• Both redshirt sophomore left tackle Ryan Hayes and redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield missed their third straight game with injury.
• McNamara's four touchdown passes were the most a Wolverine signal-caller had thrown in a game since Shea Patterson tossed five last year at Indiana Nov. 23.
• Johnson's fumble on Michigan's opening series of the game was the first fumble the Maize and Blue lost this season. The play was the 245th of the year on offense for the Wolverines.
• U-M's 349 passing yards were its most in a tilt since it racked up 366 in a 39-14 win at Indiana Nov. 23, 2019.
• Sainristil's six-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter was his second score of the season and the third of his career. His four catches were a career high.
• Freshman wideout Roman Wilson failed to tally a reception for the second straight game. He reeled in 105 yards through Michigan's first two contests.
• Saturday's game marked the first time Michigan had a 100-yard rusher (Haskins) and a 100-yard receiver (Johnson) since a 42-21 win over Maryland Oct. 6, 2018. Running back Karan Higdon ran for 106 yards against the Terrapins that day, while tight end Zach Gentry hauled in 112 yards.
• The Wolverines' 29 first downs were their most in a game since racking up 31 in a 59-3 destruction of Maryland Nov. 5, 2016.
• The multi-touchdown game was the first of Johnson's career, while his 105 yards marked a career high. He now has three scoring grabs on the year and four in his collegiate tenure (also had one against Michigan State last season). Johnson became the second Michigan player to register a 100-yard receiving game this year, joining junior wideout Ronnie Bell (149 yards at Indiana Nov. 7).
• Eubanks' eight-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter was his first score of the season and the sixth of his career. He became the sixth different Wolverine to catch a touchdown pass this year.
• Bell's 36 receiving yards were a season low. His previous low was the 46 he reeled in against Michigan State Oct. 31.
• McNamara's 46-yard touchdown pass to Johnson in the second quarter was a career long for both players, and marked the second-longest passing play of the season for Michigan. The only one that was longer was a 53-yard completion from Milton to Bell at Indiana Nov. 7.
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