Offense Notes: Michigan Offensive Production Nonexistent In Second Half

Michigan football ranked 16th nationally in total offense entering the day (514.7 yards per game), and began its contest against Rutgers cruising. The Wolverines scored touchdowns on their first two drives, added two second-quarter field goals, totaled 233 first-half yards and led by a score of 20-3 at the break.

It was a tale of two halves in the 20-13 victory, however. The Wolverines' offense didn't just slow down its production ... it didn't produce at all for a long stretch. The Maize and Blue didn't pick up a second-half first down until there was just 5:24 remaining in the game, going three-and-out on their first four drives and registering 11 yards in that span.

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After halftime, Michigan was 0 for 5 on third down, averaged just two yards per play with 42 yards, possessed the ball for only 12:18 and, most importantly, was held scoreless.

When asked following the contest if Michigan had "fallen in love with" its inside run game and got complacent with play calling in the second half, head coach Jim Harbaugh pushed back, but noted that the execution certainly wasn't up to snuff.

"I thought we weren’t picking up the first downs, weren’t moving the ball, but do I think we were falling in love with our stuff? No," he said. "You do that, you can’t get better."

Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara completed 8 of 11 pass attempts for 156 yards in the first half, before connecting on just 1 of 5 attempts in the second half.

“I think we were extremely efficient in the first half. In the second half, we struggled a little bit," McNamara pointed out. "Whatever it was … I’ve got to be better as well. When they load the box like that, it’s going to come down to us beating man coverage.

"I’ve got to do a better job of throwing more accurate balls and we’ve got to do a better job overall, offensively, as a unit, the running backs and receivers.

Continued McNamara: "We just couldn’t really find a rhythm. That’s really the first time that’s happened, when I’ve been in the game. We haven’t done that as an offense.

“Obviously, that’s frustrating. We’ve got to do what we can to not let that happen again.”

The Wolverines came into Saturday with the nation's top rushing attack, averaging 350.3 yards per outing and surpassing the 300-yard mark in all three contests. Their first drive of the afternoon went 74 yards for a touchdown on 17 plays, 15 of which came on the ground.

But Michigan couldn't keep the good times rolling, with Rutgers figuring out the formula to hold U-M to 48 rushing yards after the first possession, forcing the Wolverines into much tougher third-down situations. Following that game-opening drive, Michigan averaged 6.25 yards to go on third down in its final eight opportunities.

"I wouldn’t say it was a shock or caught anybody off guard," sophomore tight end Erick All said after being asked if it was surprising that the Scarlet Knights were able to neutralize the rushing offense. "We knew we were going to come into this game and it was going to be a battle. We knew we were going to have to be physical, especially up front and on the perimeter, too. With blocking, we knew what we were coming into."

After recording 407 rushing yards on 48 carries (8.5 yards per rush) with seven touchdowns through three games, second-year freshman running back Blake Corum mustered up 68 yards with a long of 13 on 21 attempts.

Redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins punched in both of the Maize and Blue's touchdowns — a one-yarder and a three-yarder — but totaled 41 yards on 12 attempts. Saturday marked the fourth multi-touchdown game of Haskins' career.

• Michigan's 161 points scored through four games represents the fifth-highest team total in the last 45 seasons (since 1976). The only times the Wolverines scored more in the first month of the season were in 2016 (208 points), 1976 (192), 1992 (175) and 2010 (166).

• The Wolverines' 20 points were the least they've scored in a game since posting 17 points in a loss to Penn State Nov. 28, 2020.

• This was the fifth game that the Maize and Blue have scored 20 or less points since offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was hired ahead of the 2019 campaign. In those games, U-M is 2-3.

• Before Saturday, the last time Michigan was held scoreless in a half was during a 35-16 loss to Alabama in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl Jan. 1, 2020. It was the sixth time the Wolverines did not score in a half during Harbaugh's tenure.

• Michigan's 74-yard drive on its opening possession was its longest drive of the season in terms of time (7:36 minutes) and plays (17).

• Haskins is the first Wolverine with at least one rushing touchdown in each of the first four games of a season since Devin Gardner in 2013.

• McNamara has led 29 scoring drives on 48 possessions (60.4 percent) in his career, resulting in 23 touchdowns and six field goals. He has thrown 124 career passes, none of which have been intercepted.

• Second-year freshman wide receiver Roman Wilson's 38-yard catch in the second quarter was the longest of his career, and set up a field goal.

• Sophomore wide receiver Mike Sainristil's 51-yard reception was a career best and the longest of the day by either team.

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