Grading Michigan in all facets of a 48-42, triple-OT win at Rutgers Saturday night.
Michigan Football Rushing Offense: B-
Welcome back, Hassan Haskins. The redshirt sophomore finally got his carries, after entering the game picking up 7.8 yards per pop, and he made the most of it. He picked up 96 yards after halftime and a critical one-yard touchdown run in the third overtime that gave the Wolverines the win, averaging 4.4 yards per carry overall (109 yards on 25 carries).
Sophomore Zach Charbonnet, too, managed 27 yards on six carries for a 4.5 average.
While there weren’t many explosive plays, Haskins did rip off a 25-yarder, and he kept the chains moving late in the game when the Rutgers defense was tiring.
Michigan Football Passing Offense: B+
For a quarter and a half, this group was failing. Redshirt sophomore Joe Milton couldn’t find a rhythm, throwing for 89 yards on 5-of-12 passing and often missing deep on third-down throws.
Enter redshirt freshman Cade McNamara, who led the Wolverines to scoring position on eight of nine possessions — only one punt — and put up 48 points.
McNamara looked off receivers and found second and third options, escaped the rush and stood in the pocket on his throws. His 27-for-36 passing line for 260 yards included four touchdowns (plus another rushing) and the Wolverines averaged 10.9 yards per completion overall.
McNamara was never sacked, though Milton was taken down twice, while working behind a line missing a trio of starters.
Michigan Football Rushing Defense: B+
Rutgers rusher Isaih Pacheco is a capable back, but U-M’s front seven never let him get going. He finished with only 43 yards, averaging 2.9 per rush, and his long run was only seven yards. The Scarlet Knights managed only 2.6 yards per carry as a team and 3.2 when adjusted for sack yardage (U-M tallied a pair of quarterback takedowns).
Quarterback Noah Vedral had the longest run, 21 yards, on a well-designed draw, but the U-M front seven was stout against the run and notched six tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 24 yards.
Michigan Football Passing Defense: D-
Another week, another career day for an opposing quarterback. Vedral averaged 13 yards per completion in throwing for 381 yards and three scores, including long balls of 61, 43, 32 and 25 yards. Nine different receivers caught passes, many of which originated at the line of scrimmage on bubble screens.
Sophomore safety Daxton Hill’s game-ending pick in the end zone was the high point of an otherwise tough day for him. Former walk-on safety Hunter Reynolds was a bright spot, however, in subbing in for injured senior Brad Hawkins. He notched three tackles.
Michigan Football Special Teams: B-
A mixed bag here. Sophomore Giles Jackson sparked the Wolverines to start the second half with a 95-yard kick return for touchdown, a huge play that brought U-M to within 17-14. He averaged 40 yards per return.
Punter Brad Robbins posted a 45.7-yard clip on three punts and was solid again.
The kicking game, however, is a mess. One high snap led to a miss and fifth-year senior Quinn Nordin flat out missed two others. It might be time to give Jake Moody a shot.
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