Michigan opens up Big Ten play by cruising to a 31-7 victory over Rutgers after a dubious start by the defense to begin the game.
With a balanced offensive performance, the defense came up strong once again and closed the door on the Scarlet Knights' offense after the first-quarter mistake.
Here are Maize & Blue Review's three stars of the game.
Blake Corum
Blake Corum continues to get better and better as the weeks go on, which is a credit to the entire offense as the offensive line, running backs and wide receivers all have to work in harmony to make it work. The concerns about Corum's health and getting back up to speed can officially be dashed as he continues to look like his previous self and then some. Adding another two touchdowns on the ground and 97 yards rushing, his 4.6 yards per rush kept the Wolverines ahead of the sticks throughout a game that ended in under three hours.
Mike Sainristil
On a possession that Rutgers was desperate to get some sort of offense moving, the Wolverines delivered the final blow that broke the game wide open as Mike Sainristil intercepted a screen pass in a freakish manner for a pick-six that pushed the lead to 24-7. Sainristil added two tackles and two quarterback hurries in the game as well.
J.J. McCarthy
A lot was made of J.J. McCarthy's performance against Bowling Green and the hope is that it wouldn't carry over to a second week. It wasn't perfect but it didn't have to be. McCarthy added 265 total yards as well as a passing touchdown on his day as he wiped the slate clean and moved on quickly. McCarthy made some smart runs and looked like his normal self by making some key throws. All in all, McCarthy did what he needed to do and it resulted in an easy win.
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