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PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It’s a game no one thought could have been close, but Michigan football prevailed and survived against Rutgers, improving to 2-3 on the season with a winless Penn State team coming to town next Saturday.
Here’s my instant reaction, stream-of-consciousness style, of what went right and what went wrong for the Wolverines in New Jersey.
- Honestly, my assessment thus far is that Michigan is still making the coaching blunders — the RB rotation, low percentage plays, zero zone reads — that have gotten the offense into this mess in the first place. All the things that worked in Week 1 that they haven’t tried — save for the RB rotation, which has been a day one sort of thing.
- The defensive line showing great improvement this week. The offensive line, however, with three starters out, doesn’t look very good at all.
- Rutgers did like Indiana, attacking underneath. Then got a big play on a double end-around, taking a page out of the Wisconsin playbook.
- Michigan did seem to have much better energy. But, like I said, the coaching issues seem to persist. I think too many have read too much into reading the players’ body language. The truth is: Michigan has been out-coached and out-schemed over and over again.
- Michigan at least tried to the run the ball — to terrible effect.
- The defense was the bigger debacle from Week 2 forward, but right now, I think the offense is the bigger problem area. That could certainly be due to the offensive line, but even when there’s time, Milton is up-and-down. Again, feel like he’s being put into bad situations and Michigan refuses to use his legs. And when it does, it’s not at all smart about it
- You know what Michigan’s other problem is? It can’t finish. It’s like it’s perpetually in the 2016 Wisconsin game where it gets to midfield and then stalls out.
- Vincent Gray and Gemon Green actually looked very improved. Some of the passes they gave up were zone plays where the WR came back. (This isn’t counting the 61-yard touchdown pass from Noah Vedral to Bo Melton on Rutgers first possession of the second-half, when Green got flat out beat by the speedster.)
- Once Cade McNamara came in, not only did he look better, the offensive play calling made more sense.
- The coaches have no idea how to run a two-minute offense.
- Dax Hill had the worst game of his career.
- The personnel decisions continue to be as perplexing as the play calling. I think Blake Corum is going to be a fine talent in the future, but on third-and-short, bring in Haskins or Charbonnet, especially if the play call is an inside zone run.
- Overall, the defense continues to be an abomination.
- Cade McNamara was efficient, but more than once, he missed a wide open receiver for an obvious touchdown. He’s been an improvement on the passing offense, but he also needs to see the field more clearly. Hopefully that’ll come with time.
- It took some time, but Michigan finally started putting itself on schedule with shorter down and distance situations.
- Tackling and finishing became a major issue for the defense this game. It’s a week-by-week thing, a new issue every time.
- Like I said in the (forthcoming) postgame column, never apologize for a win. This should help the team build important and much-needed confidence. Even if it took 3 OT to get the victory over Rutgers.