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PISCATAWAY, N.J. — 226 minutes and 22 seconds. That’s how long it had been since Michigan held a lead in a game. And against lowly Rutgers, it took 46 minutes and 22 seconds for the Wolverines to find themselves ahead.
And it took another 13 minutes for what became an 8-point lead to be completely squandered. Thankfully for Michigan, in finagled a victory over the Scarlet Knights some way, some how, in an everlasting stalemate that took 3 overtime periods.
But as Jim Harbaugh often says, ‘never apologize for a win.’
Many of the same issues from previous weeks still persisted. The play calling and personnel decisions were often baffling. Penalties killed drives and extended others. But it was far less than what we’ve seen in recent weeks. A crucial step in the right direction, but when you lose to Rutgers, what does it matter?
For the first time since Week 1, this Michigan team showed some grit, regardless of the opponent. Say what you will about Rutgers, but it’s played teams hard — even Ohio State, albeit late in that contest. Michigan found itself down by three scores, but battled back. Even when it cut the score to three points after Giles Jackson returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a TD, when Rutgers responded by scoring in kind, and quickly, Michigan was methodical and found its roots again in the process. But the defense continued to be a problem. Regardless of the offensive struggles, it still managed 35 points in regulation, so it’s something to build on.
Let’s start with the big positive: once Cade McNamara replaced a struggling Joe Milton, the offense at least found an identity. And he got some help. Michigan didn’t give up on the run and it paid off, with Hassan Haskins getting the bulk of the carries and bowling for 110 yards on 22 attempts. At this point, if you’re Jim Harbaugh, you have to roll with McNamara the rest of the way. For whatever reason, Milton hasn’t been the same since the opening foray against Minnesota, and there’s little sign that the strong-armed QB will return. No, Michigan has done him no favors, with a porous defense and shaky and injured offensive line. But regardless of those unassailable facts, McNamara has been everything that Milton was supposed to be as a playmaker.
Now, onto the glaring issues that still persist. The defense continues to allow opposing offense to put up alarming numbers, and in different ways each week. Last week it was the run game on the end around. This week, once again, it was the pass defense. But, it wasn’t as much Gemon Green and Vincent Gray with the issues as much as the safety play. Michigan allowed Noah Vedral to throw for 378 yards, the most this year, and the third game this season with over 300 yards passing.
Michigan is not a good team right now, but at least there’s some foundation to build upon — though it appears to be built on straw.
But as Harbaugh says, never apologize for a win, and though it took 4.5 hours to procure it against Rutgers of all teams, it says something that this program kept battling back.