Michigan left Piscataway with a win, but not the kind that calms anybody down.
The Wolverines opened Saturday by rolling out a 92-yard drive, then a 75-yard march that also ended in six, and still somehow found themselves only up one at halftime. A shanked field goal opportunity kept the door open for Rutgers, and Michigan never really slammed it shut.
Ugly wins still count, but this one did nothing to change the bigger mood around the program. If anything, it underscored how badly Michigan needs something that can alter the direction of the season.
That kind of shift is going to take more time.
What kept Rutgers from turning this into a much bigger problem was Michigan’s defense, which gave up just 114 yards of offense outside of two explosive plays. The Scarlet Knights scored on a lucky 80-yard touchdown pass on third-and-15 and a 55-yard run by Antwan Raymond, who had only 30 yards on the rest of his carries.
Smith Snowden fell on the deep ball that became Rutgers’ longest play of the day. Even with those two swings, Michigan’s defense was on the field for only 20 minutes, and Rutgers converted just 30% of its third downs.
Outside the 80-yard touchdown, AJ Surace finished 2-for-11 for 43 yards.
The sideline demeanor was its own storyline. Kyle Whittingham, as the source material frames it, showed no visible emotion when the camera found him.
On the kick-catch interference blown call, he didn’t react angrily or go after the officials. He also didn’t argue when Zeke Berry was flagged for pass interference on a play where the offense was said to have clearly gotten away with one.
That detached approach has been a theme for much of the season and, according to the source, is a major reason the fanbase is not fully with him. After the game, Whittingham repeated that it is not time to panic, but the overall impression remains that he is testing everyone’s last nerve.
The offense didn’t do enough to quiet anyone either. Michigan put up more than 400 yards and scored four touchdowns, yet still looked broken in key spots.
Jordan Marshall had the worst rushing performance of his career and still found the end zone. The only real bright spot, according to the source, was Tommy Carr.
The result may go in the win column, but the feeling around it was closer to a loss.
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