The Michigan Wolverines survived another tense one on Saturday, edging Rutgers 28-21 in a Halloween matinee that stayed tight deep into the fourth quarter. Rutgers was within a point at halftime, then pulled even later in the game before Michigan finally answered with the last score it needed.
It wasn’t a clean performance, and it wasn’t a game that ever felt comfortable. But Michigan did enough when it mattered most, and the passing game was the biggest reason why.
Quarterback Tommy Carr came in dealing with the flu, but he still put together a strong day through the air. At halftime, he was 13-of-16 for 184 yards and a touchdown, with his longest completion going 44 yards to freshman Salesi Moa. That drive also featured a touchdown throw to JJ Buchanan, and it was one of the sharpest connections of the afternoon.
Carr finished 21-of-26 for 257 yards and that one touchdown, and when Michigan needed a play on offense, he kept coming through.
The defense, though, spent too much of the afternoon helping Rutgers stay alive. Michigan was hit with a pair of 15-yard penalties on the first two Scarlet Knights drives, and both came at costly moments.
On the first play from scrimmage, cornerback Smith Snowden was called for roughing the passer after going low on Rutgers quarterback AJ Surace. It was a questionable flag, but it gave Rutgers an automatic first down at its own 40.
On the next Rutgers possession, cornerback Jyaire Hill was flagged for pass intereference on KJ Duff. At that point, Rutgers had only 12 total yards, while Michigan’s defense had already been penalized for 30 yards. The Scarlet Knights cashed in with a field goal, and the penalty almost certainly helped make that drive possible.
The flags kept coming at bad times. With Michigan leading 14-10 and about five minutes left in the second quarter, Snowden was called for holding on 3rd-and-4. That drive ended with another Rutgers field goal, trimming the Wolverines’ lead to 14-13.
Then after Michigan pushed ahead 28-21 late in the fourth quarter, Zeke Berry was flagged for pass interference on the first play of Rutgers’ next drive, giving the Scarlet Knights better field position as they tried to answer. Rutgers didn’t score on that possession, but the penalty still put Michigan in a dangerous spot.
Jay Hill has done a lot with this defense this season, but this was a frustrating afternoon for that unit. Rutgers was kept in the game far longer than Michigan would have wanted, and the Wolverines also gave up more than 20 points for the first time all season. The offense has taken plenty of heat already this year, and it had its own penalty issues before halftime, but the defensive flags were just as damaging.
The ground game was another problem. Michigan entered the day ranked No. 101 in the FBS in rushing, and even against Rutgers’ No. 129 rush defense, the Wolverines never got rolling.
Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter and Bryson Kuzdzal all had trouble creating chunk plays. The longest run of the game was just 15 yards, which came on Carr’s touchdown run, and Michigan averaged only 3.6 yards per carry.
Hiter led the backs with 20 carries for 76 yards. Kuzdzal had six carries for 37 yards, and Marshall finished with five carries for zero yards. Those are rough numbers against one of the weakest run defenses in college football, and there isn’t much reason to expect a big turnaround against any of the four remaining opponents.
Special teams added another headache. Sophomore kicker Trey Butkowski missed two more field goals, one from 48 yards and another from 35 yards, after missing a pair last week against Indiana. He has now missed four of his last six attempts.
That’s a sharp turn after he had been perfect before last week’s game, and it leaves Michigan with a kicking issue on top of its punt return problems. The Wolverines were ranked No. 102 in the country in punt return average at 6.4 yards per return entering the game.
For all the hope that came with bringing Kerry Coombs onto the staff late last year as a special teams coordinator, Michigan still hasn’t gotten the results it wanted in 2026. And with games against Ohio State, UCLA and Michigan State still ahead, Butkowski’s turnaround suddenly matters a whole lot.
In Other News...
Bryce Underwood Could Force A Tough Michigan Decision Soon
Bryce Underwoods path at Michigan has already taken an unexpected turn, with the former five-star quarterback recruit getting benched in favor of Tommy Carr after struggling against Penn State. For a program that has spent so much time building around quarterback stability, the situation has quickly become one of the more intriguing personnel questions on the roster, especially with Underwood still carrying the kind of athletic profile that can tempt a staff to find another way to use him.
Michigan has not made any official decision about a position change, and no approach has been set in stone, but the idea is clearly on the table as the Wolverines sort through their quarterback situation. Underwoods future role now feels like one of those early-season decisions that can shape more than just depth-chart order, because if the staff decides his best path is somewhere other than quarterback, it would say plenty about where things stand behind center. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Escaped Rutgers But The Real Frustrations Arent Going Away
Michigan got what it needed against Rutgers, but not in the cleanest way. The Wolverines squeezed out a 28-21 win after letting a late-game lead slip away long enough to make things uncomfortable, even with Tommy Carr turning in a strong night through the air and on the ground. His 266 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns gave Michigan enough punch to survive, but the overall feel of the game was less about control than escape.
For a program that still has bigger ambitions in the 2026 season, the concerns did not disappear with the final whistle. The defense had stretches where Rutgers found room to answer, including the fourth-quarter tie that briefly changed the tone of the night, and the offense again left questions about consistency and coaching direction. A win is a win, but this one did little to quiet the frustration around how Michigan is being put together week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Still Have One Big Question About This Team
Michigans football profile has drawn a mixed bag of reaction lately, with praise from some corners and sharp criticism from others. Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall singled out offensive coordinator Jason Beck for the work being done on that side of the ball, while former Michigan players and analysts have pushed back on Kyle Whittinghams coaching style and the way he has handled his public comments.
Greg Schiano added another layer to the conversation by calling Michigans defense elite and pointing to several of its key players as the reason for that reputation. For fans, the contrast is what makes the bigger question linger: if the defense is playing at that level and the offense is drawing positive notice, why does the overall picture around the program still feel so unsettled? [Read more 🡒]