Michigan still doesn’t have its quarterback situation nailed down, but the Wolverines do have one thing they can count on: defense.
Coach Kyle Whittingham tried to shut down the weekly guessing game on Monday, saying he didn’t want to keep answering the same quarterback questions. Even so, the issue remains unsettled heading into Saturday afternoon’s trip to Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.
"We don't want to play this game every week, who's going to start," Whittingham told reporters on Monday, later adding on his radio show that the player dubbed QB1 would get 100% of the first-team reps.
Freshman Tommy Carr got his first career start last week against defending national champion Indiana, and reports indicated Michigan planned to stay with him against Rutgers. That would be a notable turn after Carr stepped in for the ineffective Bryce Underwood on Oct. 17 and helped the Wolverines beat Penn State 21-18 at home.
Against Indiana, Carr had to lean on Michigan’s defense just to keep the game manageable. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards, threw one interception and averaged 5.2 yards per attempt.
The Wolverines had a chance to score a touchdown in the third quarter at the Indiana 1, but the play-action call turned into a 13-yard sack for Carr, and the field goal try after that missed. Indiana eventually won 13-6 in overtime.
The bigger picture is clear enough: Michigan (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) has a defense that can travel. The Wolverines are fourth nationally in total defense and have not given up more than 20 points in a game. Dom Nichols has been a standout force up front with 2.5 sacks, and the unit as a whole has kept Michigan afloat while the offense has struggled to find any rhythm.
That offense has been a drag all season. Michigan is averaging 22.7 points per game, which puts it outside the top 100 nationally, and that number drops to 15 points per game in Big Ten play.
Rutgers (2-5, 1-3) may be the right opponent if Michigan wants to get the attack moving. The Scarlet Knights allowed 47 points in a loss to Indiana on Oct. 3, beat Maryland 37-30 for their only conference win, then were rolled 42-14 by then-No. 24 Northwestern on Saturday.
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano didn’t sugarcoat what happened after that loss.
"When I say we have to coach better," coach Greg Schiano said, "whenever that big board with the lights, when our number's smaller than the other team, we didn't do a good enough job coaching. ... There's not a player I ever met that said, 'Let me go out there and screw this up.'"
The Scarlet Knights do have some pieces on offense. Running back Antwan Raymond ran for 150 yards and a touchdown last week, while receiver KJ Duff has four 100-yard games and nine touchdowns.
But Rutgers has also been juggling quarterbacks, in part because Dylan Lonergan has dealt with multiple injuries. Lonergan suffered a head injury against Northwestern, AJ Surace struggled after stepping in, and Schiano did not say whether Lonergan will be available.
In Other News...
Michigan Still Favored But Wolverines Have Something To Prove At Rutgers
Michigan arrives in Piscataway still carrying the look of a team trying to steady itself after a rough stretch. The Wolverines have dropped three of their last four, and the latest stumble was an overtime loss to Indiana, yet they remain favored for Week 9 as they head into Rutgers with a chance to reassert some control over their season.
Tommy Carr is expected to make his second straight start at quarterback, which adds another layer of interest to a team that needs cleaner play on offense. Rutgers, meanwhile, has shown enough to make this more than a formality, with two wins already on the rsum, including a victory over Maryland, so Michigan will have to prove it can handle a conference road test rather than simply rely on the spread. [Read more 🡒]