Team 137 - Game 6 - Michigan vs. Rutgers

It’s a new year for some of us, a time that commonly leads to reflection, both inside and out.  As the calendar turns one year ahead, I’m grateful, and I fully appreciate the ideal that there’s no place like home.  While independent sentiments which exist for their own reason inside my head, they also tie to Michigan football, in strange and interesting ways.  I’ll explain … in just a bit.

Last Saturday afternoon, the Michigan Wolverines took the field to welcome #8 Wisconsin to the Big House in Big Blue’s fifth and final home game for the foreseeable future.  This one was circled on the calendar, and came with more hype than Alec Baldwin’s Trump debut on the SNL season premiere (a solid B+ performance with an A for effort … amazing that Lorne Michaels has kept this platform relevant and thriving throughout the decades … it’s still the American mainstay comedic perspective on the culture in which we exist). Bucky Badger arrived in A Squared fresh off a 30-6 rout of Michigan State in East Lansing and took the field looking for its third victory over a top-10 team this season.

A Big Ten battle from the beginning, Coach Harbaugh and his boys outlasted the boys in red and earned the W the hard way – 14-7 Michigan … the campaign rolls on.  Saturday’s W marks Michigan’s first win over a top-10 team since September of 2008, when UM beat UW 27-25 in RichRod’s first season at the helm of the Wolverines.  And it didn’t come easy … the Wolverines secured this W the old-fashioned way … they earned it.

5-0 is a rarified place in college football today – and I’m grateful.  I’m grateful for health, for family, for happiness, and for the fact that I live someplace where it’s seventy and sunny 320 days a year (ok, and where every once in a while the earth moves rather significantly underneath you … fortunately the most recent concern passed without incident).  And yes, I’m grateful that Michigan is 5-0.  

The sentiment is particularly poignant when welcoming in a new year, but it also represents the emotions running through Blue Nation.  If you’re a Michigan fan, you’re grateful that the guy in khakis is one of us.  RichRod would have lost this game a lot to a little, as he would have had his shoeless QB looking for big plays downfield … the antithesis of Big Ten football … the wrong approach in the land of Bo.  This game required patience … some of that Schembechler ideology of “run it behind the big boy” … Harbaugh knew that coming in, and he planned accordingly … and while he could have used some support from the kicking game, the rest of the boys executed according to that plan, and the result was a big-time Big Ten win for the Wolverines.

As for 5-0 in today’s competitive landscape – downright impressive, particularly after a fun-filled football fiesta featuring three top-ten matchups last weekend … and the action didn’t disappoint.  Whether Washington’s beat-down on Stanford, the high-drama affair in Death Valley that saw Clemson narrowly edge out Lamar Jackson and his Louisville Cardinals, or the defensive battle in Ann Arbor that saw Michigan emerge victorious and still undefeated … things are getting interesting … cream is rising to the top … but it’s far from settled. 

Jimbo and his Jumpmen know they can’t take a single week for granted.  Let’s unpack the Badger escape and then dig into this weekend’s victim: the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Michigan v. Wisconsin – The Recap

The Wolverines and Badgers entered this game with the #5 and #6 defenses in the country, respectively, and that’s how it played out – a defensive battle like two dudes elbowing it out for position in the late-night food-truck line in Madison on Halloween weekend … lots of trash talkin’ and some tats on display for intimidation, but really no forward progress due to strong defensive positioning.

We started with a scoreless opening quarter and saw very little offensive excitement thereafter.  Michigan scored on the first play of the second quarter, when Khalid Hill’s one-yard run capped an 11-play, 77-yard drive.  The 7-0 score held until half, and then UM QB Wilton Speight threw his second pick of the season with under eleven minutes to play in the third quarter, which led to a Wisconsin TD that tied the game, a 17-yard strike from UW QB Alex Hornibrook to Dare Ogunbowale.  

More solid defense ensued.  Then, with under ten minutes left in regulation, Big Blue converted a huge third-down play on a Speight-to-Darboh 15-yard pass, and on the very next play Speight found his new favorite target once again for what would be the game-winning score, a 46-yard completion that rendered the Big House absolutely inaudible given the pandemonium.  The Badgers had two more opportunities to tie the game, both of which ended in interceptions, a fitting way for the Wolverines to seal the win.

The Wolverines came out ahead in more than one respect – yes, Big Blue scored more points … but it also won the battles of total yards (349-159), first downs (21-8) and time of possession (35+ minutes - 24+ minutes).  But those numbers aren’t indicative of the closeness of this contest … whether at home or in the stands, we were nervous … we’ve seen this movie before, where the Maize and Blue blow it in the fourth quarter, heads hanging as the winged helmets make their way off the field in disappointment.  

Not this time.  This isn’t the same Maize and Blue.  These are Jim’s boys, and things are a bit different in the Michigan clubhouse.  Coach Harbaugh is back in his old ‘hood, literally and figuratively … and we all know that there’s no place like home.  Whether Dorothy thinking about Kansas, lost puppies thinking about Clydesdales or just us lay folk appreciating family and familiar surroundings, there’s no place like home.  

When it comes to Michigan football, Harbaugh is completely at home in the Big House.  It didn’t take long, but he’s fully in stride and this is the ride we’ve been waiting to board for nearly a decade.  We’re lucky to have Coach Jimmy, and we know it; he’s lucky for the opportunity, and he knows it.  The result: stability at Schembechler Hall … a new aura in Ann Arbor … the return of regular fucking pandemonium at the Big House … there’s no place like home.

The Michigan Offense

The Wolverines posted 349 yards of total offense (219 through the air and 130 on the ground) … unimpressive against lesser foes, but a strong performance against the best defense UM OC Tim Drevno has seen all year.

Wilton Speight was 20-32 for 219 yards and a TD.  He also threw a pick for the first time since his first pass of the season against Hawaii.  Amara Darboh, Speight’s new favorite target out wide, caught 6 balls for 87 yards, including that game-winning grab, and Jehu Chesson pulled in five catches for 52 yards … and yes, Jake Butt made his presence felt with 3 catches for 31 yards.

The Maize and Blue’s ground game was limited by a strong and effective Wisconsin defense. None of the Michigan backs broke 70 yards on the ground and only one of them found the end zone – Khalid Hill on a 1-yard punch-in … again, credit the Badger D with a stifling performance rather than critique the Blue backfield for a lackluster effort.

That Wisco D shut down Big Blue like Ann Arbor Police stumbling upon an after-hours Greek party on campus – it was ugly early and often.  Jack Cichy’s name seemed to be called more often than our favorite friend of Ferris, as he notched 12 tackles on the afternoon, and T.J. Watt and T.J. Edwards were equally as impressive with 11 tackles each.

The Michigan Defense

UM DC Don Brown’s unit gave up 159 total yards all day to the Badgers – part of the reason Harbaugh gave a proverbial “game ball” to his new Defensive Coordinator in his post-game press conference.  

The D-Line held Corey Clement and the Wisco ground game to just 71 yards on 28 carries (for an impressive 2.5 yards-per-carry average) and the secondary picked off Badger QB Alex Hornibrook three times, including that ridiculous Jourdan Lewis one-handed pick to finally turn out the lights for Wisconsin – yes, the pick wasn’t only unnecessary, but arguably damaging to Blue’s chances of sealing victory, but when the opportunity presents itself to do your very-best Odell Beckham, Jr. impersonation in front of 110,000+ screaming Maize and Blue fans, we understand the difficulty of resisting temptation … even Coach so acknowledged when asked about it after the game.  

After his spectacular INT, with athleticism reminiscent of the original “Airness”, the newly minted “Air Jourdan” said in his post-game comments, “the sky’s the limit” – for Team 137 … for the Michigan football program.  And while the future is bright for Blue on the gridiron, things also are looking up across the parking lot at Crisler Arena, where the basketball program unveiled the new Jumpman digs (no doubt Jalen already has a pair of the new Blue kicks as his face reveals in the slideshow).  Beilein and the boys look ready to ball too, but that’s for later, as right now it’s all about football.

The Michigan D held its own against a strong ground-based offense with a beefy line and competent skill-position players.  Ben Gideon led the unit with 6 tackles while Ryan Glasgow and Mike McCray each posted 5 on the day.

Michigan Special Teams

And then there was the kicking game … UM placekicker Kenny Allen was 0-2 in the field-goal department, missing from 31 and 43, yards and looked shakier than Michael J. Fox after a cup of cold brew.  Ok, bad visual, sorry … but effective.

Allen was a deer in the headlights when lining up towards the uprights, and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.  We’re going to see our share of close games between now and the end of Team 137’s run, and field goals are going to be crucial.  I know we’d all like to have Remy Hamilton back in the winged helmet, but unfortunately he’s out of eligibility.  However, my 96-yeard-old Grandma Claire still has all four years free and clear, and she’s available if called upon … for fuck’s sake, Jimmy, stabilize this piece, as we all have too much invested to see the season go sideways because Kenny Allen can’t get his shit together.  Harbaugh signaled in his post-game comments that we may see some competition in the kicking game this week … sounds like walk-on Ryan Tice may get his shot, and I’m fully supportive … I mean, it’s that or Grandma Claire, either way a better choice than Kenny Allen and his wooden foot.

When the final buzzer sounded, Michigan came out on top … 5-0, with one more to play before the mid-season bye break.  Let’s talk Rutgers!

Michigan vs. Rutgers – The Preview

Up next, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Big Blue’s first road trip of the year.  Yeah, I’m not sure either how Coach Harbaugh got the benefit of staying home for the first five weeks of the season, but it’s time to leave the nest and venture outward … the Big Blue Bus is heading East.

This is the third meeting between Michigan and Rutgers, as prior to the Scarlet Knights joining the Big Ten in 2014, these two programs weren’t likely to have met on the gridiron.  The series is tied 1-1 – Michigan won last season’s matchup 49-16 at the Big House … and, well, the year before is not something discussed around Schembechler Hall.  I know, we all remember the blocked go-ahead field goal with three minutes left in the game … what you may not remember, though, is the 472 total yards the UM D allowed … and the stats that read even worse but which I’ll spare you of for sanity’s sake.  The 26-24 L was on the road, and the Wolverines are looking to avenge that loss this weekend.

QB Chris Laviano is the guy under center for the Scarlet Knights – he’s got 5 TDs and 2 INTs on the season with 680 passing yards … he’s got no real backfield threat standing by his side (RB Robert Martin leads the squad with 398 yards on the year) … and out wide he’s got a handful of guys dressed in red who may not have made the starting line-up for The Little Giants.  

Janarion Grant has 20 catches on the season for 210 yards and Jawuan Harris has 11 grabs for 194 … after that, it drops off a cliff steeper than the price tag of dead-money college-football coaches exiting stage left (Bill Simmons is a genius … I know, it’s obvious to those of us who pay attention, but I’m just sayin’).  All that being said, however, Rutgers’ PK David Bonagura is 13-13 from extra-point land and 6-7 on the FG board – the one place Michigan walks in less-endowed than the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers is 2-3 overall (0-2 Big Ten) and enters the game off a 58-0 trouncing at the hands of Urban Meyer’s Buckin’ Fuckeyes last Saturday.  The Scarlet Knights lost to #14 Washington in Week 1 (48-13) and to Iowa in the conference openers (14-7), with wins coming against the mighty Howard (52-14) and New Mexico (37-28).

Head Coach Chris Ash welcomes the Wolverines to High Point Solutions Stadium in Chris Christie’s beautiful New Jersey (although our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the tragedy in Hoboken).  But this visit isn’t about cheesesteaks or Snookie, it’s about football … get in and get out as efficiently as possible, notching a W in the process.  

Michigan is a heavy favorite in Piscataway on Saturday night, and for good reason.  When the final buzzer sounds, Blue Nation will be grateful for 6-0 and for a bye week to prepare for the second half of the campaign.  The team will board the bus with Uncle Mo on its side, heading back to Ann Arbor … that place where it all started for Coach Jim … there’s no place like home.

The early prediction is now in … Michigan 42 - Rutgers 7

Go Blue!