Michigan Football: Wolverines find offense in win over Rutgers
By Shawn Ekwall
3. The Michigan defense is still legit
Last week revealed cracks in the Wolverines armor. Penn State put up 42 points and Saquon Barkley was a thorn in the Michigan side.
The Wolverines settled back in against Rutgers. Granted, the Scarlet Knights don’t pose the same threat as Penn State on offense, but you wondered about the psyche of the Wolverines defensive unit after last week’s collapse.
The Michigan defense was very good on third down. Rutgers converted only 3-of-11 third down attempts. The Wolverines smothered the running game of the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers managed only 94 yards on the ground on 31 attempts.
Rutgers had trouble protecting quarterback Giovanni Rescigno. The Wolverines came up with five sacks on the afternoon and harassed Rescigno into several hurried throws as well. If the Wolverines continue to stop the run, and pressure opposing quarterbacks, Michigan will only improve over the final month of the season.
Michigan has games against Minnesota and Maryland over the coming two weeks, before finishing against powerhouses Wisconsin and Ohio State. A stellar defense gives Harbaugh’s team a chance to finish strong.