Everything we learned from Michigan football vs. Rutgers

Today, at the Big House in Ann Arbor, the 2nd-ranked Wolverines took on the undefeated Scarlet Knights in their 2023 Big Ten opener. After an underwhelming game against Bowling Green last weekend, there was some concern among the fanbase that today’s Michigan football vs. Rutgers would not go well for the Wolverines, and frankly, it was not the prettiest game for Jim Harbaugh & Co. From mental mistakes to JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, and others catching their stride, here is what we learned from today’s game.

What we learned from Michigan football vs. Rutgers

Michigan football vs. Rutgers resulted in a 24-point Wolverine victory, improving Michigan’s record to 4-0 on the season (1-0 Big Ten) heading into next weekend’s road game against Nebraska. Still, there are some concerns about the Maize and Blue after another slow victory.

The mental errors need to stop

Today, Michigan football made a lot of mistakes, though, unlike last week, they were usually mental slip-ups. Instead of fumbles and interceptions, Michigan had delay-of-game penalties, missed kicks, failed blocks, blown coverages, and more. If the Wolverines want to win the Big Ten again, these small setbacks need to stop, and fast.

Despite a slow start, it’s clear that the Michigan football defense is elite

On the first drive of the game, less than a minute into Michigan football vs. Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights scored a long touchdown pass, taking advantage of a blown coverage from the Wolverines’ secondary. That said, for the remainder of the game, Michigan seemed to tighten things up, holding Rutgers to seven points and 257 total yards all said and done.

While Michigan was without a few starters — such as Mason Graham — and had a few guys returning to the lineup, the Wolverines looked pretty good on defense once again.

Injury issues with the secondary continue

So far, players like Will Johnson, Rod Moore, Makari Paige, and Amorion Walker have been seen on every Michigan football injury report. Today, a few new faces — Keon Sabb and Zeke Berry — appeared on the report as well. While many of these players were just questionable and ultimately saw game action, it’s still interesting to see the list of injuries throughout the defensive backfield continue to grow.

It’s worth noting that Mike Sainristil appeared banged up towards the end of the game — yet another defensive issue to watch.

Jim Harbaugh is back, but that didn’t seem to change much

Today was the first game that Michigan football got 9th-year head coach Jim Harbaugh back from suspension. While the Wolverines came away with the win, many of the issues — such as the mental errors I mentioned above — were still quite noticeable. Heading into the game, fans were hopeful that Harbaugh’s presence would help patch up some of these small issues, and while this weekend was absolutely better than last weekend, this team still needs some work.

Still, as the Wolverines hit the road next weekend, fans are feeling good knowing that Jim Harbaugh has the headset on again.

We really aren’t going to know who Michigan is for… a while

While watching Michigan football vs. Rutgers, as the Wolverines went through their ups and downs, I realized that we don’t know who Michigan is. After pulling up this year’s schedule, it’s pretty clear to me that, even if the Maize and Blue continue to play this confusing, up-and-down style of football, there is a good chance that Michigan begins the year 9-0 overall.

It’s going to take a while for us to see who Michigan really is this year. The season will likely come down to the final three games of the year — Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State. We will have to wait and see where things go from there, but for now, regardless of who the Wolverines appear to be, the season has to be taken one game at a time to avoid upset.

JJ McCarthy bounces back with a solid game

Last weekend, against Bowling Green, junior quarterback JJ McCarthy had a pretty bad game — he completed eight of his 13 passes for just over 140 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. This weekend, it seems that McCarthy corrected a few things, having yet another solid game this year.

Today, JJ McCarthy completed 15 of his 21 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown (with no picks). Notably, he hit five different receivers, including a touchdown dart to true freshman wide receiver Semaj Morgan.

Blake Corum is back

So far this year, Michigan football has scored a total of 16 offensive touchdowns. Today, against Rutgers this afternoon, Blake Corum punched in another two touchdowns (with nearly 100 rushing yards), bringing his season total up to eight on the year. After a slower start to the season, which was understandable given his offseason surgery and injury rehab, Blake Corum appears to be back and firing on all cylinders right now.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at [email protected]. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!