After suffering a 42-14 loss to No.24 Northwestern on the road, Rutgers football will return home to play Michigan this Saturday in a game where they are currently listed as the underdog by 14.5 points, according to FanDuel. Michigan will also be coming into this game after a loss, falling to No.6 Indiana 13-6 in overtime yesterday. The over/under is currently set at 47.5, one of the lowest for a Rutgers game this season.
The Wolverines and the Scarlet Knights are an interesting matchup because it
pits a bad Michigan offense against a really poor Rutgers defense. Michigan averages 20.3 points per game, which is No. 108 in the FBS. Rutgers surrenders 37.7 points per game, which is No. 128 in the FBS. Rutgers surrenders 6 yards per rush, which is the third-worst in the FBS, while Michigan averages 3.7 yards per rush, which is No. 96 in the FBS. The Wolverines average 165.9 passing yards per game, which is No.125 in the FBS, while Rutgers allows an average of 245.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 100th in the FBS. Michigan has only scored more than 20 points twice this season while Rutgers has only held two opponents under 30 points this season. The stoppable force vs the moveable object.
On the flip side, however, Michigan has a stellar defense that will prove extremely difficult for Rutgers to punch through. Currently, they surrender an average of 15.7 points per game, which is 11th in the FBS. Michigan defensive end John Henry Daley could be a huge issue for the Knights, as he has recorded four sacks on the season so far, and Rutgers has struggled to keep defenders off of their quarterback all season. They as a team also average 1.3 positive turnovers per game, which could be a huge issue given the Knights’ turnover issues.
The final wrinkle in this matchup for both teams is the quarterback. Michigan last week started Tommy Carr over Bryce Underwood. Carr threw for 167 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. It will be interesting to see how he improves from his first start to his second start. Rutgers, on the other hand, saw three quarterbacks take the field, none of whom performed well. Starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan was knocked out of the game before he could attempt a pass, while backups AJ Surace and Sean Ashenfelder combined completed 9 out of 27 pass attempts for 100 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Lonergan gives Rutgers its best chance to stay competitive, but if he is unable to go, whoever replaces him will have the tall task of facing one of the strongest defenses in the Big Ten.
Rutgers vs. Michigan will kick off inside SHI Stadium on Halloween, Oct. 31, at 12:30. Live coverage will be available on the Big Ten Network.
