Rutgers football falls to Michigan for 1st loss of 2023 season
The Rutgers football team was defeated by Michigan 31-7 yesterday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Scarlet Knights (3-1, 1-1) struck first in the opening quarter but gave up 31 unanswered points to the Wolverines (4-0, 1-0).
It's the third straight year that Rutgers has started 3-0 and lost to a Big Ten foe in its fourth game of the season. Here are three takeaways from the Knights' first loss of the season.
Starting off with a bang
Rutgers had the best start it could ask for after junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt found senior wide receiver Christian Dremel over the middle for a 69-yard score on the Knights' third offensive play of the game.
It was Dremel's second collegiate touchdown in as many games and Wimsatt's longest collegiate touchdown pass.
By the end of the first half, Rutgers was down by seven to No. 2 Michigan. It was a good spot for the Knights to be in against the second-best team in the nation.
Thirty-one unanswered points and a costly pick-six
J.J. McCarthy had success in the passing game, especially on third down. After Blake Corum knotted the game up, McCarthy found the back shoulder of Semaj Morgan to give the Wolverines the 14-7 lead.
Michigan received the ball after halftime and went down the field for a long, 8-minute drive, resulting in a field goal that put the Wolverines up 17-7.
Down by 10 points and with the team's back against the wall, Rutgers faced a crucial fourth and two at Michigan's 27-yard line. Head coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca elected to go for the first down instead of attempting a field goal.
The offense drew up a screen pass to senior wide receiver JaQuae Jackson but the play was busted as Mike Sainristil jumped the route to pick off Wimsatt’s pass and take it 71 yards for a pick-six.
"Everything we do is with one mission in mind and that's to win the football game. So, we felt like that was the right thing to do," Schiano said of that third-quarter play call on fourth down. "We had our opportunities. You just have to convert."
Looking forward
Despite the loss, senior linebacker Mohamed Toure and junior linebacker Tyreem Powell had strong games with five total tackles and eight total tackles respectively. Powell registered a sack of McCarthy in the first quarter.
The Knights' game against the Wolverines was always going to be a tough one. Schiano commended Michigan's program and its head coach, Jim Harbaugh, as well as saying that his team will take everything one "chop" at a time.
"This game won’t define us," Schiano said. "We’ll go back to work and get better, and our best will be good enough."
Schiano did mention some positives, including the play of Wimsatt, who threw for 180 yards and a touchdown, along with a 130.6 passer rating in front of a hostile environment.
"I think our quarterback continues to get better and better every game, and that’s what we need," Schiano said of Wimsatt. "We need him to grow up and he’s doing that right in front of our eyes, so that’s a positive."
After its loss, Rutgers will next look ahead to its game at home against Wagner at 3:30 p.m. next week. Last season, the Knights crushed the Seahawks (2-2, 2-0) by a score of 66-7. Rutgers will look to rebound this loss with a home victory.
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