ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In a few days, Rutgers can look at what happened in Michigan Stadium in this 20-13 loss on Saturday afternoon and focus on the positives.
The Scarlet Knights, after all, were down 17 points to the No. 19 team in the nation, with 106,943 fans thinking this was headed toward another blowout, and charged back to take control of the game. They played with heart, toughness and, most surprising of all, out-smash-mouthed Michigan in the final 30 minutes.
All that bodes well for the next eight Big Ten games. Nothing that happened here diminishes what Rutgers can still accomplish over the next few months.
And, yes, here comes the BUT …
Rutgers could have stolen this victory. Rutgers probably should have won this game. When Greg Schiano assesses what happened in the Big House, he might have to admit that he cost his team a big way with a series of head-scratching fourth-down decisions.
Most egregious: His decision to go for it on fourth and 10 near midfield with 26 seconds left in the half. Rutgers had a chance to head into the locker room down two touchdowns despite a struggling defense, but to the surprise of everyone in the stadium, Schiano left his offense on the field.
Noah Vedral took the snap and threw a pass to receiver Bo Melton. The ball deflected off his hands, but even if he had caught it, he probably wouldn’t have gotten the first down. Michigan took over on downs, and you didn’t need a crystal ball to see what was going to happen next.
Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara hit receiver Mike Sainristil for a 51-yard gain.The Wolverines had the ball at the Rutgers 2, and only a gutsy series from the defense saved this from being an unmitigated disaster.
Still: Michigan kicked a field goal to make it 20-3. Instead of coming out for the second half down 14, the Scarlet Knights were staring at a three-score deficit. That’s on Schiano, and it was completely unnecessary given the circumstances.
Rutgers failed on two other critical fourth downs, including one in the second quarter when the Scarlet Knights literally tried to sneak one past Michigan. Facing a fourth-and-one at the Michigan 32, Vedral pretended to be looking for a call from the sideline as running back Isaih Pacheco crept behind center and took the snap.
The first problem: He bobbled it. The second one: Michigan was ready, smacking him before he got back to the line of scrimmage. The Wolverines took over on downs, leading 14-3, and given that Rutgers hadn’t come close to stopping its offense, it felt like the ballgame.
Some thought the call was brilliant but poorly executed. I thought it was too cute and overlooked the fact that, on a fourth and three earlier in the game, short-distance specialist Johnny Langan knifed through the Michigan front to keep the drive moving.
Again: Rutgers can take away a ton of positives from this Big Ten opener. For now, though, it’s hard not to see it as a missed opportunity.
Here are five observations from Rutgers-Michigan:
1. NOAH VEDRAL WAS VERY GOOD
With the loss of Reggie Sutton on the offensive line, this figured to be one of those days when Vedral spent the day running for his life. That wasn’t entirely the case — the rebuilt line played okay — and Vedral again showed why the coaches have so much confidence in him.
One early play sticks out: After Rutgers was flagged for an illegal formation penalty on a third-and-two when offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson called for a goofy formation in the second quarter. Backed up five yards, Vedral sidestepped a blitzing Michigan defender and hit Aaron Cruickshank in stride for a crucial first down.
He took over this game in the third quarter, leading Rutgers to 10 points with short, accurate passes and bruising runs. While his counterpart Cade McNamara struggled under pressure, Vedral seemed to thrive in it. The numbers — he was 18 of 31 for 156 yards — don’t do this performance justice. Vedral was very good, right up to the fumble that end the Scarlet Knights’ chances.
2. SO WAS ISAIH PACHECO
Pacheco had his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of his career, and this time, he got there with the tough north-south running that fans have wanted to see. He finished with 107 yards on 20 carries, including a 26-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Overall, Rutgers gained 197 yards on the ground on 42 carries — a promising performance, and given that it came against one of the nation’s stoutest defenses, a good sign.
3. VICTORY FORMATION NONSENSE
Schiano had his players going full throttle with Michigan trying to take a knee in the victory formation — something he did early in his career at Rutgers and, much to the ire of former Giants coach Tom Coughlin, during his stint in the NFL with Tampa. The crowd booed, and Rutgers was offsides on one play. Michigan killed the clock.
We all admire Schiano’s refusal to give up in a game. But can we all agree this is dangerous and, with the risk of injury, a bad idea?
4. PLAY-ACTION PROBLEMS
The Wolverines had run the ball so effectively in the first quarter that it was easy to imagine them doing nothing else, handing off on 15 of the 17 plays on a touchdown drive to start the game. Why throw it if you’re gaining six or seven yards each carry, right?
Here’s why: A good running game sets up play-action passes. The Rutgers linebackers, fearing another drive in which the Wolverines ran the ball down their throats, bit on a fake handoff from Cade McNamara. The Michigan quarterback zipped a pass over the middle to wide receiver Roman Wilson, who outran safety Christian Izien for a 38-yard gain.
Izien was flagged for a horse-collar tackle, setting up the Michigan offense at the Rutgers 3-yard line. They didn’t need to do anything fancy from there, with running back Hassan Haskins punching into the end zone untouched. Rutgers would play from behind the rest of the day.
5. SCHIANO’S FIRST CULTURE TEST
Here are some other thoughts about the Scarlet Knights and the Big Ten:
a. He aced the first part. Schiano immediately suspended cornerbacks Max Melton and Chris Long after their arrest for shooting a paintball gun at people on campus this week. He likely will wait until the players have their day in court before he considers reinstating them — and that figures to be the trickier part for the head coach.
b. This is how Melton and Long chose to spend their Monday night the week of the biggest Rutgers game in years. That is a betrayal of Schiano’s “F.A.M.I.L.Y.” — forget about me, I love you — mantra. The coach still is trying to establish a culture in Piscataway. Does he use this incident to send a message to the rest of the team? Or does he welcome back Melton, who was one of the team’s most important defensive players in the first three games.
c. Given the recent history between the two programs, arguably the more important “matchup” between Rutgers and Michigan is taking place in the living rooms of high school players. Todderick Hunt’s breakdown of Schiano competing with — and often beating — Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh for recruits is a must read for Rutgers fans.
d. Here’s how you know it’s a rough first half: Even Adam Korsak had a bad punt.
e. Valentino Ambrosio needs to hit that 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Rutgers still doesn’t know if it can count on its kicker to make a big one, and that’s a concern.
f. Yes, it was Notre Dame, but Wisconsin looked downright mediocre on offense in a disheartening loss for the Big Ten. Does that game shift to the winnable column for Rutgers now?
g. I guess we can take P.J. Fleck’s name off the list of candidates for the Southern Cal job. Minnesota losing to Bowling Green, a team that went winless in the MAC last season, is the Big Ten’s worst loss of 2021 and is unlikely to be topped.
h. It’s hard to beat Ann Arbor and the Big House for pregame atmosphere.
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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.
