5 takeaways as Rutgers football loses to Michigan in Big Ten opener

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Rutgers came to Michigan Stadium on Saturday for its first Big Ten game of the season, its first true test and its first real opportunity to gauge just how much progress the program has made in a short amount of time.

The Scarlet Knights defeated their first three opponents, but Michigan presented a far tougher task in a tough road environment.

Rutgers gave the No. 19 Wolverines a challenge of their own, but came up short of a stunning upset and fell 20-13 before 106,943 fans at The Big House. 

The Scarlet Knights went into halftime trailing by 17 points before slicing their deficit in the second half courtesy of another strong performance by the defense, but the offense couldn’t make enough of the plays it needed to make.

"We came out here and we said we were going to find out how we stack up," coach Greg Schiano said. "So we know: A little bit short."

It was the first loss of the season for the Scarlet Knights, whose next game is against Ohio State at SHI Stadium.

Michigan averaged a national-best 350.3 rushing yards per game through its first three contests but managed only 112 against Rutgers — 64 of those yards came on the Wolverines' first possession of the game, which Hassan Haskins capped with a one-yard touchdown run to put the Wolverines up early. 

Scarlet Knights quarterback Noah Vedral finished 18-of-31 for 156 yards and a touchdown – a 14-yard pass to Aaron Young in the third quarter.

Isaih Pacheco had his best game so far this season, finishing with 107 yards on 20 carries.

Here are five takeaways from the game: 

Wild fourth quarter

Valentino Ambrosio kicked a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to cut Michigan's lead to 20-13, turning the rest of the game into a momentum-shifting affair.

After Ambrosio’s kick, Rutgers’ defense forced a Michigan three-and-out.

The Scarlet Knights orchestrated a nice drive on its ensuing possession – starting with a 26-yard run from Pacheco – to get down to the Michigan 7-yard line before a false start backed them up to the 12. 

After a one-yard gain from Pacheco, Vedral threw an incomplete pass to bring up fourth down. 

Ambrosio missed a 29-yard field goal that would've made it a four-point game. 

Rutgers’ defense responded by forcing another three-and-out to get the offense the ball back. 

The Scarlet Knights ultimately had a fourth-and-2 at the Michigan 39. Schiano chose to go for it.

Johnny Langan took the snap and could only gain one yard for a turnover on downs.

Any chance of the Scarlet Knights potentially winning ended when Vedral fumbled the ball away on second-and-10 from Rutgers' 29 with less than two minutes left. 

It was the Scarlet Knights' first turnover of the season. 

"It’s a critical mistake," Vedral said. "I know better as a ball carrier, I’ve got to chin the ball. That’s one of our things. I’ll look at it on tape, we’ll break it down and I’ll be extra focused on my ball security this week going into next week."

Defense, defense, defense

Rutgers’ defense has played well all season. That’s what helped the Scarlet Knights get off to such a strong start while the offense was inconsistent and still trying to find a rhythm.

Robb Smith’s unit delivered again on Saturday.

Cade McNamara made some big passes in the first half – not something he’s had to do much this year – but Michigan struggled to get much going after halftime as the Scarlet Knights became the first defense to really limit the Wolverines’ rushing attack this season.

Michigan entered the game averaging 7.1 yards per carry – it averaged 2.9 against Rutgers.

The Wolverines had just 42 total yards in the second half. 

The Scarlet Knights’ defense routinely gave the offense a chance.

"If you told me we were going to hold them to (112) yards rushing, I’d say we probably won the game," Schiano said. "We made too many mistakes to win, and we almost still won. We’ve got to figure out why we made them and put them away. Coaching and playing."

Tough end to the first half                                              

With 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Rutgers was facing a fourth-and-10 at Michigan’s 44-yard line.

The Scarlet Knights chose to go for it. The decision backfired as Vedral’s intended pass for Bo Melton was incomplete.

"(Offensive coordinator) Sean (Gleeson) and I just talked and we felt like we could get it," Schiano said. "Honestly I thought we had it there. We were (down) 17-3 and not really moving the ball well at that point. We thought that was a chance to keep a drive alive."

Michigan needed one play to take advantage, with McNamara hitting Mike Sainristil for a 51-yard pass.

Making matters worse for Rutgers? Nose tackle Julius Turner, who’s been such a crucial member of the Scarlet Knights’ defense, was called for targeting on the play and was ejected from the game.

The Wolverines had to burnout a timeout with five seconds left before Jake Moody kicked a 20-yard field goal to put Michigan up 20-3 going into halftime.

Trick play goes wrong

After Haskins ran for a three-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, Rutgers got the ball to the Wolverines’ 41-yard line on its ensuing possession with the help of a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Michigan linebacker Josh Ross.

Vedral hit Pacheco for a five-yard pass before an incomplete pass and a four-yard rush from Kyle Monangai brought up fourth-and-1 at the 32.

Rutgers went for it and tried to catch Michigan off guard.

Vedral and Pacheco looked to the sideline as if they were having trouble getting the call. Pacheco then hurried to the line and took the snap, but he bobbled it. Michigan stopped him short of the first down.

That ended a potentially big opportunity.

Reggie Sutton out for the season

Rutgers announced before the game that one of its best offensive linemen, if not the best, is done for the season.

Reggie Sutton, who started the first three games at right guard, suffered a season-ending knee injury during Wednesday’s practice.

Sutton was a consistent, solid piece of an offensive line that’s been a work in progress. His versatility has also been invaluable – he played multiple spots while starting all nine games in 2020.

Troy Rainey, who made his collegiate debut in the opener against Temple, got the start at right guard against Michigan.

Email: iseman@northjersey.com Twitter: @chrisiseman