Sampson
Following a 3 game suspension to begin the season, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh will finally be back on the Wolverines sidelines in this week 4 matchup, as they take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Big House. This is an intriguing game, as both teams enter this game with a perfect 3-0 record and lots of momentum as they enter the in-conference part of their schedule. Michigan hasn’t exactly faced the stiffest of competition without Jim Harbaugh, but they’ve done just what they needed so far, and look to be worthy of their #2 preseason ranking as they chase their 3rd straight Big Ten title, as well as CFP appearance. Rutgers has had a slightly tougher schedule through 3 weeks, but had no trouble handling all their opponents fairly easily. Their trip to the Big House this week however, will be by far their toughest test of the season.
The visiting Rutgers Scarlet Knights have been led by their stout defense on the way to a 3-0 start to the season, as they allowed double digits points for the first time last week against Virginia Tech. The game still ended in a blowout 35-16 win for Rutgers, who got off to a strong start and never looked back. The passing game wasn’t much of a factor for the Scarlet Knights, with QB Gavin Wimsatt completing under 50% of his passes for just 46 yards and 1 touchdown, but the rushing attack led the way with over 250 yards. RB Kyle Monangai was the star of the show, leading the way with 143 yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 carries. However, if these Scarlet Knights want to have a chance to shock the world at the Big House, the passing game must get going against Michigan’s elite defense.
The Michigan Wolverines easily took care of their out of conference opponents without Coach Harbaugh, and now they get him back just in time for conference play. Michigan has been known for their elite defense for several years, and this year seems to be no different as they’ve allowed just 16 total points through three games. Star RB Blake Corum is healthy, and looks like the same dominant version of himself from last year, when he was a borderline Heisman candidate. QB JJ McCarthy had a sloppy game last week against Bowling Green, in which he threw 3 interceptions, but the combination of the rushing attack and the elite defense was more than enough to cruise to a win. McCarthy looked really comfortable in the offense prior to this past week, and I’m very confident he will bounce back moving forward with his head coach back in the picture. Michigan is too good at every level for this week 4 matchup to be very competitive, in my opinion, and I expect the Wolverines to keep rolling with a dominating home win against Rutgers.
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