Michigan's woes deepen with loss to Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Michigan needed any hope.

Against Rutgers on Saturday, the Wolverines had just enough to lose.

Before the third largest crowd in High Points Solution Stadium of 53,327. Michigan played like it had a pulse, a foreign concept in second-half meltdowns against its previous three Big Five conference opponents, all losses.

But the result was the same, a loss, the third straight, dropping U-M to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten, this time 26-24.

When the game came down the moment that mattered, trailing by 26-24 with just over three minutes two play, Michigan's 56-yard field goal attempt was blocked and never cleared the line.

Rutgers (5-1, 2-1) only needed to run out the clock after dominating the Wolverines through the air, throwing for over 400 yards.

Michigan's chance to take the lead and win a road game was there in the fourth quarter.

Trailing by two points getting the ball back with 6:34 to play, they began at their 14.

The offense found life and got to the 38 before Gardner appeared to hit Amara Darboh with a pass. It was ruled incomplete, on review and then against on U-M's challenge, costing a timeout.

That's when U-M lined up for a 56-yard field goal, presumably expecting that they wouldn't get the ball back and couldn't convert a fourth and 9.

The near miss was more frustrating because, unlike the previous weeks, the Wolverines didn't implode in the second half.

Though they looked like it was a possibility with a one yard third quarter – Michigan's whole offense for those 15 minutes -- a holding penalty and a Devin Gardner interception nearly buried them.

Less than six minutes later, Rutgers was in the Michigan end zone, pushing the leads to 26-17, an insurmountable margin for a Michigan offense that managed one total yard in the third quarter.

But Gardner answered, marching the Wolverines 69 yards, nearly all on the ground, running it in himself for a 19-yard touchdown, closing to gap back to two down 26-24, which was enough for the Scarlet Knights in the end.

While the Michigan offense had a bit of a resurgence with Gardner at quarterback in the first half, scoring two touchdowns, the defense rendered it moot.

Rutgers moved the ball all over the Wolverines in multiple ways, taking the 19-17 lead to the break.

Quarterback Gary Nova salivated over the U-M defense, passing for 282 yards before halftime, exceeding his full game average of 239.4.

He threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on a broken coverage and marched his team 75 yards in just 1:21 for a pre-halftime score, a play marked by Frank Clark's missed sack.

That was just the latest of Rutgers' killer third downs, where they were 5-of-9, each one a dagger.

A 53-yard pass on a third and five, a 20-yard Nova rush – his career long – on third and 16, and a 23 yarder later on third and six. Throw in the touchdown for the halftime lead and it was a consistent mess.

Rutgers aided one of Michigan's touchdowns with an inexplicable fake punt that was stuffed, giving U-M a 43-yard field.

Snyder also writes for The Detroit Free Press.