Five things we learned as Rutgers football battled tough in loss at Michigan
Rutgers football lost 31-7 on Saturday afternoon at Michigan, a game that was a bit of a disappointing score line given all the upset talk from the national media over the past week.
But Rutgers is a better football team than last year and the loss to Michigan proved it.
It isn’t scarlet-colored glasses, far from it. Everything from Saturday was better than the season before when Rutgers got manhandled by Michigan in the second half of a 52-17 loss.
And that’s the measuring stick for a rebuilding program like Rutgers. Are they better off than they were 11 months ago against the same opponent?
The answer is yes.
Now, there is no doubt that Michigan is a far better team right now than Rutgers, but this wasn’t easy stuff for the Wolverines. The second-best team in the nation went down (again) to Rutgers 7-0 in the first quarter and carried a narrow 14-7 lead at halftime.
Scroll down and check out five things we learned from Rutgers football’s loss at Michigan.
Rutgers football is still off to a great start
Rutgers lost on Saturday to Michigan, but this has been the best start to the season of Schiano’s return. Even with Saturday’s performance being lackluster, this is still an improved team.
Rutgers is 3-1 with two Power Five wins in their first four games. They didn’t get blown out by Michigan but played decently well. This team is pointed up for sure.
Michigan is maybe better than they were last year
The Wolverines are a good team and could be the best team in the nation. And yet, Rutgers was tough with this team and by no means was blown out of the water.
The Scarlet Knights did a solid job against Michigan and were a better, more efficient team than they were at home a year ago.
Rutgers football isn't close yet to Michigan's level
OK there Captain Obvious, but hang with us a moment.
There was a lot of talk this week that Rutgers was prepared to knock off Michigan on the road. A lot of that talk centered on the Rutgers performance three years ago (a triple overtime loss to Michigan) and in 2021 (losing by one score in Ann Arbor). Also, Rutgers had a halftime lead on Michigan last year.
What Saturday showed is that Rutgers is improved for sure. It also showed that the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are a level (if not two) above where Rutgers is right now. A little bit of reality came to Rutgers on Saturday, but it is reality mixed with a good dose of optimism that this program has turned the corner.
Gavin Wimsatt is someone for Rutgers football to build around
While he had his first turnover of the season at Michigan, Wimsatt was far better than his performance a year ago at home against Michigan where he threw three interceptions.
A solid 11-of-21 for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception shows that the Rutgers quarterback has all the tools needed to be a Big Ten quarterback. A lot of questions were answered on Saturday afternoon about Wimsatt in Ann Arbor.
Was he dominant? No. But the moment wasn’t too big for him. This was some good stuff here from the Rutgers quarterback.
Rutgers football will be 4-1 heading into their game at Wisconsin
Rutgers plays at an improved Wisconsin team in two weeks, but before that, they face Wagner. This game won’t really be in doubt for Rutgers and should be an opportunity test some depth and get some players who are dinged up healthy.
Being 4-1 after two Big Ten games and three Power Five opponents is no small task. It gives Rutgers some breathing room for bowl eligibility as well.
