Michigan 35, Rutgers 14
The first of many touchdowns, one hopes. [Patrick Barron]
Welcome to the future.
After four drives for each team, Michigan found itself deadlocked at seven with lowly Rutgers in front of a listless homecoming crowd. Embattled quarterback John O'Korn had completed 3/6 passes for 13 yards with an interception and two dropped snaps. On what turned out to be his final snap of the afternoon, he passed up multiple open receivers to roll out of a clean pocket and throw in the direction of a very well-covered Donovan Peoples-Jones.
When the defense booted Rutgers off the field with 7:01 to play in the first half, ballyhooed redshirt freshman Brandon Peters entered in O'Korn's stead.
"They just told me to get warmed up," said Peters. "When we got the ball I was just standing there next to Harbaugh and he said let's go, you're in."
The crowd instantly came to life. So did the offense. Two Karan Higdon runs picked up 20 yards to open the drive, then Peters got going, connecting on passes to Ty Wheatley Jr., Henry Poggi, and Nico Collins for first downs before Higdon capped the drive with a ten-yard touchdown.
"I wasn't that nervous," said Peters. "Honestly it was a great opportunity to get out there. I was more excited and confident than nervous."
Peters didn't seem nervous. When Michigan got the ball at midfield with 1:49 to go in the half, he marched the team right into the red zone. He had a freshman moment, nearly throwing an interception on a slant to Grant Perry, but that didn't rattle him one bit. On the very next snap, he tossed a near-perfect* lob to Chris Evans on a wheel route for a 20-yard score. With one change in personnel, Michigan went being in a dogfight at home against Rutgers to blowing them out.
"I saw man coverage, one-on-one with Chris," said Peters. "I wanted to give him a chance to make a play and he made a great play on the ball."
The wheel route remains undefeated. [Marc-Gregor Campredon]
Michigan had already made needed improvements elsewhere, and the insertion of Peters served to accentuate them. The offensive line had been opening holes in the running game, which featured a diverse array of powers, counters, outside zones, and crack sweeps. With opposition safeties finally forced to respect the pass, the backs found ample room to run. Higdon (158 yards on 18 carries) and Ty Isaac (109 on 14) both cracked the century mark; Michigan averaged 6.5 yards per carry.
The pass protection also looked vastly improved. O'Korn and Peters both consistently operated out of clean pockets; Peters did a better job of standing in and delivering. Michigan didn't take a sack.
Most importantly, Peters continued dealing. He finished 10/14 for 124 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers. He didn't lock on to a favorite target; ten different receivers caught passes for the Wolverines today. While Peters's stat line may not blow anyone away, he made it obvious he's the best option to run this team right now. His coach agreed.
"He really aquitted himself well," said Jim Harbaugh. "Moved the football team. Played very, very well. He did a lot. From the first time he went in there, just feeling the deep zone, feeling the linebackers drop, taking that extra half second to take a breath, take a checkdown. it was good ball. It was good."
Harbaugh probably didn't need to declare Peters the starter for next week's game against Minnesota, but he did so anyway.
Mo Hurst spearheaded another dominant defensive performance. [Campredon]
The defense needed no such fixing. Outside of a long Janarion Grant touchdown out of the wildcat and one drive in which Rutgers QB Giovanni Rescigno uncharacteristically connected on a couple NFL-level throws, they effectively held the Scarlet Knights to nothing. Rescigno dropped back to pass 21 times; he threw for 101 and took five sacks. Rutgers's pair of running backs combined for a mere 45 yards on 18 carries. Rutgers simply couldn't block Maurice Hurst, Rashan Gary, and Chase Winovich, and freshman DT Aubrey Solomon didn't look out of place on that line while getting the most extended playing time of his young career.
Higdon opened the fourth quarter with a 49-yard touchdown jaunt on a perfectly blocked power play to put Michigan up 35-14. A game that had already flown by didn't take long to wrap up from there. Rutgers wanted to get home. Michigan, one would like to think, was champing at the bit to get the Peters Era underway in earnest when he gets his first career start under the lights against Minnesota.
"It was time," said Harbaugh.
*Nitpickers will note it was a little short. Most Michigan fans, however, saw the skies part and heard angels sing.
October 29th, 2017 at 2:45 AM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 8:35 PM ^
Coach himself said it was a bit behind.
October 28th, 2017 at 9:23 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 7:58 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 8:16 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 10:51 PM ^
But how long did they actually wait before he was 'ready' to play? All things equal, he probably earned the #3 QB spot in Fall camp. He wouldn't see much time, at all, during weekly practices as #3. He was probably a legit 'not ready' until sometime around Indiana. The IU game was close enough to stay with the starter, so that's what you do. PSU? No way do you bring a redshirt freshman that had never seen the field in for that game. Even if JOK and Peters are even last week in practice, JOK showed improvement against PSU (however slight it was), and stays the starter.
Thank God Rutgers turned out like it did - with Peters the hero. Lets hope this isn't the Peters version of JOK's Purdue.
October 29th, 2017 at 7:50 AM ^
If you cannot discern the difference between the play of Peters and Speight/O'Korn, I got nothing for ya.
The M qb crisis exists only in your own mind, and I bet it doesn't exist with JH and/or the team. When Speight is fully ready, and if Peters struggles some at some point (which he will), then there may be some differences of opinion by people who matter.
I respect Speight hugely, for a lot of reasons, and I am sure he will continue to compete for the starting job, and will prepare each week for it as if it were him even if it turns out to be BP. WS is a very smart person, with some pro potential given his stature and poise. I trust he could see the offense transformed, at least yesterday, in a BP minute.
QB play is about decision-making and reading. Joe Montana was the absolute best at it, and Brady is superb in this day. With no real experrience, BP is miles ahead of our others. I am sure the coaches can see this, and I suspect you can too.
He came in at the right time (no reason to put him through PSU); don't expect him to come out anytime soon.
October 29th, 2017 at 9:06 AM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 6:36 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 7:20 PM ^
I had mentioned this in an earlier post... Peters has looked "better" to me than the starters every time we've seen him play... Granted, that is basically the spring game. However, his mechanics are better, the ball flight is better, the command is better...
Very strange that he wasn't played earlier IMO. No reason to complain about it now, water under the bridge as someone said in an earlier post... Still, really strange. We may never know the whole story?
I feel for O'korn. Great kid, but playing him over Peters was an obvious error. A big one at that. Sometimes if if looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a duck.
October 28th, 2017 at 7:35 PM ^
O'Korn was retired and then gently patted by Malzone on the sideline. They gave their best. This team requires more than these two could give.
October 29th, 2017 at 4:42 AM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 7:44 PM ^
Does it matter?
October 28th, 2017 at 7:57 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 8:31 PM ^
Missed plenty of routes to the FB. Never hit a checkdown that I can remember and missed more than enough throws to wide open guys. He had a chance, it wasnt the play calling. Sure, they could have been slightly more creative but they ran some jet sweeps today and some spring outs and he still couldn't move the O.
October 28th, 2017 at 8:14 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 9:24 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 7:46 PM ^
Besides Florida, this is the best I've felt this season. Peters is the future!
October 28th, 2017 at 7:52 PM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 7:12 AM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 7:14 AM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 7:55 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 7:58 PM ^
not a word - what about "chimping" or "chumping?"
I believe chumping refers to the style of certain former NFD coaches.
Chimping might be about a movie series.
Chemping is actually close to being about a Marx Brother.
October 28th, 2017 at 7:58 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 8:28 PM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 12:23 AM ^
Peters was vastly superior today compared to O'Corn vs. Purdue. Night and day.
October 29th, 2017 at 2:56 AM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 8:11 AM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 1:30 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 8:31 PM ^
Great summary.
October 28th, 2017 at 8:39 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 9:37 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 10:48 PM ^
Tate Forcier against ND?
October 28th, 2017 at 8:51 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 9:07 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 9:45 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 10:18 PM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 12:27 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 10:18 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 10:18 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 10:22 PM ^
anyone else peters had to go the sideline for it seemed like 7-8 calls later in the game? was that playbook/communication issues?
October 28th, 2017 at 10:51 PM ^
Great writeup Ace.
October 28th, 2017 at 10:57 PM ^
Definitely looked like a step in the right direction today for the offense, but tougher teams are ahead. Minnesota isn’t a pushover, and Maryland is away. Possibly even at night. Then the two big ones to end the season. Hope Peters is ready.
October 29th, 2017 at 12:21 AM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 11:22 PM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
October 28th, 2017 at 11:29 PM ^
October 29th, 2017 at 12:15 AM ^
Seems like everytime I saw him in the game he was putting someone on their back, save for one time he stumbled in the hole.
October 29th, 2017 at 12:20 AM ^
Peters throws a real pretty pass.
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