College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Michigan 31, Rutgers 7
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 23, 2023
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Temperature: 67°
Head Official: Mark Kluczynski
Attendance: 109756

Blake Corum rushed for two touchdowns, J.J. McCarthy passed for one and No. 2 Michigan eased to a 31-7 win over visiting Rutgers in a Big Ten matchup Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Corum carried the ball 21 times for 97 yards. McCarthy, a week after throwing three interceptions, completed 15 of 21 passes for 214 yards without a pick. He added 51 rushing yards.

Cornerback and captain Mike Sainristil returned an interception for a touchdown for Michigan (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), which welcomed coach Jim Harbaugh back to the sidelines after a school-imposed three-game suspension for NCAA recruiting violations.

Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt completed 11 of 21 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He added a team-high 28 rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten) were limited to 3-of-10 on third-down conversions and went 0-for-3 on fourth down.

The Wolverines controlled the ball for 36:08 over just seven offensive possessions.

Rutgers struck early and handed Michigan its first deficit of the season. On the third play from scrimmage, Christian Dremel caught a pass on a slant, Michigan missed a tackle and Dremel sprinted away for the 69-yard touchdown just one minute into the game.

Michigan tied it thanks to a seven-play, 94-yard drive. A double-handoff flea flicker set McCarthy up for a 35-yard connection to tight end Colston Loveland, and on the next play Corum scored from 2 yards out with 5:56 left in the first.

Each side missed a field goal before Michigan marched another 79 yards to take the lead. On third down, McCarthy hit Semaj Morgan for an 18-yard touchdown to earn a 14-7 halftime lead.

The Wolverines drove to a field goal on the opening drive of the second half. James Turner's 46-yarder made it 17-7 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

The Scarlet Knights had a drive rolling in response, and after gaining three first downs they faced fourth-and-2 at the Michigan 27. Wimsatt attempted a screen pass, but it turned into his first interception of the year. Sainristil jumped in front of it and weaved through several players for a 71-yard pick-6.

Corum scored his second TD of the day from 5 yards out with 12:38 to play, making it 31-7. Rutgers again drove into scoring territory before an incompletion led to another turnover on downs.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Rutgers   Michigan
Gavin Wimsatt Player Blake Corum
6 Attempts 21
28 Yards 97
4.7 Avg Yards 4.6
0 Touchdowns 2
0 Long 0
Receiving
Rutgers   Michigan
Christian Dremel Player Colston Loveland
3 Receptions 5
85 Yards 75
28.3 Avg Yards 15.0
1 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Rutgers 257 77 180 1 0 0 2.0 0
Michigan 415 201 214 4 1 1 0.0 0