This Week in Michigan Football: U-M vs. Rutgers
10/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 3, 2016
#4 Michigan at Rutgers
Saturday, Oct. 8 • 7 p.m. EDT
High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, N.J.
Monday Schedule
Noon -- Weekly Press Conference
• Watch: Coach Harbaugh 
| Players
7 p.m. -- Inside Michigan Football Radio Show
Live from Pizza House in Ann Arbor
• Listen Live 
In the Polls
• Michigan: No. 4 AP, No. 4 Coaches
• Rutgers: Not ranked
• Week 6 Rankings
MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Coach Jim Harbaugh
Players
Game Notes
• LB Ben Gedeon needs six tackles for 50 on the season.
• WR Amara Darboh has a receiving TD in four of the five games.
• FB Khalid Hill leads the team with five rushing touchdowns.
• CB Channing Stribling is fifth nationally in interceptions (3) and ninth in PBUs (8).
• Jabrill Peppers is third nationally in punt returns (20.5 avg.).
Wolverines and Scarlet Knights
• This will be the third meeting between Michigan and Rutgers, two of college footballs oldest programs. The all-time series is tied at one win apiece. Rutgers won the inaugural meeting at home in 2014, and Michigan claimed victory last season at Michigan Stadium.
Michigan Ranked in Top 5 for Fifth Straight Week
• The Wolverines are ranked in the top five of the national polls for the fifth straight week. U-M has been listed in the top 10 for seven consecutive weeks after opening the season seventh in the preseason polls.
Michigan's Connection with New Jersey
• Michigan's roster features nine New Jersey natives: junior FB Joe Beneducci (Far Hills), junior OL Juwann Bushell-Beatty (Paramus), freshman DT Michael Dwumfour (Wayne), senior OL Greg Froelich (Maplewood), freshman DE Rashan Gary (Plainfield), freshman DE Ron Johnson (Camden), junior LB Jabrill Peppers (East Orange), sophomore LB Cheyenn Robertson (Union City), and freshman RB Kareem Walker (Wayne).
• Rutgers' roster features one Michigan native: junior QB Giovanni Rescigno (Warren).
• Michigan's passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch is a Livingston, New Jersey, native who graduated from East Hanover High School.
• Michigan linebacker/special teams coach Chris Partridge also hails from New Jersey. He is the former football coach for Paramus Catholic High School, the alma mater of Michigan players Rashan Gary, Jabrill Peppers and Juwann Bushell-Beatty.
• Michigan freshman DE Rashan Gary, junior LB Jabrill Peppers and junior OL Juwann Bushell- Beatty, as well as Rutgers sophomore DB Najee Clayton, all attended Paramus Catholic High School.
• Rutgers redshirt sophomore SS Kiy Hester and Michigan freshman Kareem Walker (RB) and Michael Dwumfour (DT) all attended DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, New Jersey.
• Michigan junior FB Joe Beneducci and Rutgers redshirt junior TE Matt Flanagan both attended West Morris Mendham High School.
• Michigan sophomore LB Cheyenn Robertson attended St. Peter's Prep High School with Rutgers redshirt freshman DB D'Won Walker and freshman DB K.J Gray.
Offense
• Michigan ranks in the top 12 of four offensive categories: scoring offense (44.4 avg.), turnovers lost (3), interceptions (2) and fumbles lost (1).
• U-M has been a balanced offensive unit this fall, averaging 209.8 yards per game on the ground and 234.2 yards passing.
• The Wolverines have run 372 offensive plays for 2,220 yards, an average of six (6) yards per play.
• U-M is averaging 444 yards per contest.
• The offense has turned the ball over only three times through five contests.
• U-M is sixth nationally and third in the Big Ten with only three turnovers lost.
• The Wolverines are 23-of-27 on red-zone chances this season, with 19 touchdowns and four field goals.
• Michigan has converted 47 percent of its third-down opportunities (34-72).
• U-M's quarterbacks have completed 63.9 percent of their passes through four games (101-of- 158).
• Michigan has had 16 players carry the football and 17 players catch passes this season.
• Six players have scored rushing touchdowns this fall.
• U-M has scored at least one touchdown on the ground in every game this season.
• The Wolverines have rushed for 300-plus yards in two contests this season..
• The offense has thrown for more than 200 yards in four of the five games.
• The Wolverines have a passing touchdown in each of the five games.
U-M Among Nation's Top Scoring Squads
• Michigan is 10th nationally and second in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 44.4 points per contest (222 total points).
• U-M's 49 points against Penn State are the most for the program in a conference game since totaling 49 points vs. Rutgers last season.
• Michigan has scored 45 or more points in four straight games for the first time since 1947; it's the first time the program started the season with 45 or more points in four consecutive games since that 1947 national championship season.
• The Wolverines combined for 114 points in their first two games of the season, the fourth most in program history through two contests; it is the 11th time U-M has surpassed 100 or more points in the first two games and first time since 2013.
• The last time U-M had back-to-back 50-point games was in 1992.
Defense
• The defense ranks in the top 25 nationally of 12 categories.
• The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in four categories -- pass defense, sacks, tackles-for-loss and third down defense -- and lists second in four additional categories -- total defense, pass efficiency, first downs and defensive TDs.
• U-M leads the nation in third-down defense, allowing the opposition to convert just 15.4 percent of its third-down chances (10-65).
• Michigan is second nationally in pass defense, allowing just 135.4 yards threw the air each game.
• The Wolverines are 12th nationally in red-zone defense.
• The defense has tallied 49 tackles-for-loss and 20 sacks so far this season.
• The Wolverines are fifth nationally and tops in the Big Ten in tackles-for-loss (9.4 avg.).
• Michigan ranks fourth nationally and first in the conference in sacks (4.0 avg.).
• U-M has recovered three fumbles this season, which is already more than its total of two recoveries from all of last season.
• Michigan is sixth nationally and third in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 12.4 points per contest.
• U-M is second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in total defense (247.6 yards per game).
• The nine turnovers in 2016 are three shy of last year's season total of 12 (10 interceptions, two fumble recoveries).
• Michigan has held its first two Big Ten opponents to less than 200 yards of total offense: 191 yards vs. Penn State and 159 yards vs. Wisconsin.
• The defense has held four of the five opponents to less than 85 rushing yards: 81 vs. Hawaii, 64 vs. Colorado, 70 vs. Penn State and 75 vs. Wisconsin.
• The opposition is completing just 46.6 percent of their passes (61-of-131) for 677 yards.
Special Teams
• U-M leads the Big Ten and is second nationally in punt returns (21.46 avg.).
• Twenty-one (21) of the team's 39 kickoffs have been downed for touchbacks.
• Jabrill Peppers lists third nationally and tops in the Big Ten with an 20.5-yard average per punt return.
