Michigan Monday: Game 4 vs. Rutgers
#2 Michigan (3-0) vs. Rutgers (3-0)
Michigan Stadium / Ann Arbor, Mich.
Saturday, Sept. 23 | Noon
Television: BTN | Radio: Learfield Michigan Sports Network
What You Need to Know
• U-M has an 8-1 record against Rutgers and is 4-0 at the Big House.
• The Wolverines have won 28 of their last 31 games.
• Blake Corum and Roman Wilson are tied for second nationally with six touchdowns a piece.
• The defense has registered consecutive games with 10 tackles for loss; has nine sacks in those two games.
• The Wolverines are second in the NCAA in total defense and lead the nation in scoring defense.
• U-M leads the county in fewest TFLs and is second in sacks allowed.
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Michigan in Homecoming Games
• This will be the 121st homecoming game (excluding alumni exhibitions) and the 125th all-time homecoming game played by the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
• Michigan has a 93-27 record in homecoming games (94-28-2 including exhibitions).
• U-M has won 10 straight homecoming games and 22 of its last 26 homecoming games.
• The Wolverines have claimed victories in 46 of their last 53 homecoming games dating back to 1968, the year prior to Bo Schembechler's arrival.
• Schembechler compiled a 21-0 homecoming record during his Michigan coaching career.
• Jim Harbaugh has a 6-0 record at homecoming as U-M head coach.
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Game Promotions
• Homecoming - Special Pregame and Halftime performances featuring the Michigan Alumni Band.
• Weekend of Champions - All of the Michigan championship teams and individuals who are celebrating their 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th and 60th championship reunion will be recognized on the field.
• Championship Recognition - Women’s Gymnastics (Big Ten), Field Hockey (Big Ten), Mason Parris (NCAA HWT Champion)
• Flyover - US Coast Guard Flyover featuring MH-65 Dolphin
• On-Field DJ - DJ Array
• Full 2023 Promotions Schedule
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Wolverines and Scarlet Knights
• This will be the 10th meeting between Michigan and Rutgers.
• The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 8-1, and won the last eight match-ups after dropping the inaugural meeting in 2014.
• U-M defeated Rutgers, 52-17, last season in Piscataway.
• In the four games played at Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines have compiled a 4-0 record: posted victories in 2015 (49-16), 2017 (35-14), 2019 (52-0) and 2021 (20-13).
Series vs. Rutgers: U-M leads 8-1
Series Streak: U-M won 8
Last Meeting: 2022 (#4 U-M 52, RU 17)
Last Michigan Win: 2022
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Big Ten Openers
• The Wolverines will play their 118th conference opener against Rutgers on Saturday (Sept. 23).
• U-M has a 7-1 record in conference openers under coach Harbaugh.
• Michigan has claimed victories in 15 of its last 17 Big Ten openers.
• The Wolverines have compiled an 89-26-2 record in conference openers and have claimed victories in 51 of their last 55 Big Ten openers.
• U-M had a 23-game winning streak in conference openers snapped at Wisconsin in 2005.
• The only setbacks in the past 55 Big Ten openers came on the road against the Badgers (21-14 in 1981, 23-20 in 2005 and 35-14 in 2019) and at home against Minnesota (30-14 in 2014).
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Game Notes Nuggets
• The Wolverines are building on an 18-game home winning streak dating back to 2021. It is the longest home winning streak under Harbaugh and the program's best since a 21-game streak from 1998-2001 under coach Lloyd Carr.
• This weekend against Rutgers, U-M has a chance to build on a 14-game league win streak, the program's longest since a 16-game conference streak spanning 1996-98.
• Twenty-four (24) players have their Michigan debuts so far this season, including 13 true freshmen and nine transfer additions.
• Seven players have made their first starts as Wolverines this season, including three on offense (AJ Barner, Myles Hinton, Drake Nugent) and four on defense (Keshaun Harris, Quinten Johnson, Keon Sabb, Josh Wallace).
• In J.J. McCarthy's 16 starts, the U-M offense has produced 68 touchdowns and 27 field goals on the 163 drives during which McCarthy starts and finishes the possession -- 41.7 percent of McCarthy-led drives lead to touchdowns and Michigan has scored points on 58.2 percent of all such possessions.
• Through three games, McCarthy has completed 56-of-68 pass attempts (82.4 percent) for the No. 2 ranking in the nation. He also ranks eighth in pass efficiency (195.9) and 13th in yards per pass attempt (10.53).
• McCarthy's season-long 13.2 YPA on play-action concepts (16-of-16 for 326 yards) is the best in the nation according to PFF College (min. 30 attempts).
• McCarthy is up to 34 career passing touchdowns, one shy of entering the top 10 all-time (Tom Brady, 35). His 7.5 career touchdown percentage ranks fourth-best all-time.
• With six receiving touchdowns on the season, wide receiver Roman Wilson is tied with Desmond Howard (1991) for the most receiving touchdowns through the first three games of any U-M season.
• Both Wilson (3.80) and Cornelius Johnson (3.56) are among the five Big Ten wide receivers averaging more than 3.5 yards per route run.
• Wilson is tied with his teammate, running back Blake Corum, for third nationally in points per game (12.0).
• With another two rushing touchdowns last weekend, Corum is up to 37 for his career, sixth all-time at Michigan. Corum needs another two scores to match Chris Perry and reach the top five. Corum's 2,746 rushing yards are 154 shy of the top 10 all-time.
• Corum registered his 13th career 100-yard game on Saturday and the first by a Wolverine this year. He sits at 2,746 career rushing yards and needs 154 yards to reach the top 10 all-time.
• Running back Donovan Edwards is up to 47 career catches for 524 yards. He has entered the top 10 in all-time receptions among running backs and passed Tyrone Wheatley for seventh all-time in yardage. He'll need four more receptions to match Wheatley for ninth place all-time and will enter the top five in career receiving yards with another 42 yards, tying his position coach Mike Hart.
• The offensive line has permitted one sack this season, an average of 0.33 per game (tied-No. 2 in the nation). The 2.33 negative plays U-M is allowing per game is the best rate in the nation.
• Through three weeks of nonconference play, U-M is the national leader in scoring defense (5.3 points per game) and ranks second in total defense (222.3 yards per game) with top-20 ranks in pass efficiency defense (15th) and rushing defense (17th). Opponents have totaled 19 first downs across two fourth quarters and 18 first downs across six other quarters.
• The Wolverines rank tied-fifth in the country and tied-first in the Big Ten with 37 total first downs permitted. Teams are passing for 141.2 yards per game against U-M (seventh-fewest nationally), even more impressive when considering U-M's average margin of victory of nearly 27 points.
• Seven different players have recorded at least a share of a sack so far this season, led by Jaylen Harrell (2.5). Harrell's 23.5 pass rush win rate ranks second in the Big Ten among players with at least 10 pass rush snaps per game, and Derrick Moore (20.5) ranks sixth.
• Punter Tommy Doman is averaging 4.40 seconds of hangtime per attempt, placing him tied No. 2 nationally and first in the Big Ten among those with at least five punts. Doman drilled a 53-yard punt, the longest of his career, last weekend.
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