2019 Michigan Gameday #4: vs. Rutgers

I don't think there's much need to rehash last week's loss at Wisconsin any more than has already been done elsewhere.  It was the kind of loss that sends the fan base into a civil war of "there's still lots of season left to right the ship" against "everything is awful, you're the reason we're mediocre, fire Harbaugh."  That's the tiresome part of rooting for any team, but with the lows come the highs, and there's been lots in Michigan's history, if not recently.

Then again, if you go back just three years you can relive the school's best game in this matchup, which began in 2014 with a Brady Hoke loss in his final season but has seen Harbaugh's boys win the next four straight by a combined 204-37 margin.  The trash-talking Scarlet Knights got housed in their own house, with the Wolverines putting up more points than the home team accumulated yards on offense, 78-39.  The performance has entered Michigan lore as a "double Rutger," and even that doesn't do it justice:

2-18 for 5 passing yards, 36 rushes for 34 yards, and 0-17 on third down.  Michigan actually punted four times, lost a fumble, and took a knee at the end of both halves, or this could have been even uglier!

This is the type of game fans want to see after listless and disjointed performances on both sides of the ball over the first three weeks of the season, leading to a shaky 2-1 record.  Can coach Harbaugh bring back the fire of 2016 to kickstart a team still searching for an identity?  A decisive win on this rainy fall day in Arbor would go a long way toward talking fans off the cliff.  Wallop Rutgers and build some confidence for the rest of the conference slate.

LET'S GO BLUE!