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 both teams’ Big Ten opener 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, 0-1 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