Hello again Wolverine fans – it’s time for Michigan vs Rutgers football in The Big House. The timing of this game is perfect for our beloved Wolverines. It will give the Maize and Blue Footballers a chance to get back on track and post their first conference win of 2019.
Today’s Michigan vs Rutgers football game marks only the sixth game between these two Big Ten rivals. It is only the third time that the Wolverines and Scarlet Knights have met in Ann Arbor. Before I get into my predictions about today’s game, let’s take a closer look at what has happened when Michigan plays on the twenty-eighth day of September. Then, we will shift our attention to the history of Michigan vs Rutgers and talk about who wins this game today and why.
(Note-Tom Harmon (#98) shown above in the season opening game played on September 28, 1940 at the University of California. The future Heisman Trophy winner celebrated his twenty-first birthday in style as he scored 28 points - four touchdowns and four extra-points. Yes, he is the only Michigan Wolverine to score 28 points on September 28th. Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan.)
Today’s game is the fourteenth game that Michigan has played on the 28th day of September. So far, the Wolverines own a record of 12 wins, 1 loss and 0 ties on this day. That works out to a winning percentage of just over ninety-two percent (.923). Wow-that is a very impressive record for any day, don’t you think?
Michigan has a stellar record of 12 wins, 1 loss and 0 ties for all home games played on this day. They are perfect on the road with a nice win at Illinois in 2002. Of course, the good news is that today’s game is at home in the friendly confines of the Big House!
The numbers displayed below summarize Michigan’s overall performance on this day. Yes, September 28th is definitely a very good day to play football at Michigan.
| Type Game | # of Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Win % |
| Non-Conference | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | .917 |
| Conference | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| All Games | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | .923 |
Here is a little more history about Michigan Football on the 28th day of September.
Video: Tom Harmon evades drunken Cal fan on his way to the end zone
Today’s game will be the first one that Michigan and Rutgers have ever played on September 28th.
Michigan Captain and future MVP/ All-American ran for 205-yards to lead the Wolverines to victory at Duke in 1968. Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan.
Here is a quick look at the “Tale of the Tape” for two of the “oldest” programs in college football:
| Program Area | Rutgers | Michigan |
| First Football Season | 1869 | 1879 |
| Total Wins | 653 | 955 |
| Total Losses | 661 | 343 |
| Total Ties | 42 | 36 |
| Winning % | .497 | .730 |
| National Championships | 1 | 11 |
| Heisman Winners | 0 | 3 |
| All-Americans (Consensus) | 3 | 83 |
| Big Ten Championships | 0 | 42 |
Both Rutgers and Michigan have long histories and tons of tradition. They just haven’t played a lot of games against each other. This is very interesting since both teams were early adopters of the game of rugby/football in their perspective regions. Of course, Rutgers played in the first college football game ever when they hosted the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) in 1869 and they also claimed the first-ever national championship in that inaugural season. The Wolverines played their first game ten years later against Racine College. Michigan played a lot of football against Eastern teams in the early years, but they never played Rutgers.
Today’s game is the sixth game in the Michigan vs Rutgers football series. Check out the series numbers below:
| Type Game | # of Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Win % |
| UM Home | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| UM Away | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .666 |
| Series Total | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 |
Michigan has won both games played against Rutgers in Ann Arbor and they haven’t been close. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines romped to a 49-16 victory in 2015 and won again (35-14) in 2017.
It certainly looks like that trend will continue today, but Michigan’s inconsistent play in the first three games makes it difficult to predict the final result.
The numbers tell us that the average score of a Wolverine-Scarlet Knight football game at the Big House is 42-15. I believe the defense will uphold their end of the score in this game, but I just don’t know if Michigan’s offense is up to the task.
Hopefully, Michigan’s “Speed-in-Space” offense will protect the ball and find many ways to score points in today’s game. I think the Wolverines will keep their home winning streak going against Rutgers today.
Here is a quick look at some of the important numbers to keep an eye on for today’s football game:
| Program Area | Rutgers | Michigan |
| Wins and Losses | 1-2 | 2-1 |
| National Ranking | Not Ranked | #20 |
| Points Per Game | 21.3 | 26 |
| Rush Yards/Game | 120 yds/game | 127 yds /game |
| Avg, Yards/Rush | 4.0 yds/carry | 3.5 yds/carry |
| Pass Yards/Game | 233 yds/game | 237 yds/game |
| Avg Yards/Rec. | 12.7 yds/catch | 12.7 yds/catch |
| Avg. Yards/Game | 353 yards/game | 364 yards/game |
| Avg. Points Allowed | 27.0 | 25.7 |
So far, the numbers for both teams are very similar. If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that the numbers would be this close at game time, I would have laughed at you. Well, the numbers are real and nobody from Michigan is laughing about them – including me. The Wolverines have a slight edge in most areas, but Rutgers averages more rushing yards per carry (4.0 to Michigan’s 3.5). Michigan’s speed in space offense has only yielded 12.7 yards per reception which is exactly what Rutgers is averaging. Todays’ game appears to be a pretty even matchup, but the betting lines are heavy in favor of the Wolverines (27-29 points).
Today:
Unfortunately, both Michigan and Rutgers have a quarterback in the concussion protocol. Dylan McCaffery (Michigan) and McClane Carter (Rutgers) are both being watched closely by their respective medical staffs. It looks like Rutgers will be going with their second-string quarterback while Michigan looks a little better with starter Shea Patterson scheduled to begin the game. However, Patterson has had some injury issues early in the season and still has not hit his stride.
Michigan and Rutgers share the same record in conference play at 0 wins and 1 loss. Of course, this will change after today’s match is decided.
After losing their first ever game against Rutgers in 2014, the Wolverines are on a four-game winning streak.
History tells us that the average score of the previous thirteen Michigan football games played on September 28th is 32.8 to 9.69. The odds makers favor the Wolverines by about four touchdowns.
Michigan will win BIG today. Coach Harbaugh’s biggest challenge will be getting his starters enough reps to work the bugs out of the new offense and stabilize the defense. On paper, Michigan has the better player at every position. Of course, they still have to play the game.
No, Rutgers won’t give up 78 points to Michigan this year, but they will watch the Wolverines out-point them by the end of the game. I really don’t know how well Michigan will play today, but I predict a nice 35-6 win for Michigan today. However, I really hope they can roll up 50 or more points while keeping everyone healthy for Iowa next week. Go Blue!
