Michigan at Oregon
Saturday, Nov. 14 • Time TBA • Eugene, Ore.
Michigan Monday: Game 8 at Rutgers
Date Saturday, Oct. 31
Kickoff 12:30 p.m. ET
Location SHI Stadium
TV BTN
What You Need to Know
- Michigan and Rutgers will meet for the 11th time on Saturday.
- The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 9-1, including a 4-1 record at SHI Stadium.
- The defense ranks among the nation's top 25 in eight categories, including the top eight in four: total defense (third), pass defense (seventh), defensive touchdowns (seventh) and first downs allowed (eighth).
- Wide receiver JJ Buchanan leads the team with 33 receptions for 539 yards and four touchdowns.
- Linebacker Troy Bowles leads the defense with 55 tackles and five tackles for loss.
- Last week's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, safety Chris Bracy, recorded a career-high 13 tackles and one tackle for loss against Indiana.
Game Resources
Gameday Information
Weekly Notes
Explore this week's Michigan Football notes by category.
Michigan vs. Rutgers
- This will be the 11th meeting between Michigan and Rutgers.
- The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 9-1, and have won the last nine meetings after dropping the inaugural matchup in 2014.
- U-M defeated Rutgers, 31-7, at Michigan Stadium during its 2023 national championship season.
- In the last meeting at Rutgers, Michigan claimed a 52-17 victory during the 2022 season.
- The Wolverines are 5-0 against Rutgers at Michigan Stadium, winning in 2015 (49-16), 2017 (35-14), 2019 (52-0), 2021 (20-13) and 2023 (31-7).
- After dropping the inaugural matchup at Rutgers in 2014, Michigan has won four straight road meetings: 78-0 (2016), 42-7 (2018), 48-42 (2020) and 52-17 (2022).
Team
- This weekend's trip to Rutgers represents Michigan's 11th all-time matchup with the Scarlet Knights. The Wolverines are 9-1 overall and 4-1 in New Jersey. U-M's lone loss came in the first meeting between the two programs (26-24, 2014).
- A win this weekend would mark five straight in the series for U-M as the road team and 10 consecutive victories in the series overall.
- Michigan is seeking its first road win in the Big Ten this year, in its second try. U-M is 18-6 as the visitor in league games since the start of 2021, including a 4-1 mark in 2025.
- Eleven Wolverines have made their first collegiate starts this season: tight end Jalen Hoffman, linebackers Troy Bowles and Chase Taylor and defensive end Dom Nichols against Western Michigan; tight end Eli Owens against Oklahoma; cornerback Shamari Earls and wide receiver Salesi Moa against UTEP; offensive lineman Avery Gach (rhino) against Iowa; offensive lineman Manuel Beigel (rhino) against Penn State; quarterback Tommy Carr, defensive end Benny Patterson III against Indiana.
Offense
- Michigan has outgained four of its seven opponents this season in total offense: Western Michigan (276-211), UTEP (431-150), Iowa (429-285) and Indiana (224-212).
- U-M has at least one scoring drive of 10-plus plays in six of seven games this year. The offense also has at least one scoring drive of six plays or fewer in every game.
- A balanced stable of contributors has scored for the maize and blue so far, with eight different touchdown scorers (five players with rushing touchdowns, three receiving).
- Traveling to Rutgers has been historically positive for the offense. U-M has scored 35-plus points in four consecutive trips to Piscataway.
- Though the Wolverines are working to improve a third-down conversion rate of 38.5 percent (35-of-91), the offense has been clutch on fourth down, with a 70 percent conversion rate (7-of-10), 16th-best in the nation.
- Michigan's offense is seeking consistency and balance in the explosive play (20-plus yards) department. The offense has generated 17 explosives, including 13 via the passing game.
- The pass game has created four touchdowns via explosive plays, including three between Bryce Underwood and wide receiver JJ Buchanan.
- JJ Buchanan (seven) and Andrew Marsh (four) continue to lead the team in explosive offensive plays, all receptions. Marsh led U-M in 2025 with 15 explosive plays on offense (14 receiving, one rushing), and another eight via special teams returns.
- Jordan Marshall (four touchdowns) has found the end zone most often on the ground and Buchanan (four touchdowns) is the leading scorer through the air.
- Buchanan also leads the team in receiving yards (539, 41st nationally). Buchanan has 966 career receiving yards after his 427-yard debut season at Utah.
- Marsh is also closing in on 1,000 career receiving yards with 960 across 20 career games (309 this year).
- The duo has combined for four 100-yard games this season in Buchanan (126 vs. WMU, 130 vs. Iowa) and Marsh (105 vs. UTEP, 106 vs. Iowa). Of the team's 10 pass-catchers so far this year, three are freshmen (Savion Hiter, Salesi Moa, Travis Johnson).
- Against Penn State, U-M generated multiple explosive rushes in one game for the first time this season. Rushes of 43 yards (Bryson Kuzdzal, touchdown), 22 yards (Tommy Carr) and 41 yards (Savion Hiter) against Penn State represented three of the four longest rushes this season (Bryce Underwood, 38 yards, touchdown).
- Marshall is also closing in on a career milestone, with 1,371 career rushing yards. With 129 more, he'll surpass 1,500 for his career.
- The offensive line continues to gel; five players have now made double-digit starts at Michigan: left guard/tackle Evan Link (24 starts, 23 at tackle), center Jake Guarnera (17; 10 at guard), right tackle Andrew Sprague (15), tackle Blake Frazier (14, including four at right tackle) and guard Nathan Efobi (10 at guard).
- The line permits an average of 4.86 negative plays per game, ranking 52nd nationally in TFLs allowed, and has employed five different starting lineup combinations across seven games.
- First-year quarterback Tommy Carr made his first career start against Indiana. He is the sixth first-year signal caller to start for U-M, joining teammate Bryce Underwood (2025), Tate Forcier (2009), Chad Henne (2004), Rich Hewlett (1979) and Rick Leach (1975). Carr and Leach are the only two among those six who did not start the season opener.
Defense
- The defense is ranked third nationally in total defense, allowing 250.1 yards of total offense per game to opponents.
- The defense excels in all situations. U-M has allowed the eighth-fewest first downs (109) in the nation and ranks 25th nationally in third-down conversion rate allowed (32 percent).
- Through seven games, the U-M defense has yielded 10 touchdowns and ranks 15th overall in scoring defense (15.7 points per game allowed). No team has scored more than 14 points in a half against U-M this year, and three have been held below 14 points for the game.
- That scoring defense has been remarkably consistent; Western Michigan's 10 points against represent the lowest for U-M this year, and its season-high in points allowed is 20 (by Iowa, Minnesota).
- The rush defense has kept opponents below 100 yards on three occasions, allowing 95.6 yards per contest, on average (15th nationally).
- U-M has allowed the fourth-fewest runs of 10-plus yards against them this year (14 in seven games). Only Iowa (nine), Notre Dame (11) and Miami (13) have allowed fewer.
- Linebacker Troy Bowles leads the defense in tackles (55), 11 clear of the next-closest defender. Chris Bracy (44) leads the secondary and John Henry Daley leads the defensive linemen (20).
- Bracy set a career high against Indiana with 13 stops (nine solo), besting his previous career-high set at Memphis (10).
- Twelve (12) different players combined for 11 tackles for loss against UTEP, the most by a U-M defense in a single game since 2022 (11 against Colorado State, Sept. 3). Eighteen (18) different players have at least a share of a TFL through seven games.
- John Henry Daley leads the defense with 6.5 TFL. Daley is also the team's leader in sacks, with 4.0. Twelve (12) different players have at least a share of a sack so far this season.
- The pass defense has stifled opponents, ranking seventh in passing yards per game allowed (154.6). Indiana averaged 249.1 pass yards per game but was held to 81 against U-M. Opposing passers have thrown seven touchdowns to seven interceptions.
- With his pick against the Hoosiers (returned 37 yards), Zeke Berry reached 26 career pass breakups, tying him with Marion Body (1979-82) for ninth-most all-time at Michigan. Jeremy LeSueur (2000-03, 27), James Whitley (1997-2000, 28) and Lavert Hill (2016-19, 29) are next up on the top-10 list.
- The defense has forced nine turnovers through seven games, including seven interceptions, two of which have been returned for touchdowns. Three interceptions have been returned 24 yards or more.
- Those two defensive touchdowns make U-M one of six teams in the nation with multiple scores from the defense.
- Jonah Lea'ea recorded the shortest pick-six in program history when he returned an interception nine yards for the score against UTEP to end the nonconference slate. At Minnesota, Nathaniel Staehling recorded the longest pick-six on the road in program history when he returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown.
- Seven different defenders have an interception overall. Jyaire Hill recorded the first interception of the season against Oklahoma. Zeke Berry, Chris Bracy, Rod Moore and Smith Snowden each have one apiece. U-M has generated 152 return yards on its interceptions this year.
- In three games this year (Oklahoma, Minnesota, Penn State), Michigan's defense has forced multiple turnovers. The defense has recovered both of its fumbles forced (both forced by Bracy).
- Twenty (20) different players recorded a pass defense or intercepted a pass in 2025, led by Zeke Berry (11, including one interception). Thirteen (13) players have recorded at least one so far this season, led at the top by Berry (four).
Special Teams
- Kicker Trey Butkowski was 19-of-22 on field goals in his lone season at Pitt after joining the team as a walk-on. He is 6-of-8 so far this year.
- Butkowski has three conversions of 40-plus yards as a Wolverine: a 40-yarder against Oklahoma for his first try of the year, a 49-yarder against UTEP and a 41-yarder against Iowa.
- Punter Cam Brown averaged 43.9 yards on 22 punts during his freshman season at Utah and has averaged 42.1 yards per punt so far this season. U-M ranks top-20 in punt return defense (4.44 yards per return allowed), in part due to Brown's hangtime and consistency.
- Brown has punted 35 times this season, with 15 punts inside the 20-yard line. He has forced 16 fair catches and had two punts downed at the one-yard line against Oklahoma, when he pinned the Sooners inside their 20 on six of seven attempts.
- Kickoff specialist Jacob Baggett has generated 19 touchbacks on 28 kickoffs.
- U-M is one of eight teams nationally to have blocked or tipped multiple punts.
- Freshman Salesi Moa had his first game as punt returner for U-M against Penn State. Moa had two fair catches and one return for nine yards. He added another two returns for 25 yards against Indiana.
Michigan vs. Michigan State
Saturday, Nov. 7 • Time TBA • Michigan Stadium
Upcoming Games
Michigan vs. UCLA
Saturday, Nov. 21 • Time TBA • Michigan Stadium
