After Michigan's 28-21 Win at Rutgers, Whittingham Praises Tommy Carr and Hints at Kicker Competition

Michigan’s 28-21 win at Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 31, was not the comfortable “get-right” game many expected, and both head coaches spent their postgame press conferences explaining why. Kyle Whittingham credited quarterback Tommy Carr and flagged penalties and kicking, while Rutgers’ Greg Schiano described a short-handed team that was missing its best player for most of the afternoon.

Here’s what came out of the aftermath, beyond the final score.

Kyle Whittingham on Tommy Carr

Carr, a freshman who Wolverines Wire reports was dealing with flu symptoms, was asked whether his performance saved Michigan’s season. Whittingham pushed back on the framing but was clearly pleased.

“I wouldn’t be that dramatic,” Whittingham said. “I felt he took a big step forward this week, without a doubt. Over 80% completion percentage. 266 throwing. His legs came up with some big runs for us. A couple touchdowns, 50-something yards rushing. Took care of the football, no turnovers.”

He added that Carr “was instrumental in all that good stuff happening,” noting that Michigan held the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

Schiano offered his own scouting report on Carr’s legs. “He’s an athletic guy, elite change-of-direction speed,” the Rutgers coach said, adding that Rutgers had recruited him. “Even that touchdown was real close, but couldn’t get him down, the last one.”

Michigan may reopen the kicking job

Michigan’s margin would have been bigger without two missed field goals by kicker Trey Butkowski. Wolverines Wire reports he has made two of his last six attempts, with two misses against Indiana the week before.

Whittingham said wind was a factor on a roughly 48-yard try, but called the shorter miss “disappointing.” “He’s our guy,” Whittingham said. “Whether we open up the competition this week, we may do that. We have a couple other kickers in the program that are pretty good.”

Penalties were the other sore spot. “PIs, defense holding and roughing the passer,” Whittingham said. “We had another game with our overall quota of penalties.”

Why Michigan keeps playing close games

Whittingham said Michigan has had only one game all season, the Week 3 win over UTEP, that was not decided by one score, per Wolverines Wire. All three of Michigan’s losses came by one score.

“I don’t have a great answer,” he said. He pointed out that Rutgers snapped the ball only 38 times and completed just three passes, “although they were big ones.”

KJ Duff’s status for Rutgers football

Before the game, Whittingham had called Rutgers receiver KJ Duff “off-the-charts good” and compared his build to former Lions star Calvin Johnson, according to MLive, which reported Duff entered the week with 776 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Duff was limited on Saturday. Schiano said Duff “literally lived in the building all week to get treatment” and was in warm-ups, but “you could just tell pretty early on that it wasn’t going to happen. And then he got it rolled on a couple times.” Schiano did not specify the injury. “We’ve got to get him healthy,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because he was having a tremendous year.”

Schiano also noted Rutgers was without its starting quarterback, leaving AJ Surace to “battle.”

What Greg Schiano said about third downs

Schiano said Michigan’s 12-of-16 third-down conversion rate was “unacceptable” and that it had been a problem two weeks in a row. He still struck an optimistic note about Rutgers’ season: “I do think they’re getting better, and I think we definitely will win this year.”

What’s next

Michigan (5-3) hosts Michigan State at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7. Check Michigan’s official schedule for kickoff time and channel as the game approaches. Rutgers, now 2-6, will look to snap its skid; see the Scarlet Knights’ official schedule for next week’s opponent.

FAQ

Earlier coverage: Michigan Beats Rutgers 28-21 as Tommy Carr Runs for Two TDs and Throws for Another (Oct 31)