Michigan’s defense is very good. Anyone watching them would know that by this point in the season. They entered play on Saturday leading the country in yards-per-play.

Last week’s performance against Indiana was a masterclass from Jay Hill’s group, and it was hard to imagine they would have been able to top it against Rutgers.

Michigan’s defense dominated Josh Hoover and held down Charlie Becker, Nick Marsh, and the rest of Indiana’s passing game.

Hoover completed one pass in the second half of regulation, and it did not register as a completion. That’s because it was caught by Zeke Berry, who helped put Michigan in business with an interception after jumping in front of Marsh to race deep into Indiana territory.

Without overtime, Hoover would have completed zero passes in the second half.

It’s disheartening to consider that is a fact and the Wolverines still were unable to knock off Indiana at home.

One Striking Similarity

Michigan’s defense was not as good against Rutgers as they were against Indiana. The Scarlet Knights scored 21 points. They made some big plays both through the air and on the ground. Overall, the Wolverines would likely tell you it was a disappointing performance defensively considering the standard they’ve set all season.

In fact, the 21 points they gave up to Rutgers is the most points they’ve given up all season.

One similarity, which seems incredible to think about.

ZERO completions allowed in the second half of @UMichFootball's last two games 😳 pic.twitter.com/dVSlZTozYy

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 31, 2026

Michigan duplicated the feat it had a week ago, again with a technicality.

Rutgers was starting a backup quarterback in AJ Surace. He had some nice moments in the first half, highlighted by an 80-yard-touchdown to get Rutgers back in the game after Michigan had taken a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.

When the second half began, Suarce was looking to build on some of that momentum. He was completely unable.

How unable?

The Wolverines shut out the Rutgers passing game in the second half. That’s right, they officially gave up zero completions for the second consecutive week.

Technically one pass was completed, a two-point conversion that tied the game at 21.

Disheartening

This stat really just goes back to the major theme of the season. Michigan’s defense is worth of winning a conference championship, at minimum. This group is starting to challenge those who won titles at Michigan in previous years.

Their accomplishment on Saturday came in a game that they were without their two starting defensive ends with John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols both nursing injuries.

Their secondary was missing Rod Moore as well. Their cornerback group has been excellent for most of the season. There are moments where Zeke Berry and Smith Snowden have given up some plays, but any catch made against any of their starting three corners almost comes as a shock. That’s how good they’ve been.

The reason the above stat is as disheartening as it is, is because Michigan’s offense truly could have just been an average unit to win a Big Ten title this season.

Saturday’s game against Rutgers was the first game this season where they would have won if they could simply have gotten to 21 points.

The offense still has some identity issues. Tommy Carr’s performance was as good as any this season. The run game was not as good as it should have been considering the opponent. The offensive line was good in pass protection for most of the game, but still has some work to do.

The reality is if you told someone that a team gave up zero completions in the passing game in back-to-back weeks, that person would likely think the game was a blowout one way or the other.

Instead, Michigan was fighting tooth and nail to knock off Rutgers, and unable to pull off an upset against Indiana.