Michigan remained unbeaten in the Big Ten with a 42-7 victory at Rutgers on Saturday. It was a very business-like win, simply tackling the task at hand, getting the win and moving on. The Wolverines are now 9-1, and 7-0 in the Big Ten.

“The one thing I think we do a really good job of is not getting distracted by where we are now,” Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson said, “and don’t let that distract us from where we want to be.”

Two games remain in the regular season, the final home game Saturday against Indiana, and the epic showdown with Ohio State on Nov. 24 in Columbus. Fun, fun.

Here’s what I liked — and what I didn’t like — about Michigan’s 42-7 win over Rutgers:

What I liked

Even in the wind, QB Shea Patterson was sharp

Despite some difficult weather situations, Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson was outstanding Saturday in getting his ninth straight win of the year, He went 18-for-27 passing for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns and never wavered. Rutgers came into the game set on stopping the run and they loaded the box with eight or nine defenders. Patterson made them pay for that. Patterson’s season rating is now 160.3, which is No. 6 on Michigan’s all-time single-season list. He has 17 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions. “That was a really tough night to throw the ball,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “It reminded me of my days back in Soldier Field playing in some of those windy conditions. He made some throws that were just unbelievable.”

Wide receivers keep getting better, too

As each week passes, the comfort level between Patterson and his pass catchers keeps improving. That was obvious again on Saturday against Rutgers. Six guys had multiple catches on Saturday, led by Donovan Peoples-Jones, who had 5 catches for 83 yards. Nico Collins had a big game too, making 3 catches for 56 yards, with 2 of them going for scores. This group is really getting better every week, too. They run good routes and don’t drop many passes.

Defense keeps embarrassing opposing QBs

Michigan’s defense wasn’t perfect Saturday — see below for a small concern — but once again they were completely dominant when it came to embarrassing quarterbacks. For the past month against Wisconsin Michigan State, Penn State and now Rutgers, opposing quarterbacks have completed only 25 passes, an average of only 6.25 completions per game. Rutgers quarterback Artur Sitkowski was 8-for-19 passes, but  for only 40 yards! In these pass-happy days of football, it’s amazing that Michigan’s defense can completely take away passing games week after week at such an alarming rate.  “They’re probably playing as good as any team in the country,” Rutgers coach Chris Ash said.

What I didn’t like

Defense a little loose against the run

It’s was 42-7, so let’s keep this short. It was a little concerning that Rutgers, a team that’s now 1-9 and has lost nine games in a row, rushed for 193 yards on the day and broke a run for an 80-yard touchdown. As good as Michigan’s defense has been, that shouldn’t happen. We’ll write it off as an isolated incident.

Goal to stay healthy didn’t happen

One of the bigger goals these two weeks is to try to remain as healthy as possible for the Ohio State game on Nov. 24, but Michigan did get dinged up a bit on Saturday, especially on defense. Defensive backs Lavert Hill (concussion) and Josh Metellus (leg) were injured, as was defensive end Kwity Paye (arm) Defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon didn’t even make the trip. Hopefully they get through the Indiana game a little better.