Final: No. 17 Michigan 49, Rutgers 16

Key play: Rudock 4-yard touchdown run 

There were questions coming into this one how effective Rudock would be coming off an upper body injury that sidelined him for the second half against Minnesota. Well, he was all sorts of effective. And surprisingly, he was fearless. On third down, Rudock scrambled and dove into the corner of the end zone to give Michigan its first comfortable lead of the day. Considering the way he got hurt last week, that was an important effort for Rudock to show.

Telling stat: Michigan wins passing battle 337-97

Rudock’s 237 first-half passing yards were a career high. Whether it was Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh or Jake Butt, Rudock shared the wealth and looked plenty comfortable while doing so. It helped that he was facing a Rutgers defense that didn’t have much of a pass rush, but it was still important for him to look comfortable in the pocket. Rutgers, on the other hand, couldn’t move the ball downfield without Leonte Carroo. Chris Laviano struggled just to complete passes, much like he did the last two weeks. Since that miraculous Indiana comeback, Laviano hasn’t looked like a guy intent on keeping his job.

Worth noting:

-Jabrill Peppers is still making Jabrill Peppers plays

For the second straight week, Peppers got into the end zone. A little swing pass from Rudock — it actually went down as a run — and the freshman sensation did the rest. There are few guys in the country that could’ve taken that play for six. There are also few guys in the country that can score and get a tackle for loss in the same game. We should get used to him delivering more games like that.

-Janarion Grant’s returns are Rutgers’ best offense

There haven’t been many bright spots for Rutgers this year, but Grant has certainly been one of them. He delivered a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which was the longest by a visiting player in Michigan Stadium since 1934. This fourth return touchdown of the year briefly gave Rutgers the spark it needed. Against the Michigan defense, conventional offensive touchdowns were going to be few and far between. You wonder if Kyle Flood should be doing more to make Grant a focal point of the offense. What does he have to lose?

What it means: Michigan is back on track, Rutgers is still lost without Carroo

That game felt like the first month of football we saw from Michigan. It wasn’t necessarily the same-ground-and-pound game plan that fueled those September blowouts, but it was still the Wolverines dominating from the opening kick and putting the game away by halftime. After last week’s nail-biter against Minnesota, it was important for Michigan to come out and impose its will against an inferior team. When it was announced that Carroo was out, Rutgers’ chances in Ann Arbor dropped off the table. The running game has actually been solid this season, but you wouldn’t know it because the Scarlet Knights can’t get defensive stops to make it a sensible option in the flow of the game. As long as Rutgers struggles on defense like that, the offense is going to be one-dimensional. That’s not good.