Rutgers actually gives fans a reason to cheer vs. Michigan

Coming in as heavy underdogs against the Michigan Wolverines, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights actually gave their fans a reason to get excited on Saturday.

The Michigan Wolverines are in control of their own destiny when it comes to trying to make it to the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff. They just can’t overlook anyone on their schedule, including Rutgers.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the Scarlet Knights were able to get one on them early on Saturday to make things a little more interesting than it was expected to be.

The Wolverines were able to take a 7-0 lead near the end of the first quarter, expecting to go into the second quarter with a modest lead. Unfortunately, their top-ranked defense had a lapse in discipline and ended up giving up an explosive play.

Faking an end-around play, Rutgers handed the ball off to Isaih Pacheco, who found a crease and took off for the 80-yard touchdown to tie things at 7-7 before the second quarter.

Rutgers games aren’t typically packed like the Big House in Ann Arbor, but the huge play gave those fans in attendance something to get excited about.

Heading into this Big Ten matchup, the Wolverines had arguably the best defense in all of college football. The defense had been averaging just 216 yards and 13.6 points allowed per game, ranking first and fifth in the nation, respectively.

Even the best defenses can have lapses from time to time, and Rutgers was just happy that Pacheco was able to make the most of one of those lapses and make the Wolverines pay.

It was only one touchdown in a very long game, but at least Rutgers fans can point to that play regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s contest and say that at least they did something more exciting than teams like Penn State or Wisconsin were able to do against this defense.