Michigan overcomes slow start to defeat Rutgers in Jim Harbaugh's return from 3-game suspension

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Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was absent from the sideline for the Wolverines' first three games of the season as he served a school-imposed suspension. 

The decision to keep Harbaugh away from the sidelines as Michigan got off to a 3-0 start stemmed from alleged violations during the COVID-19 dead period. In a statement released by the university in August, Harbaugh said, "I will continue to do what I always tell our players and my kids at home, 'Don't get bitter, get better.'"

On Saturday, Harbaugh was once again roaming the sideline.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw a tie-breaking, 18-yard touchdown pass late in the first half as the second-ranked Wolverines rolled to a 31-7 win over Rutgers. 

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Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines in the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan Stadium Sept. 23, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Wolverines went ahead by 17 on Mike Sainristil’s 71-yard interception return with just over 4½ minutes remaining in the third quarter. Blake Corum’s second rushing touchdown of the game, his eighth score of the season, put Michigan up 31-7 early in the fourth.

The Scarlet Knights took a 7-0 lead on the third snap of the game on Gavin Wimsatt’s 69-yard touchdown pass to Christian Dremel, but they missed chances to score more in each quarter.

Corum capped a 94-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to help Michigan pull into a tie on its second possession, and the All-American running back finished with 97 yards on 21 carries. 

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