Michigan Beats Rutgers 78-0, Allows 39 Total Yards

The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines had a field day Saturday against Rutgers, blowing their Big Ten opponent out 78-0 while holding the Scarlet Knights to just 39 total yards at High Point Solutions Stadium:

It was Michigan's largest margin of victory since its 85-0 blowout in 1939 against the Chicago Maroons. Michigan finished that season 6-2 and No. 20 in the final AP poll, per Sports-Reference.com. 

It was all about the rushing game Saturday in Piscataway, New Jersey, as 11 Wolverines combined for 481 yards on the ground. 

Chris Evans led the charge with 153 yards on 11 carries, but he didn't find the end zone. Karan Higdon (13 carries, 108 yards), Ty Isaac (12 carries, 99 yards), Jabrill Peppers (three carries, 74 yards) and Khalid Hill (two carries, two yards) had two touchdowns apiece. Fullback Bobby Henderson logged 26 yards on three carries with a touchdown.

Because of that, Wolverines quarterback Wilton Speight had an easy day, going 6-of-13 for 100 yards and a touchdown. 

Coming off a 58-0 shutout against Ohio State last week, the Scarlet Knights were surely hoping this contest would help get the sour taste out of their mouths, but Michigan dominated from start to finish. On offense, it racked up 600 total yards, 561 more than Rutgers. On defense, it overpowered the Scarlet Knights, who were trying to establish their rushing attack. 

Rutgers only attempted 18 passes on the day, completing two of them for five yards. On the ground, the Scarlet Knights had two more rushing attempts than their 34 yards. 

In fact, Rutgers only had two first downs the entire game compared to Michigan's 23. ESPN Stats & Info helped put the Wolverines' domination into perspective:

This is Rutgers' worst loss since an 82-0 shutout against Princeton on Oct. 27, 1888. Three days before that, it lost to the same program 80-0, per Sports-Reference.com. 

The Scarlet Knights are in their third year in the Big Ten after coming over from the AAC and have not posed much of a competitive threat in conference play. 

They've gone a combined 1-10 against Big Ten opponents dating back to the beginning of the 2015 campaign and finished last season with a 4-8 record overall. 

A result like this, combined with the loss to the Buckeyes last week, isn't only an embarrassing one for the Scarlet Knights, but it discredits their legitimacy as a power-conference program. They look destined to remain the doormats of the Big Ten. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.