Joe Milton, No. 18 Michigan Rout Rashod Bateman, No. 21 Minnesota 49-24

The 18th-ranked Michigan Wolverines opened their 2020 season with an easy 49-24 victory over No. 21 Minnesota on Saturday night.

Playing on the road against a ranked opponent has been a problem for the Wolverines. They entered this game with one win in their last 21 games against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 dating back to 2006.

Minnesota came into its season opener with high expectations after an 11-win season last year. This was the Golden Gophers' first game against Michigan since a 33-10 loss in 2017.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines couldn't have asked for a better start. Joe Milton looks like a budding star after throwing for 160 yards, running for 52 yards and accounting for two touchdowns. Zach Charbonnet set the tone for the offense with a 70-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Golden Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim did his part with 140 yards and two scores on 26 carries. Star receiver Rashod Bateman broke the century mark with 101 yards on nine receptions in defeat.

Notable Game Stats

• Joe Milton (MICH): 15-of-22, 225 yards, TD; 8 carries, 52 yards, TD
• Hassan Haskins (MICH): 6 carries, 82 yards, 2 TD
• Zach Charbonnet (MICH): 4 carries, 70 yards, TD
• Tanner Morgan (MINN): 18-of-31, 197 yards, TD, INT
• Mohamed Ibrahim (MINN): 26 carries, 140 yards, 2 TD; 4 catches, 17 yards
• Rashod Bateman (MINN): 9 receptions, 101 yards

Joe Milton, Explosive Running Game Lift Wolverines

Even though the final score would seem to indicate that Michigan's offense had a field day, that wasn't really the case.

Zach Charbonnet got the Wolverines' scoring started with a 70-yard touchdown run on their first play from scrimmage after Minnesota took a 7-0 lead:

Outside of that run, though, Charbonnet had one carry that lost six yards for the remainder of the first half.

But Michigan had its best scoring half of the Associated Press poll era with 35 points in the first 30 minutes:

Coming out of halftime, Minnesota seemed poised to make a run when Mohamed Ibrahim capped off an 11-play drive with a five-yard touchdown run.

Instead of getting rattled playing on the road against a quality opponent, Michigan responded with a touchdown of its own to move the lead back to 18 points at 42-24. Joe Milton scored on a quarterback keeper from two yards out.

One of the flaws for Harbaugh over his first five years at Michigan has been the lack of a quality quarterback. That has been especially evident in marquee games when the offense has to keep pace with an opposing team.

Even though it's just one game, Milton already looks like the most talented quarterback for the Wolverines under Harbaugh. He's built like Cam Newton with a 6'5" and 243-pound frame.

There's still a lot of development ahead for Milton as a passer. He only threw 11 passes in the previous two seasons combined as Shea Patterson's backup. The 20-year-old has time to work on that aspect of his game and will still be able to run the opposition over if anyone tries to get in his way.

Early Miscues Cost Gophers

The game couldn't have started better for Minnesota with a blocked punt on Michigan's first possession. The offense took over deep in Wolverines territory, leading to Ko Kieft's 14-yard touchdown catch on second down for a 7-0 lead after the extra point.

Things quickly went south for the Golden Gophers after that, starting with Charbonnet's touchdown run. Minnesota followed that with a drive that lost 11 yards and a second one that resulted in a 15-yard Donovan Jeter fumble return touchdown for Michigan.

The Gophers did stop the pain with a field goal that cut their deficit to 14-10 late in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, though, head coach P.J. Fleck decided he was going to try to catch Michigan off guard by trying something that wound up backfiring:

Both offenses traded touchdowns on the next three possessions combined to put Michigan ahead 28-17 with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter. Fleck decided to keep his offense on the field for a 4th-and-4 from his own 31 that the Wolverines stopped for a turnover on downs.

Four players later, Hassan Haskins scored from four yards out to help give Michigan a 35-17 advantage going into halftime.

Those mistakes by Minnesota made the difference against a quality opponent. Some rust was to be expected since this was the first game of the season, but the Gophers hurt themselves too often and will now have to dig themselves out of a hole.

What's Next?

Michigan will play its first home game of the season against Michigan State on Oct. 31 at 12 p.m. ET. Minnesota will travel to Capital One Field for a matchup with Maryland on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.