(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Saturday's 26-24 victory against Michigan was yet another reminder that Rutgers will mold its game plan based on the opposing defense.

A week after it played more than 80 percent of its possession with base personnel, offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen called for nearly half of his 70 plays from shotgun.

That number balloons when you take into account the number of three-receiver sets Rutgers ran from under center. Michigan owns the nation's 12th-ranked run defense, and Rutgers' players gave credit earlier in the week to its defensive line.

Head coach Kyle Flood said Sunday that the wide-open offense was in response to Michigan's front-loading game plan.

"I think Michigan made a decision that they were going to make Gary (Nova) beat them, and Gary did," Flood said. "When you throw for 404 yards and three touchdowns, that was the kind of game they wanted to play. We respected it. We knew they were going to be all in to stop the run, and I thought the offensive coaches as a staff did a great job putting that plan together."

More notes: A week after Desmon Peoples out-played Justin Goodwin by 15 snaps and out-touched him by nine, Goodwin appeared on two more plays than Goodwin against Michigan. It is a function of Rutgers' drive-by-drive substitutions. Peoples out-touched Goodwin, 17-11.

Friedgen introduced new shotgun sets by playing more 11 personnel in trips and played four receivers three times. Andre Patton was still reduced to a role in Rutgers' run-heavy packages, playing an unofficial 11 snaps.

Rutgers' unofficial formation count against Michigan:

-shotgun with 11 personnel: 18 plays
-I-formation: 11 plays
-12 personnel: nine plays
-I-formation heavy: five plays
-11 personnel: five plays
-off-I-formation heavy: five plays
-shotgun with 11 personnel in trips: three plays
-shotgun with 11 personnel, tight end Tyler Kroft flexed out: three plays
-shotgun with 20 personnel: three plays
-shotgun with 10 personnel in trips: two plays
-off-I-formation: two plays
-shotgun with 10 personnel: one play

Rutgers' unofficial snap chart for skill-position players:

Player	Kroft	Carroo	Turzilli	Goodwin	Grant	Peoples	Burton	Tsimis
Snaps	62	55	43	35	34	33	27	19

Player	Arcidiacono	Patton	Flanagan	Agudosi
Snaps	13	11	5	3

Rutgers' unofficial target chart in the passing game:

Player	Grant	Carroo	Kroft	Tsimis	Goodwin	Peoples	Turzilli	Agudosi
Targets	10	9	6	4	3	2	2	1

Player	Arcidiacono	Burton
Targets	1	1