How ugly was the third quarter between Michigan and Illinois? Both backup quarterbacks saw action, whether it was due to injury or poor performance.
Denard Robinson appeared to aggravate a right arm (elbow?) injury midway through the quarter, and was taken out of the game in favor of Devin Gardner. But Robinson’s performance could also have been a factor in the decision. After three quarters, he’s completed 6-of-11 passes for 91 yards and two interceptions.
Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was also taken out of the game on the offense’s second possession of the quarter, with Reilly O’Toole taking over. He completed 1-of-3 passes for seven yards before Scheelhaase came back into the game. And after returning, he appears to have found a bit of a rhythm. Overall, Scheelhaase has thrown for 96 yards on 9-of-18 passing.
Illinois finally broke through and scored a touchdown before the end of the quarter on a Scheelhaase 13-yard run, cutting Michigan’s lead to 17-7.
After a dominant first quarter running the ball, Michigan has struggled to crank out consistent yardage in the rushing game. Fitzgerald Toussaint ran for 121 yards on nine carries in that first quarter, but has managed 36 yards on 15 carries since then. What yardage the Wolverines have been able to grind out has been largely from Robinson.
Michigan has the ball as the fourth quarter begins.