Jim Harbaugh: Kenny Allen would have kicked field goals against Rutgers

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said that Kenny Allen was the No. 1 option to kick field goals in Saturday’s 78-0 win over Rutgers. However, the Wolverines did not need to kick a field goal in the blowout victory.

"Kenny was the one we were going with first tonight," Harbaugh said after the game, where Allen kicked the extra points in the first half. "I thought he was good tonight."

The Wolverines have starter Kenny Allen, walk-on Ryan Trice and true freshman Quinn Nordin as kicking options. Nordin was ranked as the No. 1 kicker in the 2016 recruiting class, but just returned to practice last week after battling an injury.

Allen has missed four of his previous five field goals. Trice missed his only attempt last week. Michigan had a kicking competition between Allen, Trice, and Nordin, but it obviously did not change anything.

Harbaugh and the coaching staff figured out Allen’s issues.

"I think we saw part of the problem one time," he said. "He's rushing some of his kicks. He rushed one and we had it on the stopwatch. Then reminded him. That's the biggest issue. You want to be in that 1.25, 1.3 (second) operation time and he was getting down there one time where he was 1.1. That's the identifiable thing. Hopefully we keep working on that and end up right in that sweet spot, 1.25, 1.3."