The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 19 ❱ Head coach Sherrone Moore "We learned the things that we needed to learn to ulti- mately end up on the plus side, and we did that in these last few games. Finishing on a strong note was huge for us. We're building great momentum into the offseason." over the No. 2 Buckeyes, a seemingly impossible task. He and his coaches rallied the troops and did just that in an outstanding dis- play of coaching that would have made the master of keeping his team together through adversity — former U-M coach Lloyd Carr — proud. "We talked about not losses, but lessons," Moore said after his team stunned the Crimson Tide. "We had a lot of lessons throughout the year and just learned from them. "We learned the things that we needed to learn to ultimately end up on the plus side, and we did that in these last few games. Finishing on a strong note was huge for us. "We're building great momentum into the offseason. We feel like we've got a bright future the way we're re- cruiting, the guys we're bringing in, the guys we're keeping, to make sure our team is the best version of Michigan it can be. And that's all we're worried about." By season's end, it was clear there was plenty to be excited about. Running back Jordan Marshall, for one, looked the part of an outstanding Big Ten back, rushing for 100 yards on 23 car- ries against Alabama in place of seniors Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards. Kicker Dominic Zvada, arguably the best kicker in the country, will return after making 21 of 22 kicks, including 7-for-7 from 50 yards or better. At one point down the stretch ver- sus Alabama, every Michigan defensive player on the field (for a unit that had dominated a strong Crimson Tide of- fense) was slated back next year. The pride was evident, a sign that Moore had not only not lost his team, but he had them believing in them- selves despite a 5-5 start. "Obviously you want to win every game, and we didn't do that," said Moore. "After we played Indiana, we had a bye week. We really honed in and recommitted to the things we needed to get better at. "It was really the fundamentals, the little pieces. Doing those things really well usually shows up in the results. We refocused, we retooled, and we're really proud of how our staff and our players reacted." The leadership, too, helped, and some of that comes back next season, too. H-back/tight end Max Bredeson will return in his role and very likely as a second-time team captain. "Nothing really changed inside. It's just what it's built on," Bredeson said of the U-M resurgence. "It's instilled in us the day you get there. It doesn't matter what situation you're in; you've just got to go. "Some things happened along the way, and we lost games. But we were built on whenever it's time to put it on, go do it." DEFENSE PROVIDES HOPE FOR 2025 Michigan relied on the defense down the stretch. Besides a 50-point outburst in a 44-point win over Northwestern in the last home game of the year, the of- fense struggled to move the ball and put points on the board. The defense, though, couldn't have been much better. The young guys on the field against Alabama were playing when three AP All-Americans — de- fensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and defensive back Will Johnson — plus leading pass rusher Jo- saiah Stewart and safety Makari Paige opted out, and they held the Crimson Tide to just 230 yards of total offense. Departing starter and sixth-year safety Quinten Johnson believes the de- fense is in great hands, especially now that the returning players are more fa- miliar with the system. "With [defensive coordinator] Wink [Martindale] back around college play- ers and the guys getting more experi- ence, you saw what happened at the end of the year," Johnson said. "I think that defense is going to have a hell of a sea- son next year. "The linebackers got so much better. The defensive line is going to be more by committee — you don't replace a guy like Mason Graham, but they are going to be good." On the back end, Johnson added, there's a lot to like. Safety Rod Moore is expected back for one more season, and After U-M dropped to 5-5 overall in November, head coach Sherrone Moore talked to his team about "not losses, but lessons." Michigan applied those hard-learned lessons and rallied for three straight convincing wins, including Ohio State and Alabama, to head into 2025 with a surge of momentum. PHOTO COURTESY RELIAQUEST BOWL/STEVE JACOBSON