The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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32 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2025 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL down run that made it 17-7. "Coming out of halftime, we just had to get going," Haynes said. "We had to put up points, to set the tone, and in my mind personally, I'm just thinking, 'I've got to take this game over.'" Sophomore Jordan Marshall ran for 185 yards in the win over Purdue after adding 110 in the win at MSU, picking up the slack. He'll be the bell cow going forward, and he's proven up to the task. "Justice ran super hard … so did Jor- dan," Moore said after the win over the Spartans. "Both of those guys are super talented, played at a high level … that whole room is doing a really good job." Former walk-on Bryson Kuzdzal and freshman Jasper Parker will likely get more carries with Haynes out of com- mission, but there's no question Haynes will be missed, even with Marshall's re- surgence. He'd notched 456 yards after contact (3.77 per carry, 13th among the 84 Power Four running backs before his injury, and also forced 24 missed tackles. His 5 carries of 40 yards or more stood tied for third-most in the country. Regardless of his return this year, Haynes will have a decision to make on his future this winter. Several projections have him going in the second or third round of the NFL Draft, giving him and his support group plenty to think about going forward. ROD MOORE REDSHIRT NOT A CONSIDERATION U-M captain Rod Moore had a mid- season setback in his return to the field, keeping him sidelined since the loss at USC on Oct. 11. Despite that, the coach- ing staff expects him to get back into the mix before the end of the regular season. " I'm excited for Rod," defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan said in an Oct. 29 press conference. "Everybody's being cautious with him right now and I think he's in great spirits and I think we have a great medical team here. … I think he's progressing the right way. Running and all that stuff. We just want to make sure we do right by him. He has a bright fu- ture. He has had a great career so far and I think his career is just getting started. "So, we're just trying to do a good job and just making sure that he feels com- fortable and he feels right when he gets back on the field. To me, I think that's just kind of what you've got to do as coaches, like I said before. Are you trans- actional or are you transformational as a coach? Sometimes as a coach, you want the guy out there playing and all that stuff, but is that the best thing for him? "… I think at the end of the day, win- ning games matter, but the kid matters a little bit more, so I'm just going to sup- port whatever is going on. And I think he's in a good spot. I think he's moving in the right direction and I think he'll be back the way he wants to be really soon." Some have wondered if the best move is to save him for the Ohio State game, which could also allow him to explore a medical redshirt with four games played. Morgan said that is not cur- rently a consideration, nor is Michigan sure if it is even possible given his play- ing experience. "Well, I thought he redshirted last year, so I don't know if he can do that anymore," Morgan said. "He played three years straight, then he redshirted last year, and then this year. … I don't know how that works, but [it would be] medi- cal. I have no idea. I don't think we have talked about that at all. "Rod was a high NFL Draft pick [pros- pect] two years ago. I think he's trying to get ready for the NFL and also trying to have a senior season that propels him to have a great Senior Bowl and great [NFL] Combine. I think that's probably his fo- cus. He wants to get back to play so he can be moving in the right direction, not shutting it down. "Some kids just shut it down, say I'm done. But that's not what he's doing. He wants to come back, play games, and compete to help us win a championship, and then get ready for the draft and all that stuff." — Anthony Broome JADEN MANGHAM REVELS IN MSU WIN Senior safety Jaden Mangham, a for- mer Michigan State Spartan, has been a part of two team wins against MSU un- der his belt since coming to Ann Arbor. He started the Oct. 25 win in East Lan- sing and said he is happy that at least a Spartan grad is experiencing multiple Paul Bunyan Trophy wins. "It felt great being able to win that," Mangham said. "They can't feel that bad. Luckily, I graduated from MSU, so somebody still has it for them. … First time back, it was definitely a crazy feel- ing, that shift of environment from being friendly to now being hostile. But other than that, once the game started, it felt completely normal." Mangham has earned a prominent role within the safety rotation, especially with Rod Moore dealing with the knee issue again. He knows that no matter who is out there, it is for the betterment of the team. "We know it's never combative," Mangham said. "Everybody wants to win, and we always know the coach is going to put out whoever does the best. We never feel any type of way because we know it's a business, we know it's a game. That's why we're always compet- ing every day. We go out there. We make sure to compete." — Anthony Broome Graduate captain and Ohio native Rod Moore had a midseason injur y setback, but he is working toward a late-season return in hopes of playing spoiler against his home-state Buckeyes again. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL