The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542609
38 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2026 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL With 8:52 remaining in the Dec. 31 Cit- rus Bowl against Texas, Michigan led 27- 24 and had the Longhorns in a tough spot — fourth-and-2 at their own 46-yard line. With a stop, the Wolverines would have had the ball in good field position with a chance to really put pressure on the Longhorns. They called the right play, and a safety got to Texas quarterback Arch Manning. However, Manning slipped a tackle, ran for 15 yards and a first down, and the Longhorns scored and then scored again to capture a 41-27 victory over U-M, led by interim head coach Biff Poggi. It was a spirited effort from a team reeling after the loss of coach Sherrone Moore, fired in early December for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. But 3 interceptions by fresh- man quarterback Bryce Underwood on a 23-for-42 passing, 199-yard, 2-touch- down day and too much Manning (21- for-34, 221 yards, 2 touchdowns, plus 155 yards rushing and 2 more scores) did the Wolverines in. "[Texas coach] Steve Sarkisian said this is Year 3 for Arch, and again, remem- ber, this is Year 1 for Bryce," Poggi said after the game. "Arch, he is an excep- tional player. He made some throws to- day that I thought were like, 'Wow.' Then of course, I had no idea … when you look at him on the field, he's big and strong, but I had no idea he was as athletic as he is. He is a force to be reckoned with." Texas opened the scoring, going 9 plays for 50 yards on its opening drive, but Michigan held the Longhorns to a 43-yard field goal. The Longhorns would hold a 3-0 lead with 12:05 to go. The Wolverines had a few positive plays to open their first drive on offense, but a false start and a fumbled snap by Under- wood killed a drive that went 11 yards in 5 plays. Michigan's defense got off the field in 3 plays on the next possession, taking the ball back over on their 25-yard line with 7:50 left in the first. The Wolver- ines responded with an 8-play, 40-yard drive that was capped off by a 53-yard Dominic Zvada field goal, his second make from 50 or more yards this year. His kick tied the score at 3-3 with 4:01 remaining in the quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore linebacker Cole Sul- livan forced a fumble that was recovered at the 23-yard line. Three plays later, ju- nior wide receiver Kendrick Bell made a circus catch in the end zone for a touch- down. Michigan led 10-3 with 3:15 to go. The two teams then traded scores, U- M's coming on a 3-yard touchdown to frosh receiver Andrew Marsh, and went into the intermission tied at 17-17. A 31- yard Zvada field goal gave U-M the lead before Texas drove 80 yards in 9 plays and scored to take the lead — an Under- wood touchdown capped an 11-play, 45- yard drive that would give U-M its last lead. Two Underwood picks on U-M's next two drives helped seal the deal. Michigan finished 9-4 in a tumultuous season, and will now move forward with head coach Kyle Whittingham at the helm. "This is a program that won nine games this year and played a lot of re- ally good teams in the Big Ten, but we played two SEC teams that are pretty good, Oklahoma and Texas," Poggi said. "I thought the kids competed so hard today. They played so hard. This isn't a rebuild at all. I think that would be short- changing the kids and where they are. "… People talk about Michigan and what it means to be a Michigan Man. I have a son that is a Michigan Man. I am not a Michigan Man. I didn't go there, but these kids here are the definition of that." — Chris Balas MICHIGAN LEADS IN FOURTH QUARTER BEFORE FALLING TO TEXAS IN THE CITRUS BOWL Senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder, U-M's leading tackler on the season, finished with 4 solo stops against Texas in the Citrus Bowl in what would prove to be his final game wearing maize and blue. He announced Jan. 11 that he was entering the 2026 NFL Draft process. PHOTO BY TY KORNBLUE