The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542609
FEBRUARY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 39 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Five Best Players 1. Sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan: The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder forced a fumble on a first-quarter kickoff, recovered by junior defensive back TJ Metcalf Jr., at the Texas 23-yard line, leading to a touchdown pass by freshman Bryce Underwood to junior Ken- drick Bell to give the Maize and Blue a 10-3 edge. Sullivan was all over the field defen- sively, nearly had his fourth interception of the season and finished tied for the team high with 7 tackles (6 solo). 2. Junior defensive back TJ Metcalf Jr.: The nickel back and safety tied Sullivan atop the team with 7 tackles (5 solo) and made one of the biggest plays of the game — breaking up a pass in the end zone. The play came on a near-catch by Ryan Wingo that looked almost certain to be 6 points. Metcalf didn't give up on the play, though, and batted it down to save points. Texas fumbled the snap on the next play for a loss of 22 yards, pushing it out of field goal range, and Michigan got away with one. Metcalf was targeted in coverage 6 times, allowing 3 catches for only 29 yards. 3. Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh: The 6-foot, 175-pound Texan playing against a team from his home state had only 10 re- ceiving yards but still earned a spot in this category. That's because 4 of those yards came on a touchdown reception, where he motioned from the left flank in toward the formation, before jutting back out to cre- ate space. He caught the ball at the line of scrimmage, made a man miss, broke a tackle, reached the ball out for the pylon and got into the end zone to give Michigan a 17-10 lead (after the extra point) early in the second quarter. Marsh was also dangerous as a return man, evidenced by Texas kicking it away from him — and in the direction of cornerback Zeke Berry — by the end of the game. Marsh re- turned 4 kicks for 143 yards (36-yard average) with a 51-yard long. He brought back 1 punt, too, a 10-yarder. Michigan had much better field position than usual when it could help it, thanks to Marsh, the blocking and a forced fumble by Sullivan that was recovered by Metcalf. Marsh set Michigan up in Texas ter- ritory on three possessions in the second half. Key Moment Two plays completely swung the game — which was exciting much of the afternoon, one of the best of bowl season — in Texas' favor in the fourth quarter. Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Un- derwood threw an interception, his second of the game, on third-and-8 from his own 38- yard line when the Wolverines were looking to take the lead, down 31-27 at that point. On the very next play, Texas quarterback Arch Manning kept the ball on a read option and dashed 60 yards to paydirt to give his team a two-score advantage. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Manning faked a handoff, pulled the ball and ran to his left. U-M junior safety Brandyn Hillman had a chance to meet him in the hole but overran the play and was too far upfield, and Manning just sliced through the middle of the Wolverines' defense, un- touched, for the score. Best Highlight Late in the first quarter, Michigan faced third-and-6 from the Texas 19-yard line, with the score tied 3-3. Freshman quarter- back Bryce Underwood dropped back to pass, had a rusher in his face and threw the pass off his back foot. He lofted the ball to the left side of the end zone, where junior wide receiver Kendrick Bell was there to flip his hips and come down with the ball in bounds. It was originally ruled incomplete, out of bounds, but overturned upon review. The 19-yard score didn't just give the Wol- verines a 10-3 advantage but was one of the top highlight-reel grabs of the season. Bold Prediction Michigan's offensive line will take a big jump forward in 2026, under the leader- ship of position coach Jim Harding, who spent the last 12 years in the same role at Utah. The Wolverines have their core back — including freshman Andrew Baba- lola and sophomores Blake Frazier, Jake Guarnera and Andrew Sprague — a group that showed a lot of promise despite its youth in 2025. — Clayton Sayfie Superlatives For Michigan's 41-27 Loss To Texas In Citrus Bowl Sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan (23) tied for the team-high with 7 tackles in the loss to Texas while also adding a forced fumble on special teams. However, the talented Pittsburgh native announced his transfer to Oklahoma in January. PHOTO BY TY KORNBLUE