The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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1. 30-27 WIN AT NEBRASKA, SEPT. 20 Two weeks removed from a gut-punch of a loss at Oklahoma, U-M had to find a way to rally and keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive at Nebraska with Sherrone Moore serving the second game of a school-imposed two-game sus- pension over his role in the 2023 sign-stealing/ recruiting scandal. Interim head coach Biff Poggi stepped in and led the team to a 63-3 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 13, refocusing a group that had a lot to prove heading into a raucous Nebraska environment. The Cornhuskers were desperately hungry for a signature win under head coach Matt Rhule, and it seemed to be there for the taking against a young and interim- coached U-M squad. The Wolverines jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before Nebraska tied the score with 2:01 to go in the half. Running back Justice Haynes answered with a 75-yard run 10 seconds later to take a 17-10 lead. A botched clock situation led to Nebraska converting a Hail Mary attempt as time expired, sending the game to a 17-17 tie heading into the locker room. Michigan settled in and held a pair of 10-point leads at 27-17 (5:40, third quarter) and 30-20 (3:54, fourth quarter). The Huskers scored a touchdown with 1:34 left to bring the score to 30-27, which is how it finished. 2. 31-20 WIN AT MICHIGAN STATE, OCT. 25 Seasons without a win over the Spartans that can be deemed a success are rare in program history. The same can be said, even more so, on the other side of the rivalry. U-M had gotten its season back on track with a win over Washington the week before the trip to East Lansing. The Wolverines jumped out to a 10-0 lead over the Spartans in the first quarter thanks to a Dominic Zvada field goal and 13-yard run by Bryce Un- derwood with 3:58 to go in the quarter. The rest of the half was a slog, with the Spartans getting on the board on a 1-yard run from quarterback Aidan Chiles with 8:24 remaining. The score- board read 10-7 U-M at the half. Michigan pulled away at Spartan Stadium in the third quarter on a pair of Justice Haynes touchdown runs from 5 and 14 yards to take a 24-7 lead into the fourth quarter. MSU cut into the deficit with a 1-yard run from Brandon Tul- lus and failed on a 2-point conversion to put the score at 24-13 with 12:34 on the game clock. Jor- dan Marshall slammed the door with a 56-yard touchdown run with 2:48 remaining, putting U-M ahead 31-13. MSU scored a garbage-time touchdown with 7 seconds left, covering the spread with some dignity intact. 3. 24-7 WIN VS. WASHINGTON, OCT. 18 A 31-13 loss at USC on Oct. 11 led to a lot of finger-pointing and soul-searching in the week leading up to a showdown with Washington, led by former Jim Harbaugh assistant coach Jedd Fisch, the following week at the Big House. The Huskies' only loss of the season to that point had come to No. 1 Ohio State in September, and they were up for the fight despite a 9 a.m. body-clock kickoff in a "Big Noon Saturday" game on FOX. Michigan struck initially in a low-scoring first half on a 22-yard screen pass from Bryce Under- wood to Andrew Marsh, giving the Wolverines a 7-0 lead with 33 seconds left in the first quarter after the extra point. Washington tied the score with 40 seconds left in the first half on a 1-yard run from Jonah Coleman, sending the game to a 7-7 stalemate heading up the tunnel. The Huskies got the ball to start the second half and punted twice, while Michigan had a turnover on downs and a punt. The game flipped with 1:26 left in the quarter with line- backer Cole Sullivan's interception, and a Jordan Marshall TD on a 14-yard run 6 seconds later, giving U-M a 14-7 lead with 1:20 left in the third. Three snaps later, Williams was picked off by Jimmy Rolder, and U-M extended its lead to 21-7 after a 9-play, 62-yard drive that stretched into the fourth quarter. After tacking on a field goal with 4:10 to go, U-M walked out with a 24-7 win. The Wolverines went on the road to East Lansing where they swarmed in-state rival Michigan State, 31-20. It was U-M's fourth straight win in the series. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL TOP 3 GAMES 1. UNDERWOOD FINDS MARSH ON GAME-WINNING DRIVE Bryce Underwood's freshman season was filled with the highs and lows of a first-year starting quarterback who just turned 18 years old days before the season began. Something a signal-caller has to do when called upon is find a way to secure victory in the waning moments. One of his best performances of the year quickly deteriorated with 2 interceptions and a fumble in the fourth quarter versus Northwestern, turning a 21-9 lead into a 22-21 deficit. Underwood found classmate Andrew Marsh for a 21-yard completion on third-and-10 with 1:53 to go, keeping hope alive and setting up a Dominic Zvada 31-yard field goal into the Wrigley Field bleachers as time expired. 2. ROD MOORE'S MILESTONE MOMENT Moore tore his ACL during spring camp in 2024, setting up a long road to recovery. It took a little longer than expected to return to the field, but he saw game action on Sept. 20 at Nebraska. But the comeback was not official until the next week in a 24-10 win over Wisconsin, when late in the third quarter he gathered his first interception since the win over Ohio State in 2023. The excitement over his return was short-lived after he re-injured himself the following week at USC, keeping him out the rest of the 2025 season. He is expected to return healthy in 2026. 3. HAYNES GOES THE DISTANCE AT NEBRASKA Justice Haynes dazzled with plenty of long runs during his seven games played in 2025, but his biggest came in the win at Nebraska. Two weeks after hitting the Oklahoma Sooners with a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, he victimized the Cornhuskers with a 75-yard blast with 1:51 to go until halftime to give U-M a 17-10 lead one snap after Nebraska had just tied the score with a touchdown drive. He finished the game with 17 carries for 149 yards and the touchdown. Top 3 Individual Plays THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 137