The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2026 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan defensive end Nate Marshall had a bit of a rough start at U-M, but he's grown considerably on and off the field, per head coach Kyle Whittingham. Marshall ended a 17-10 win over Oklahoma with a sack as time expired. He talks about that and more in this Q&A. The Wolverine: Coach Whittingham said you've really grown on and off the field and that he was proud of you. Where did you need to improve? Nate Marshall: "I'd say the biggest thing that I had to scale back on was missing class. I was missing a lot of class earlier in the year, and that was just something I couldn't do, especially with this new coaching staff. So, I had to hone in on that. I've actually done great with that. I got Academic All-Big Ten." The Wolverine: You said it wasn't the same under the previous staff. What changed? Marshall: "The new staff came with more punishment, so that was definitely a little bit different. I'll just break it down: the first miss is an early morning lift for yourself. The second miss is an early morning lift for you and the entire edge group. The third one is the entire defensive unit has to come in. It's Saturday, 6 a.m., by the way. "It never got to the third one. It only got to the second one." The Wolverine: What was it that finally made them get through to you? Marshall: "I definitely felt like I had to make some change. I didn't know when it would come within myself. I've been trying to change for a long time now, but I finally brought it within myself to make the change. … "It's been a process, for sure. I had a lot of things to clean up character- wise, but I've cleaned it up now, and I feel very great about myself as a player and as a man." The Wolverine: How much did Coach Whittingham influence that? Marshall: "He just kept it real with me. He said the mistakes can't keep going on for much longer. … We definitely have a closer relationship now that I've turned the page." The Wolverine: You made the play to end the Oklahoma game. De- scribe that moment. Marshall: "Man, it feels surreal. I just want to give thanks to God, because I knew he had it planned for me. I just didn't know when it was coming. I'm glad it came. It felt great to end the game in the Big House. I have no words for it. " … I had missed a sack earlier in the game, so I told [Whittingham] that if he was to put me out there again, I'd definitely give him one." —Chris Balas ❱ Sitting Down With Michigan Sophomore Defensive End Nate Marshall Marshall sacked Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer on the final play of the Wolverines' 17-10 win at Michigan Stadium. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Michigan rushed for a combined 443 yards in its first three games, victories over Western Michigan (13-12), Oklahoma (17-10) and UTEP (52-17), checking in 12th in the Big Ten. The Wolverines were averaging only 4.1 yards per attempt, which ranked 14th in the Big Ten. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood accounted for 156 of those 443 yards — just over 35 percent — while the running backs got off to a slow start. Junior Jordan Marshall (135), freshman Savion Hiter (83) and senior Bryson Kuzdzal (26) combined for just 244 yards. The Wolverines used a unique game plan to beat Oklahoma, deploying the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Underwood's legs more than we've seen from a Michigan quarterback in some time. He ran 18 times for 87 yards and a score, marking the most rushing attempts a Wolverine signal-caller has recorded since Devin Garner had 18 carries against Michigan State in 2014. In that loss to the Spartans, it is worth mentioning, 7 of Gardner's 18 attempts were sacks. Underwood led Michigan in rushing in back- to-back games, becoming the first Wolverine quarterback to do so since Gardner in 2013 against Notre Dame and Akron. It's been that long since the Maize and Blue have relied this heavily on a quarterback to run the ball. Last season, the most Underwood ran in a game was his 14 attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown against Texas in the Citrus Bowl — his only game with double-digit rushes in the 2025 season. Here's a look at the last 10 times a quarterback has led the Maize and Blue in rushing yards: Date Player Opponent Result Rushes Rushing Yards Sept. 12, 2026 Bryce Underwood Oklahoma W, 17-10 18 87 Sept. 5, 2026 Bryce Underwood Western Michigan W, 13-12 9 47 Sept. 13, 2025 Bryce Underwood Central Michigan W, 63-3 9 114 Oct. 26, 2024 Alex Orji Michigan State W, 24-17 6 64 Oct. 31, 2020 Joe Milton Michigan State L, 27-24 12 59 Sept. 21, 2019 Dylan McCaffrey Wisconsin L, 35-14 3 21 Nov. 14, 2015 Jake Rudock Indiana W, 48-31 (2OT) 7 64 Oct. 12, 2013 Devin Gardner Penn State L, 43-40 (4OT) 24 121 Sept. 14, 2013 Devin Gardner Akron W, 28-24 10 103 Sept. 7, 2013 Devin Gardner Notre Dame W, 41-30 13 82 — Clayton Sayfie BRYCE UNDERWOOD GETTING THE GROUND GAME STARTED Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood led the Wolverines in rushing yards over the first three games of 2026, contributing 35.2 percent of U-M's yards on the ground during those con- tests. PHOTO BY ETHAN MCDOWELL