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Preview: Michigan vs. Nebraska

RUSH OFFENSE vs. NEBRASKA RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #15 in rushing (242.7 yards/game) and yards per carry (6.12). The revelation last week was QB Bryce Underwood’s legs when he ran 9 times for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Justice Haynes has 100+ yards in all three games this season and averages 7.92 yards per attempt so far. Backup RB Jordan Marshall (10 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD last week) had his best game and showed off some nice speed, though one long touchdown run was called back because of a hold. On the offensive line, Michigan will likely be without LG Giovanni El-Hadi but should get RG Brady Norton back from injury. Nebraska is #75 in rushing defense (136 yards allowed/game) and #84 in yards allowed per carry (4.04). Against the lone Power 4 team they played so far, they gave up 30 carries for 202 yards (6.7 yards/carry) to Cincinnati, including 13 carries for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns to QB Brendan Sorsby. Underwood is obviously a better athlete than Sorsby, so has Nebraska figured anything out? Will Michigan let Underwood run that much? It remains to be seen. Nebraska runs a 3-3-5 defense, so the base includes a good number of defensive backs, but their top five tacklers are all defensive backs. Senior safety DeShon Singleton (6’3″, 210) and redshirt freshman Rex Guthrie (6’1″, 200) lead the team with 12 tackles each. Former top-100 recruit Elijah Jeudy (6’3″, 300) starts at nose tackle after coming over from Alabama, and Missouri transfer Williams Nwaneri (6’7″, 265) is another former highly recruited player who starts on the defensive line. Michigan should be too big for Nebraska to handle up front, but the 3-3-5 can be tough against gap runs, because sometimes all those linebackers can get run-throughs when linemen pull.
Advantage: Michigan

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Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Nebraska

Michigan has now played Nebraska eleven times throughout history and has a 7-4 record against the Cornhuskers. They first played in 1962, but then did not play again until the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 1985 season. Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011. Jim Harbaugh went 4-0 against the ‘Huskers.

1. Justice Haynes 75-yard TD run (2025)
2. Steve Breaston 69-yard kickoff return (2005)
3. Donovan Peoples-Jones 60-yard punt return TD (2018)
4. Dylan McCaffrey 56-yard TD pass to Ronnie Bell (2018)
5. Jordan Marshall 54-yard TD run (2025)
6. Hassan Haskins 50-yard run (2021)
7. Cade McNamara 48-yard pass to Mike Sainristil (2021)
8. Denard Robinson 46-yard pass to Roy Roundtree (2011)
9. Karan Higdon 46-yard TD run (2018)
10. Karan Higdon 44-yard TD run (2018)

Hit the jump for videos of Haynes, Peoples-Jones, McCaffrey-to-Bell, Marshall, and Haskins.

2025 Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 3

FORMER PLAYERS

Raheem Anderson, C (Western Michigan): Anderson is a backup lineman for Western Michigan.

Andrel Anthony, WR (Duke): Anthony made 2 catches for 12 yards in a 34-27 loss to Tulane.

Jeremiah Beasley, LB (Missouri): Beasley made 1 tackle in a 52-10 win over Louisiana.

Kechaun Bennett, DE (UCLA): Bennett made 4 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry in a 35-10 loss to New Mexico.

Tristan Bounds, OT (Arizona): Bounds is a starting offensive tackle for Arizona.

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Michigan 63, Central Michigan 3

Michigan is really good. No disrespect to CMU, but that was an a** kicking. Michigan dominated them physically, and that happened minus the two starting offensive guards and a potential starting left tackle in Andrew Babalola. Michigan averaged 7.7 yards per play, including 6.9 yards per rushing attempt and 9.4 yards per passing attempt. Michigan had seven players with a rush of 10+ yards, including two wide receivers in Andrew Marsh and Anthony Simpson.

Or Central Michigan isn’t good. One thing I have noticed over the years is that the weaker opponents usually have at least one guy who’s dangerous, whether it’s a tough running back who’s difficult to bring down or a speedy slot receiver or maybe a quick quarterback. That’s not the case with Central Michigan. I didn’t see anyone who made me nervous, and they couldn’t threaten the Wolverines. Defensively, they might play with enough discipline to get some wins this season, but they don’t have playmakers on offense.

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Preview: Michigan vs. Central Michigan

I’ve been aware of Matt Drinkall for a while because of clinics and such. Having spent several years at Army recently, he’s very much entrenched in that style of football, which is about discipline and conservative football.

RUSH OFFENSE vs. CENTRAL MICHIGAN RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #60 in rushing offense (173.5 yards/game) after two contests and #37 in yards per carry (5.42), based largely on the running of Alabama transfer Justice Haynes (35 carries, 284 yards, 4 touchdowns), who has 75-, 59-, and 56-yard runs already this year. The big question for this phase is the offensive line, which already lost 5-star freshman Andrew Babalola prior to the season and saw left guard Giovanni El-Hadi go down last week against Oklahoma. Even Cal Poly transfer Brady Norton, the starter at right guard, had to leave last week’s game at one point, drawing in redshirt freshman Jake Guarnera. El-Hadi will likely miss this week’s game, so I would expect Nate Efobi to start this week. Central Michigan is #48 in yards allowed per game (99.5) and #84 in yards allowed per carry (3.98) after a week in which they allowed Pitt to run 26 times for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. That’s not an awful performance, but it indicates CMU will probably struggle against a Big Ten rushing attack. Senior inside linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski (6’1″, 235) leads the team with 14 tackles and fifth year senior OLB Dakota Cochran (6’2″, 240) is right behind him with 13. Redshirt sophomore OLB Korver Demma (6’3″, 245), a transfer from Nebraska, leads the team with 1.5 tackles for loss. The defensive line will be undersized compared to most Michigan opponents. This should be a “get right” game for Michigan’s offensive line to continue working on its cohesiveness.
Advantage: Michigan

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