After taking down Central Michigan 63-3, #21 Michigan and star true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood are ready to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Memorial Stadium, a day where the Huskers will be honoring the 1995 National Championship team.
The Wolverines, with a record of 2-1 will be without head coach Sherrone Moore as he finishes the last of a two game, self imposed suspension as a result of failing to comply with the NCAAs investigation into the schools sign stealing scandal in 2023.
Moore was the head coach for the Wolverines first two games of the season, beating New Mexico 34-17 in week one and losing to #18 Oklahoma 24-13 on the road, Biff Poggi took over head coaching duties last week against Central Michigan.
Poggi is serving as the interim head coach for the Wolverines, he previously served as an associate head coach to Jim Harbaugh at Michigan in 2021-22 and was the head coach at Charlotte in 2023-24, finishing with a 6-16 record.
There’s no secret that Memorial Stadium will be rocking on Saturday, but the Wolverines will have opportunities to control the crowd in this game.
What to expect from the Wolverines on offense:
First year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsay calls the plays for the Wolverines after their offense struggled mightily in 2024, Lindsay previously served as North Carolina’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2023-24.
The Wolverines offensive identity relies heavily on junior running back Justice Haynes, who through just three weeks, looks like one of the best running backs in the country.
Behind a solid offensive line, Haynes has rushed for 388 yards and five touchdowns so far this season, Haynes’s 388 yards rushing ranks him 5th in the country, which will be a big point of focus for the blackshirts defense, which currently ranks 80th in the country in rush defense, allowing 157.5 yards per game.
It’s not just Haynes that the Huskers need to worry about on the ground, true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood has been used more in the run game as the season has progressed and provides a real threat to compliment Haynes.
Underwood, who was the #1 overall ranked recruit in the 2025 class, ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns last week against Central Michigan, after combining for -6 rushing yards through the first two weeks.
Underwood has impressed through the air, throwing for 628 yards to go with two touchdowns and one interception, but struggled in the loud road environment against Oklahoma, completing just 37.5% of his passes for 142 yards.
The Wolverines bring in a solid trio of wide receivers for Underwood to work with in Donaven McCulley, Semaj Morgan and Channing Goodwin, all of which have similar receiving production this season.
Nebraska feels like they have the edge when Underwood drops back to pass, as the blackshirts defense ranks #1 in the country in passing yards allowed, only allowing 198 total passing yards through three games this season.
Key Stats:
Rushing Offense: #15 (242.7 YPG)
Passing Offense: #71 (209.3 YPG)
Total Offense: #39 (452 YPG)
WR: Donaven McCulley: 10 rec 158 yds
WR: Semaj Morgan: 9 rec 121 yds 1 TD
TE: Marlin Klein: 7 rec 101 yds 1 TD
What to expect from the Wolverines on defense:
Wink Martindale is in his second year as defensive coordinator for the Wolverines and is already replicating the same success he had in 2024, where the Wolverines finished the season ranked 19th in total defense, a big part in their upsets of Ohio State and Alabama to end the season.
The Wolverines rank #24 in the country in total defense (25th in rushing, 35th in passing), but held their own against the Sooners high powered offense in Norman.
Martindale is known for blitzing and he has the talent on that side of the ball to wreak havoc on opposing teams offensive lines.
Linebackers Cole Sullivan and Jaishwan Barham are tied for the most sacks on the team with two and Barham is the one that the Huskers will need to identify every play.
Barham mostly lines up as a middle linebacker, but is often the most blitzed linebacker sent by Martindale due to his speed and the ability to track down the ball carrier.
The Wolverines secondary has some good talent at the corner position in Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry, but Hill stands out both on paper and on tape.
Hill is lengthy, fast and flies to the ball, he is a good tackler and someone that the Wolverines trust to defend any receiver in the country.
Key Stats:
Rushing Defense: #25 (89 YPG)
Passing Defense: #35 (182.3 YPG)
Total Defense: #24 (271.3 YPG)
LB: Ernest Hausmann: 20 total tackles
LB: Jaishawn Barham: 12 total tackles, 2 sacks
DB: Brandyn Hillman: 13 tackles, 1 interception