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Michigan

Best and worst from U-M's win over Nebraska

michigan-icon-fullby: The Wolverine Staff09/21/25thewolverineon3
Rayshaun Benny
Michigan Wolverines football defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny posted 5 pressures against Nebraska. (Photo by Dylan Widger-Imagn Images)

By Clayton Sayfie

Michigan Wolverines football topped Nebraska, 30-27, Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. Here are the best and worst from the game.

Best player

Michigan’s best player of the game was the same one who’s proven to be its top talent on the season: junior running back Justice Haynes. He’s the first player in Wolverine history to run for 100-plus yards in his first four games in a winged helmet, going for 149 with a touchdown on 17 carries and adding 3 catches for 12 yards.

The touchdown was a 75-yarder — his second of the season from that distance — to put the Wolverines up 17-10 on the first play of a drive right after Nebraska scored to tie it up at 10.

Haynes is special, and Michigan can count on him to make big plays. He also strikes fear into opposing defenses, where if they don’t fit a run correctly, he can make them pay.

Worst coaching decision

Michigan had the chance to force Nebraska to punt from its own 43-yard line just before halftime, but interim head coach Biff Poggi didn’t use a timeout. Instead, Nebraska head man Matt Rhule took one with a second left to set up a Hail Mary attempt on fourth down.

Michigan allowed quarterback Dylan Raiola out to his right, where he stepped into the throw, and the secondary wasn’t aggressive enough in knocking down the ball. Huskers wideout Jacory Barney Jr. came down with it for the stunning score to tie the game going into the half.

Credit Michigan for getting the momentum back and scoring the next 10 points after halftime, because that kind of play can really change things in the opposite direction.

Worst penalty

Michigan was about to get off the field for a third-straight three-and-out to begin the second half, with Nebraska facing fourth-and-17 … and then junior safety Brandyn Hillman approached the Nebraska sideline and taunted them following third down. He was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and the penalty allowed the Cornhuskers’ drive to stay alive.

Nebraska proceeded to come down and kick a field goal to cut the deficit to one score, 27-20. That was essentially a turnover.

Under pressure

Raiola was pressured on 49 percent of his dropbacks (24 of 49), and 7 of those pressures were sacks. Michigan’s defensive line had been good, not great, this season, but showed up in a big way in Lincoln.

Michigan senior edge rushers Derrick Moore (1.5 sacks) and Jaishawn Barham (1) each had 6 pressures, and graduate defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny (1.5) recorded 5 pressures. Those three played out of their minds in helping Michigan dominate the line of scrimmage. Nebraska’s tackles, especially, were no match.

Paradoxical stats

Michigan won the rushing yard battle handily, 286 to 43, but didn’t control the clock. Typically, those two things go together, but the Wolverines were so good on the ground that they broke long runs early in drives and didn’t get the chance to possess the football.

Through three quarters, Nebraska had dominated time of possession, 29:28 to 15:32. But Michigan’s running game won out, and the Wolverines finished it off with the football, in victory formation.

‘Football player’

Michigan sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan just makes plays — and that was on full display Saturday.

In a bigger role because Barham is playing edge, Sullivan posted 6 tackles, including 1 behind the line of scrimmage, and had an interception on a deflected ball from junior cornerback Jyaire Hill. Four of Sullivan’s tackles went for gains of 2 yards or fewer.

Trick play fail

Michigan had graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley wide open on a double pass, but junior wideout Semaj Morgan threw it short. McCulley could’ve adjusted and come back to the football, but didn’t, and Michigan missed an opportunity. Instead, the Wolverines settled for a field goal to go up 3-0 in the first quarter.

Former Michigan wide receiver Jason Avant said on the radio broadcast that McCulley ran his route to the corner of the end zone as if freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was throwing it. But it was Morgan, so put that one on McCulley’s lack of adjustment.

Drops need to stop!

Michigan had some key drops, with the receivers continuing to struggle catching the football. Sophomore wideout Channing Goodwin had two big ones early, including one in the end zone on a beautiful ball from Underwood, and Morgan also had a couple.

According to PFF, Michigan has now dropped 11 passes this season.

Big leg

Michigan senior kicker Dominic Zvada missed only 1 field goal last season, but had 2 get away from him in the first three games. He proved there was no reason for concern, though, by knocking through all 3 of his kicks against Nebraska, from 46, 56 and 21 yards. The 56-yarder tied his career best.

Best drive

Before Michigan’s 16-play, 77-yard drive for a field goal to go up 30-20 with 3:54 remaining, the Wolverines had only two drives longer than four plays. It was paramount they had a long one for points when up only seven, and the offense delivered.

Michigan picked up three key third-down conversions on the possession: Morgan shook a tackle and moved the chains on third-and-5, Haynes got 16 on a third-and-10 screen pass and found a nice lane for a 19-yard gain on another third-and-10. Michigan didn’t punch it in with a touchdown, but got close enough for Zvada to drill a 21-yarder to go up two scores.

That was a ‘gotta-have-it’ drive, and U-M got it.

Putting the game on ice

It was fitting for an unselfish position room that sophomore running back Jordan Marshall — who ran 6 times for 60 yards, highlighted by a 54-yard touchdown to go up 27-17 — got to ice the game on the final possession, before the Wolverines kneeled out the clock.

Marshall had a tough first two games but has totaled 3 touchdowns in the last two games, including the long one Saturday.

Best Nebraska player

Raiola was rattled early but kept on playing and made some nice throws. It’s all about staying clean for him, since he can’t run.

But our game ball on the Nebraska side has to go to Barney, who caught 6 passes for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns and was the recipient on the Hail Mary. He also had the 20-yard return in the second quarter, before his first touchdown, a 26-yard play.

Pass defense

Raiola completed 30 of his 41 passes for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns with the 1 interception. But 52 of those yards came on the Hail Mary, and Michigan did a great job on third down, holding Nebraska to 2 completions on 12 attempts.

Still, the 308 passing yards for Nebraska is the most Michigan has allowed in a game since giving up 315 in a 27-17 loss to Washington Oct. 5, 2024. It’s the second-highest mark for a Michigan opponent over the last three seasons (2023-present).

It’s worth noting the Wolverines were without senior cornerback Zeke Berry for the entire game. Junior corner Jyaire Hill went down in the second half, meanwhile, so Michigan had freshmen at the position to close out the game.

Worst area

Special teams must improve for Michigan. Senior punter Hudson Hollenbeck struggled versus the Cornhuskers. His 24-yard punt set up a Nebraska field goal, and the Wolverines allowed a 20-yard return from Barney.

Hollenbeck had a solid punt to pin Nebraska back, but Barney can also be charged with fielding the ball way too close to his goal line, at the 4-yard line (before a minus-1 yard return that had Nebraska start on its own 3). Hollenbeck also had a 42-yard punt to the Nebraska 29-yard line later, and junior running back Bryson Kuzdzal barely tripped up the returner, otherwise he had some room.