By the numbers: Michigan RB Justice Haynes' start, big challenge Nebraska poses

Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore said before the season that junior Justice Haynes and sophomore Jordan Marshall would be ‘1a and 1b’ at running back. But through three games, it’s clear Haynes is the main man and Marshall is his very capable backup.

Haynes isn’t just Michigan’s best running back — he’s been one of the best in America so far this fall. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Alpharetta, Ga., native ranks fifth in the nation with 388 rushing yards, and is tied for sixth with 5 touchdown runs.

He’s not being overworked, either. Among the rushers in the nation with 325 or more yards, Haynes has the second-fewest attempts (49), behind only top-ranked Robert Henry Jr. out of UTSA (47). At 7.9 yards per carry, Haynes checks in third out of the country’s top 10 leaders in total rushing yards.

“He’s ultra competitive,” interim head coach Biff Poggi said. “He’s very bright. He has obviously unbelievable athletic skills, but he’s the kind of kid that he wants the football, he wants the football and he wants the football. And you want him to have the football as a coach. I think he’s one of the top backs in the country, if not the top back.”

Despite having a great back, Michigan’s run game was less than stellar overall the first two weeks. The Wolverines had only 4 rushes of 10-plus yards, and 3 of them were 50-plus yard dashes by the Alabama transfer.

Michigan turned those fortunes around in a 63-3 win over Central Michigan, exploding for 17 (!) runs of 10-plus yards. CMU had only allowed 4 such plays through its first two games, so it’s not as if opponents had been running all over them.

Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was a factor, as both a threat to run and an actual runner. He had 9 rushes for a team-high 114 yards against the Chippewas, and 6 of those went for 10-plus yards.

Nebraska’s pass defense is elite statistically

Michigan will open the Big Ten schedule with Nebraska Saturday in Lincoln, and the Cornhuskers will test a Wolverine passing game that is still developing but has shown flashes of solid play.

Underwood has completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 628 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception through three games. Nebraska, meanwhile, has hardly allowed anything through the air this season.

Opponent	Completions	Attempts	Completion %	Yards	TD	Yards / Attempt
Cincinnati	13	25	52%	69	0	2.8
Akron	9	23	39.1%	62	0	2.7
Houston Christian	11	18	61.1	67	0	3.7

Opponents are completing 50 percent of their passes, averaging 3 yards per attempt and haven’t scored a touchdown through the air against the Cornhuskers. The longest pass play Nebraska has allowed went for 19 yards.

For the first time since 1990, Nebraska has held three-straight opponents to less than 100 passing yards.

The run defense, though, has been more of an issue, especially against Cincinnati, which racked up 6.7 yards per carry and 202 total rushing yards and 2 scores in a 17-14 loss to the Cornhuskers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby was a factor in the run game, too, carrying 13 times for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

By the numbers: Michigan vs. Nebraska

1st Nationally is where Nebraska slots in passing yards allowed per game (66). The Cornhuskers are also first in yards per attempt given up (3).

4 Michigan quarterbacks have run for 100-plus yards and 2 touchdowns in a game, now that Underwood did so last week versus CMU. He joins Denard Robinson (four times), Rick Leach (once) and Michael Taylor (once) in accomplishing the feat.

8:0 Touchdown to interception ratio for Nebraska sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola, who’s completed 76.6 percent of his passes for 829 yards this season. He’s one of just six players in the FBS with 8-plus touchdown passes and no picks.

8-4-1 Is Michigan’s all-time record against Nebraska, including a 5-2 mark since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. The Maize and Blue have won four straight in the series, including a 45-7 blowout victory in the last meeting, which was at Memorial Stadium Sept. 30, 2023. The Wolverines hold a 2-1-1 edge in Lincoln.

18 Plays of 20-plus yards for the Michigan offense through three games. That’s more than half of the total the Wolverines put up in 13 outings in 2024 (35).

56-10 Win for Michigan the last time the two teams faced off in a Big Ten opener, at The Big House in 2018. The Wolverines are 91-26-2 in conference openers, having won 53 of their last 57. Nebraska is 6-8 overall and 4-1 at home in Big Ten openers since joining the league in 2011.

242.7 Rushing yards per game for Michigan, ranking 15th in the nation.

927 All-time wins for Nebraska, which ranks eighth among current FBS teams behind Michigan (1,015), Ohio State (981), Alabama (976), Texas (963), Notre Dame (962), Oklahoma (953) and Penn State (946).

2016 Was the last time Nebraska beat a ranked opponent, taking down No. 22 Oregon in Lincoln, 35-32. Nebraska is 0-5 against ranked teams over the last two seasons. Michigan enters this weekend’s game No. 21 in the AP poll.