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What they're saying about Michigan football's win over Washington

Anthony Broomeby: Anthony Broome10/19/25anthonytbroome
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Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood during a 24-7 win over Washington (Lon Horwedel/The Wolverine)

The Michigan Wolverines moved to 5-2 and 3-1 in the Big Ten with a 24-7 win over Washington on Saturday in Ann Arbor. The bounce-back performance drew plenty of reactions from across the media spectrum after a much-needed victory.

Here is a roundup of what some key voices were saying after the game and what it means.

Ryan Van Bergen, The Wolverine Postgame

Michigan vs. Washington reactions: ‘Everything’s on the table’ after dominant finish
 ”When you talk about the response after the USC game and the trip out to California, talk about a tale of two different teams,” Van Bergen said on the show. “I think offensively, defensively, both units. You saw a different product on the field today than what you saw out in California last weekend, and that to me, you have to give a lot of credit to Sherrone Moore. Have to give a lot of credit to Chip Lindsay and a lot of credit to Wink Martindale right off the bat because those guys had to have done something collectively amongst themselves to get these guys ready to play a football game.

“I don’t want to bring in another team as an example, but you think about Penn State… 2-3 weeks ago, they’re playing [one of the best teams] in the country in double overtime. They go to UCLA, they lose, then they play Northwestern and lose. And their season is in shambles. A two-loss, three-loss team at this point in the season can easily fall apart if there’s no leadership, if there’s no coaching, instead of circling the wagon. And so we’re gonna get into detail about the analysis of today’s game, but I think it’s important to give credit where it’s due with respect to the turnaround, the leadership getting these guys to bounce back and be ready to play. There’s a lot of football left to be had. There are a lot of things that can happen. Everything’s on the table for us. Really excited to see the product that was on the field today versus what we saw seven days ago.”

Chris Balas, The Wolverine

Michigan 24, Washington 7: Notes, quotes, and observations – a great response
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore wasn’t necessarily buying that Saturday’s game with Washington was a “fork in the road” game for the Wolverines. At least, that’s what he said after his team handled the Huskies in Ann Arbor, pulling away with an outstanding second half on both sides of the ball.

But make no mistake — after a humbling loss at USC, the second road disappointment after Oklahoma, all eyes were on his program and where it might be headed. Fair or not, plenty of Michigan fans scarred by memories of the pre-Harbaugh years voiced concerns that this one could be the tipping point in the wrong direction. 

For a half, after several missed opportunities, there was still some concern. But a defensive gem from Wink Martindale, an offense that came to life behind a workmanlike effort from Jordan Marshall, a freshman quarterback who gets better and better, and the Wolverines are back on track. 

“I mean, kind of … not really,” Moore said when asked about the proverbial crossroads. “The players put so much hard work into what they do. We talked about the winter, the spring, summer, fall camp and now to have these opportunities that you have. We have two more opportunities in the Big House to play, and you don’t want to let those opportunities falter. 

“So, we really wanted to make sure that this was the time that we went this way versus this way. I think as a team we did, and so for me, it was more of, ‘we’ve got to go win this game and do everything we can.’ And I thought the players just they just rallied behind each other, behind the coaches, and rallied behind Michigan.”

Clayton Sayfie, The Wolverine

Best and worst from Michigan’s win over Washington
One week after allowing a third-string back to run wild, Michigan held Washington to its lowest rushing yard total in a game since a 15-7 win over Arizona State Oct. 21, 2023. Washington’s Jonah Coleman is a good back, too, and he was held to only 50 yards — his second-lowest mark of the season (Rutgers, 44) — and a touchdown on 16 attempts.

The Maize and Blue were torched on screens last week, too, but recovered by sniffing them out much more frequently, even though Washington had success on some. The Huskies ran seven screens for only 42 yards (6 yards per pop). There was one in particular, a third-and-long, that senior linebacker Jaishawn Barham was all over and blew up.

Michigan’s defense wasn’t perfect. There were some long passes over the middle that Washington completed. But the Wolverines made a big jump from the USC game to this one, and were even playing shorthanded.

John Borton, The Wolverine

Michigan uses fork in the road to stab Huskies
Cole Sullivan insisted Michigan players knew they were coming to a split in the road when Washington came to town. Drop another one to a West Coast Big Ten team, and the Wolverines’ highest goals would split — in a hurry.

Instead, Sullivan slashed between Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and his receiver in the flat. He picked off Williams’ throw in stride, slicing through any momentum the Huskies might have built, in a 7-7 cliffhanger about to enter the fourth quarter. The sophomore linebacker delivered the football to Michigan’s offense on Washington’s 14-yard line, releasing an avalanche that swept the Wolverines to a 24-7 win.

One play after Sullivan’s perfect pickoff, sophomore tailback Jordan Marshall (25 carries, 133 yards), pinballed his way into the end zone, giving the Wolverines a 14-7 lead in a defensive struggle filled with missed chances. That one opened the floodgates. The Wolverines turned another interception — this one by junior linebacker Jimmy Holder — into big-cushion TD. Then Michigan’s defense turned an increasingly desperate Washington team over on downs, cashing in a late 26-yard field goal by senior Dominic Zvada.

With any chance at a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff spot at stake, Michigan used the final 16:20 to drive a stake into the heart of Jedd Fisch’s formerly 5-1 football team.

“It was pretty much just a gut check,” Sullivan insisted. “We know we have two losses after USC. It was time we were coming to a split in the road. Which way are we going to go? We needed to bounce back big this week, and I thought we responded well.”

Scott Hanson, The Seattle Times

Instant impressions from Washington Huskies’ road loss to Michigan
Both teams struggled to get the upper hand, and it seemed like if the two teams played 10 times that each team might win five times. A big turnover often decides which team wins such games. In this game, it wasn’t one turnover, it was three. 

Washington sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. was intercepted three times, twice in the third quarter and once in the fourth. Williams had been intercepted once all season until Saturday.

The first interception led to a Michigan touchdown on the next play, with Jordan Marshall running it in from 14 yards out to give the Wolverines a 14-7 lead. The second interception also led to a touchdown — a 59-yard drive that gave Michigan a 21-7 lead with 10:05 left in the game. The third interception came with 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter and iced the game.

If there was any doubt, it ended on the Huskies’ next drive when they failed to convert a fourth-and-three from the UW 32. 

To be fair, it wasn’t just the turnovers that killed the Huskies. Their difficulty stopping Michigan’s running game and their trouble getting the Wolverines off the field on offense was also a problem.

Michael Cohen, Fox Sports

Hard Truths, Honest Reflection and a Season‑Defining Win for Michigan
Head coach Sherrone Moore, whose standing among the Wolverines’ expectant fan base had begun to teeter ahead of this week’s win-or-get-left-behind battle for the College Football Playoff, preferred the more elegant “tough conversations” descriptor. And then he reminded reporters that “nobody else needs to hear what was said,” especially people unaffiliated with Michigan.

But when it came to Moore and everyone else he employs on the Wolverines’ bulging coaching staff, the challenging dialogues with players were accompanied by soul-searching moments of uncomfortable introspection as a campaign that dripped with promise threatened to run aground. 

There were potential ramifications for Moore, the second-year head coach whose overall record of 12-7 entering Saturday’s date with Washington left plenty to be desired; for Martindale, the highly paid, blitz-breathing coordinator whose defense had been filleted by a walk-on running back from USC and a quarterback who began his career at UNLV; for offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, a handpicked newcomer whose debut season at Michigan has felt — at times — like a difficult marriage of contrasting schematic ideas. What happened on Saturday against the Huskies would be a referendum on them as much as the players.

Austin Meek, The Athletic

Michigan vs. Washington: Redemption for the D, plus more takeaways from 24-7 win
The Wolverines had some soul-searching to do after getting popped 31-13 by USC a week ago in Los Angeles. Washington wasn’t far behind USC in scoring offense and total offense, averaging 39.2 points and 468.5 yards per game. Facing another big challenge, Michigan tightened up the loose screws from last week and limited the Huskies to 249 yards, an average of 4.5 per play.

“We haven’t been playing the way that we wanted to the past couple games,” Sullivan said. “It was time to stop the bleeding and come together and trust each other.”

Washington had none of the big runs that burned Michigan last week. Jonah Coleman, who entered the day fifth in the Big Ten in rushing, finished with 50 yards on 16 carries and didn’t have a run longer than 8 yards. The Huskies averaged 1.7 yards per rush as a team, more than 3 yards fewer than their season average.

Michigan harassed Williams, one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous quarterbacks, into his worst game of the season. Williams entered the game averaging 271 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception. His two third-quarter picks tripled that interception total, and Williams also fumbled when he was sacked by Derrick Moore on fourth down to seal the game. The Wolverines added a third interception of Williams when a deflected pass landed in the arms of safety Jacob Oden.

Last year, it took Michigan’s defense a little more than half the season to round into form. Could the same thing happen this year? It’s too soon to say, but Saturday’s performance was the right way to start.

Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press

‘Tough conversations’ lead to Michigan football’s best performance of Sherrone Moore era
Contrary to how Michigan football made it look for more than 1,000 days in 2021-23, the sport is not always sunshine and roses.

The Wolverines have been reminded of that fact often over the past 1½ seasons, with multiple losses by mid-October in both 2024 and 2025. After a loss on the West Coast last October, the season derailed. It felt as if there was a chance for that to happen again this year, with Michigan coming off a loss to USC last week.

This time, Sherrone Moore’s team fought back with perhaps its most well-rounded performance of his tenure as coach, posting a 24-7 victory over Washington (the team that downed the Wolverines a year ago).

John Niyo, The Detroit News

Niyo: Michigan quiets all the noise with bounceback win over Washington
They raised their voices.

Then they raised their game.

And for anyone wondering about which direction Michigan’s season was headed after an embarrassing showing on the road at USC — and a noisy week that followed behind closed doors — Saturday’s 24-7 victory over Washington felt like an emphatic response from the Wolverines.

Message received? It sure looked that way, particularly from a reeling defensive unit that seemed unsure about everything in the middle of its season. The disastrous showing a week ago only amplified those concerns, whether it was the reckless play-calling and the misaligned players or all the missed tackles and busted coverages that inevitably led to some very loud disagreements once they’d all returned home to Ann Arbor.

And while no one wanted to say much after Saturday’s win about what exactly was said in the wake of that USC loss — “They’re our conversations: Nobody else needs to hear what was said,” head coach Sherrone Moore said — what mattered most was what they’d done, as Michigan’s defense made a dramatic turnaround against a dangerous Washington offense.

Trevor Woods, Maize n Brew

6 takeaways from Michigan Football’s win over Washington
With Marlin Klein and Hogan Hansen not playing, it was Zach Marshall and Deacon Tonielli leading the charge at tight end. Marshall led Michigan with five receptions for 72 yards with one touchdown, while Tonielli had three receptions for 38 yards. Both tight ends ran good routes, displayed steady hands, and found ways to get open. Marshall and Tonielli should be utilized more moving forward, regardless of the statuses of Klein and Hansen.