What they're saying about Michigan's win over Wisconsin

The Michigan Wolverines moved to 2-0 in Big Ten play and 4-1 on the season with Saturday’s 24-10 win over the Wisconsin Badgers.

The outing drew several reactions from those on the field, the local media, and national pundits who watched it unfold.

Here is a roundup of some of the reactions from Saturday afternoon.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore on Rod Moore

“His impact is something you can’t really describe. You know, he’s a coach on the field. He’s a coach in the meeting room. And then you just feel his energy when he’s on the field. It’s, it’s different. It’s special. You feel guys like him, they just don’t come along very much. He’s a guy who’s made plays here for a long time. Last time he had a pick in the Big House was against Ohio State in ’23.

“And then he comes across the field like a laser beam and picks it off today and stops the reverse. So, so proud of him and what he’s done and how he continues to fight and what he’s done with his body and how he’s gotten better and feels like he’s faster now than he was before. So great to have him back.”

Ryan Van Bergen, The Wolverine postgame show

 ”I probably am more optimistic than a lot of people coming away from this game,” Van Bergen said on the show. “I thought we played a conservative game that allowed us to maintain control. I didn’t think, statistically, you may have seen at halftime that we were dominating the way we were if you were in person, but it seemed like we were a more physical team, and this was gonna be something that if we leaned and continued to lean, eventually Wisconsin was going to break.

“I thought they executed the game plan well. I thought defensively, again, aside from that first series, I mean, they were a wet blanket and Wisconsin couldn’t get anything going against us.”

Chris Balas, The Wolverine

Michigan 24, Wisconsin 10: Notes, quotes, and observations — a win, but work to do
For the average Michigan fan, Saturday’s 24-10 win over Wisconsin was just fine. The Wolverines’ defense looked fantastic after finally showing up after the first Badgers drive, freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood made strides, a couple receivers actually stepped up, and U-M improved to 2-0 in conference play. 

You only need look around the conference (hello, PSU) to understand that any win is a good win. Period. Beyond the emerging “Big ‘O’s” in Oregon and Ohio State, who currently seem to be a notch above, there’s a lot of parity in this league. 

But Michigan wants to be — expects to be — a contender with them, even if most believe the Wolverines are a year away. To get there this year, some of the warts on display during Saturday’s victory still need to be dealt with.

John Borton, The Wolverine

Michigan boosts pass attack with M men
This one felt way too close, like a packed subway ride with those uninitiated to the wonders of antiperspirant. Michigan clung to a 10-7 lead more than halfway through the third quarter.

The cliffhanger played out against a Wisconsin squad so uninspiring that a recent Camp Randall crowd was tempted to use Jump Around to leap over the back wall of the stadium. Yet here the Badgers lurked, ready to hollow out Michigan’s Homecoming.

That is, until grad wideout Donaven McCulley stepped up. The 6-5, 215-pound pass catcher prepped all week for a breakout game, and broke through just in time to keep Michigan from breaking down.

First, McCulley rose up to make a leaping, fully-extended catch over a Wisconsin defender on Michigan’s eastern sideline, 33 yards downfield. Officials ruled him out of bounds, but McCulley wasn’t buying it.

“I thought I was in, because I kind of saw the skid mark from my shoe,” he insisted. “Man, I was on the sideline, like, come on! I was talking to guys, like, we need this! The foot was in!”

The eye in the sky eventually determined the same thing. That set up McCulley’s next Badger buster, just two plays later.

Austin Meek, The Athletic

Michigan final thoughts: Donaven McCulley’s breakout, improving CFP odds and more
One of Moore’s first acts after returning from his two-game suspension was to challenge Michigan’s wide receivers. If personnel changes were needed to get more production and fewer dropped passes from that position, Moore was willing to do it.

We saw how that played out. Fredrick Moore, a starter last season, left the program, and freshman Andrew Marsh replaced Channing Goodwin in the starting lineup. With four catches for 80 yards, Marsh showed why Michigan is trying to get him more involved.

Marsh [was] one of the top wide receiver prospects to sign with Michigan since Donovan Peoples-Jones. In the first few weeks of the season, Marsh was still figuring out where to line up and getting his responsibilities down. Now that he’s more comfortable in his role, his natural ability can shine through.

Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire

Breaking down Michigan football’s 24-10 victory over Wisconsin: five key takeaways
When you see any current Heisman rankings, it’s all quarterbacks but one running back: Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy. Let’s be real here, Hardy deserves to be there. But so does Haynes.

Hardy has 103 carries for 730 yards (7.09 yards per carry), while Haynes has 85 carries for 654 yards (7.69 yards per carry). Hardy has one more touchdown than Haynes, with nine, but they’re pretty close in most stats. No Michigan running back has had a better start to his Wolverines’ career than Haynes, and with five consecutive 100-yard games, he’s on pace to reach the eight-game streak set by Blake Corum in 2022. While his average down-and-distance isn’t quite as impressive as Corum that year (and that was the season Corum appeared to be the Heisman favorite before his Week 13 injury vs. Illinois), Haynes’ home runs have put him in the conversation. It doesn’t appear as if he’s slowing down.

The national media must notice this, because with Underwood still coming into his own, Haynes has been consistently spectacular.

David Hale, ESPN.com

College football Week 6 highlights: Top games, plays, stats
After the 2022 season, Luke Fickell left Cincinnati, where he had become one of the most respected coaches in the country, for Wisconsin. The Bearcats then turned to Scott Satterfield, who was already on his way out at Louisville, to replace him. This all seemed like getting your Lamborghini stolen and then buying a pickup truck, but we’re not here to talk about Carson Beck right now.

In any case, turns out the truck was a pretty good buy.

Satterfield has the Bearcats at 4-1 after Saturday’s 38-30 win over No. 14 Iowa State, with a ground game that ran for 260 yards and another stellar performance from QB Brendan Sorsby.

Fickell, meanwhile, couldn’t have been a worse fit in Wisconsin if he had been lactose intolerant, as the Badgers fell to Michigan 24-10. Wisconsin has failed to crack 20 points in eight of its past 10 games vs. FBS competition, and Fickell’s explanation that the offensive line just overindulged at Culver’s simply isn’t going to fly with the boosters much longer.

In the wild Big 12, Cincinnati’s win announces the Bearcats as a genuine contender in the conference, thus setting up the fine people of Cincinnati for another round of disappointment that will continue to be dished out by the sports gods until they all admit cinnamon doesn’t belong in chili.

Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press

Andrew Marsh is game-changer for evolving Michigan football offense
He was so productive, it was almost enough to make one ask, What took so long?

Andrew Marsh, Michigan football’s true freshman wide receiver (and the program’s highest-rated receiving recruit since Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2017), leapt high in the air, up and over a defender, to high-point the pass from quarterback Bryce Underwood and come down inbounds for a gain of 32 yards.

Marsh didn’t have a reception in the first month of his career [Editor’s note: He had a reception for 30 yards against CMU], but against Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 4, the Wolverines wideout was dynamic in the pass game, finishing second on the team with 80 yards on four receptions in a 24-10 victory over Wisconsin.

With the passing game having struggled − mostly because of drops (of which there were three more Saturday) − it felt hard to understand, again: What took so long?

Marsh took that opportunity and ran with it, which could have ramifications across the rest of the attack.

Trevor Woods, Maize n Brew

6 takeaways from Michigan Football’s win over Wisconsin
Underwood was 19-of-28 with a career high 270 passing yards with one touchdown. Underwood hit Donaven McCulley deep multiple times and threw a laser to Andrew Marsh deep as well. Underwood threw with confidence and authority often and does a great job of evading pressure and extending plays. If there’s anything to gripe about, that Underwood missed a few short throws where he sailed the ball with zip when the completions should have been easy ones. However, Underwood’s numbers could also be better, as Semaj Morgan, Max Bredeson, and Kendrick Bell all dropped a pass. Underwood’s already as good as many veteran collegiate quarterbacks, and he’s still 18 years old with just five starts under his belt. As each quarter and each week go by, it’s apparent that Underwood is growing more confident and comfortable. While the Michigan team is still a work in progress, Underwood looks as advertised and is someone who can help lead this team to the College Football Playoff.