Instant takes: No. 2 Michigan 45, Nebraska 7
Nebraska football was dominated by No. 2 Michigan in every phase of the game on Saturday. The Wolverines won 45-7 in Lincoln at Memorial Stadium.
Husker Head Coach Matt Rhule said this week that Michigan plays the style of football that Nebraska strives for. They dominate the trenches, the rush game and win the fourth quarter. He called this a measuring stick game to see where NU stacks up against a very physical Big Ten team.
Nebraska has a long, long way to go to compete with Michigan.
Here are three instant takes from Michigan’s huge victory over the Huskers:
Haarberg falters in first big test
Michigan is the first Big Ten team sophomore Heinrich Haarberg has played against. In fact, it’s his first Power Five opponent after starting against NIU and Louisiana Tech.
He instantly had a rude awakening. On Nebraska’s second offensive play, Haarberg’s pass was tipped by Braiden McGregor at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Myles Hinton.
However, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound QB bounced back and put together a solid drive into the red zone on his next possession. He found Thomas Fidone for a 14-yard gain, then connected with Billy Kemp IV over the middle for a massive 34-yard catch.
But Nebraska’s offense slowed down after a Fidone false start on 2nd-and-6. Nate Boerkircher made a 7-yard catch to get a 3rd-and-four. After Janiran Bonner had a one-yard pickup, Nebraska went for it on 4th-and-1. But Michigan’s defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and Haarberg’s QB sneak was stuffed and short.
In the first half, Haarberg went 8-for-10 for 84 passing yards. He made a few good plays/passes on third-down situations, but the Huskers came up short often. They converted 2-of-5 3rd downs in the first half. Nebraska had four first downs, while Michigan recorded 14.
Haarberg’s ability to run is one of his biggest strengths. He struggled to get yards on the ground. The Kearney native had 20 yards on six carries. The sophomore had a 16-yard scramble with 23 seconds left in the second quarter.
Haarberg finished the game with -2 rushing yards. He went 14-for-25 for 199 passing yards.
Nebraska started off the third quarter with a deep shot to Marcus Washington for a 56-yard gain. But NU couldn’t convert. Anthony Grant fumbled while running toward the sideline. The ball rolled forward five yards before Husker center Ben Scott fell on it.
Haarberg had a fumble of his own in the second quarter. He fell on the ball for a loss of seven yards. On the next play, he scrambled for 11 yards, but it wasn’t enough for a first down on 3rd-and-16.
Then in the third quarter, Haarberg was hit and the ball went flying. Right tackle Bryce Benhart fell on that one as well.
Quarterback Jeff Sims had eight turnovers in NU’s first two games. In Haarberg’s three starts, he’s had five fumbles.
Outside of Washington’s 56-yard catch, Nebraska had only two rushing yards in the third quarter.
Michigan wins the battle in the trenches
Nebraska has the best-rushing defense in the country. They have allowed 46.2 rushing yards per game this season. With that, the Huskers’ defensive line has been impressive. Nose tackle Nash Hutmacher leads NU with 3.5 tackles for a loss of 16 and has 1.5 sacks.
On the other side of the trenches is Michigan’s offensive line, which has won the Joe Moore Award for two start seasons. However, they lost Outland and Rimington Trophy award-winning center Olusegun Oluwatimi.
On Saturday, Michigan’s offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage.
They set the tone during the first drive. Michigan had 67 rushing yards in two drives and halfway through the first quarter. The Wolverines averaged 6.7 rushing yards with one rushing touchdown. Kalel Mullings ran in a 20-yard touchdown after getting short field yardage from a Haarberg interception.
At the end of the first half, Michigan had 131 rushing yards and averaged six yards per carry. Four different players had over 30 rushing yards. Kalel Mullings averaged 10.7 yards per carry.
The Huskers could not break through and put pressure on Michigan QB JJ McCarthy. They had one tackle for loss and no quarterback hurries in the first half. Their lone tackle for loss was by Ty Robinson and Omar Brown.
Michigan imposed its will on Nebraska’s D-line and had no problems running. Nebraska, however, struggled greatly. The Wolverines were the No. 8 rushing defense in the country before Saturday’s game. They averaged 80 rushing yards per game.
After having four straight 200+ yard rushing games, Nebraska had 37 rushing yards on 13 carries in the first half. Haarberg led the team with 20 yards on six carries with a 16-yard rush.
There is a clear reason why Nebraska was down 28-0. They weren’t just dominated in the trenches but at every position and each phase.
Running back Blake Corum was quiet for his standards in the first half, with 36 yards on nine carries. However, he ran all over Nebraska in Michigan’s first drive over the second half. Corum had seven carries for 38 yards and the touchdown. Corum ended with 74 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Michigan averaged 4.9 yards per carry and had 249 total rushing yards.
Josh Fleeks led Nebraska in rushing yards after he broke away for a 74-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The recent wide receiver turned running back had NU’s only touchdown. It was his first as a Husker, too.
NU had 106 total rushing yards. However, outside of Fleek’s TD, Nebraska had 32 rushing yards.
Special teams
Nebraska’s special teams have struggled throughout the season. However, Michigan’s really good special teams really exposed the Husker’s issues.
Punter Brian Buschini punted right to Michigan’s punt returner. On one punt in the second quarter, Buschini punted right to Tyler Morris. He ran it back 30 yards and was tackled by Buschini. Jake Thon also had an 11-yard punt return.
Buschini punted three times and averaged 45.7 yards per punt. He had one of over 50 yards and none inside the 20.
On the other sideline, Michigan has a great punter. Tommy Doman crushed a 65-yard punt in the second quarter. That was the Wolverine’s only punt.
To start the fourth quarter, Nebraska finally forced Michigan’s first field goal attempt. James Turner drilled the 30-yard field goal.
Nebraska freshman kicker Tristan Alvano missed a 40-yard field goal after a big drive to start the second half. Alvano is now 1-for-4 on field goals and has only made a 27-yarder, which was against Minnesota. He hasn’t made a field goal since week one.
At the beginning of the season, the Huskers decided to start Alvano over Timmy Bleekrode, NU’s 2022 starter. It could be time to re-evaluate.
