ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan Wolverines football decimated Washington, 24-7, Saturday afternoon at The Big House. Here are the best and worst from the game.
Michigan was down bad following a 31-13 loss at USC. It wasn't that the Wolverines lost, it was how they did -- outplayed and outcoached in all three phases. With only two losses and all of their goals still in play, though, all that mattered was how they responded.
Michigan started slow against Washington, especially offensively, but found a groove in the second half and ran away with the victory. Before the Ohio State game Nov. 29, that was likely Michigan's toughest game (on paper), and it was a must-win situation.
Head coach Sherrone Moore said postgame that there were a lot of "tough conversations" within the program during the week. It's hard to get off the mat after a devastating and, in some ways, embarrassing loss like that, but Michigan did. The staff and players deserve credit.
There's an opportunity to keep the good times rolling, with a trip to East Lansing on deck.
The Michigan defensive performance was highlighted by a slew of impressive individual performances.
* Senior LB Jimmy Rolder: 8 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 interception
* Senior LB Ernest Hausmann: 7 tackles
* Senior EDGE Derrick Moore: 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 forced fumble
* Sophomore LB Cole Sullivan: 1 tackle, 1 interception
* Senior LB Jaishawn Barham: 1 TFL, 1 QB hurry
The turnovers were the big ones. It's not very often you see two linebackers have interceptions in the same game, but Sullivan and Rolder did that. Sophomore safety Jacob Oden had the third pick, lying on his back to corral a deflected deep ball late in the game.
The Wolverines have now had at least 1 interception in 11-straight games, dating back to last season. Michigan has 11 interceptions on the season, too, compared to throwing just 3. Quietly, U-M is dominating the turnover battle, and that can go a long way.
Michigan also essentially had a fourth turnover, with Derrick Moore forcing a fumble that was recovered by Washington on fourth down. It didn't matter who recovered it -- Moore's strip sack on fourth-and-3 from the Washington 32-yard line meant U-M got the ball with great field position. U-M didn't cash in with a touchdown but did kick a short field goal.
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.
Michigan had quite a few players out, including junior running back Justice Haynes, but there were three mysteries among them. Sophomore tight end Hogan Hansen, junior safety Brandyn Hillman and graduate safety Rod Moore all didn't play but weren't listed as 'out' or 'questionable' on the pregame availability report.
Hansen didn't dress at all, but Hillman and Moore did in the first half before coming out in the second in street clothes. Sherrone Moore didn't really give any information on their statuses, leaving the public guessing as to whether those were disciplinary actions taken.
Regardless, Michigan's players who did see the field stepped up. The tight ends got going, but not the ones anyone expected to see. Juniors Zack Marshall (5 catches, 72 yards, 1 touchdown) and Deakon Tonielli (3 grabs, 38 yards) were the ones getting the targets with Hansen and senior Marlin Klein out.
Defensively, the Wolverines put forth an outstanding effort even without Hillman and Moore, holding Washington to 7 points and forcing 3 turnovers.
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood played what was perhaps his best game of the season. Sherrone Moore said it was his "cleanest," and that's for sure. Underwood notched career bests in completions (21) and completion percentage (78), while going 21-of-27 for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns. Three of his incompletions were drops, too, and he hardly missed any throws.
The best thing Underwood did in the pass game was take what the defense gave him. The Wolverines used the tight ends and running backs because they were open in the flat and underneath, with Underwood taking the easy completions instead of forcing the ball downfield. That's not to say he didn't air it out at times, because he still had 5 completions of 10-plus air yards.
Underwood continues to take care of the football, too. Against Washington's great cornerbacks, Underwood didn't have a single pass that we thought was in serious jeopardy of being picked off, even though he fired some fastballs into tight windows.
Haynes is a fantastic back, but sophomore Jordan Marshall is fun to watch, too, and made the most of his opportunity Saturday.
It's a different, more rugged style. Marshall is so hard to bring down, and Husky defenders would probably tell you that coming off this game. According to PFF, Marshall averaged 3.7 yards after contact per rush and forced 6 missed tackles. He pushed the pile time and time again, getting the most out of each run.
Marshall notched career highs in rushes (25) and rushing yards (133), and his 14-yard touchdown immediately following the Sullivan interception was huge, putting Michigan up 14-7. That was the turning point in the game.
Michigan junior left tackle Evan Link went down with a leg injury midway through the first quarter, getting carted off.
The Wolverines are already thin on the offensive line and had to turn to sophomore Blake Frazier, who fared well.
This may not just be for the game, it might be on the team: Freshman Andrew Marsh may be Michigan's best wideout. He had another big game with 4 catches for 49 yards and a 22-yard touchdown, while also delivering some key blocks in the run game.
Over the last three games, Marsh has reeled in 17 catches for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns. He's been dynamic not only on the short routes where he racks up yards after catch -- his bread and butter Saturday -- but also prolific down the field. His emergence is one of the biggest surprises of Big Ten play.
Plus, Marsh made this catch.
It's no longer automatic that senior kicker Dominic Zvada is going to put the ball between the uprights no matter the distance. Given what he did in 2024, expectations coming into the season were too high and probably had to be adjusted. They have been now, unfortunately.
Zvada missed a 48-yarder wide left, though he was kicking into the wind. He did make a chip shot, however. He's now 8-of-11 on the season. Still good, but not automatic.