{"id":80219,"date":"2025-09-21T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T16:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=80219"},"modified":"2025-09-21T08:42:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T12:42:37","slug":"passing-game-still-lags-behind-michigan-nebraska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/09\/21\/passing-game-still-lags-behind-michigan-nebraska\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Ground Game Carries the Day Against Nebraska"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michigan won its game against Nebraska, but the passing game still lags. The Wolverines leaned on 286 rushing yards and timely defense. However,<\/strong> how they won tells a different story.<\/p>\n

Passing Game Still Stuck in Neutral<\/strong><\/h2>\n

All eyes were on Bryce Underwood<\/a>. The freshman quarterback, the big-name recruit, the player Michigan fans believe can be the next cornerstone. On Saturday, he looked like what he is: talented, raw, and still adjusting. Despite Underwood\u2019s potential, the passing game still lags and keeps the Wolverines from finding consistency. Underwood went 12-of-22 for 105 yards. No interceptions, no turnovers. Still, the passing game never found rhythm.<\/p>\n

Receivers Struggle to Create Separation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The receivers didn\u2019t help much either. In addition, Nebraska\u2019s corners pressed tight\u2026 Donaven McCulley<\/a> and Semaj Morgan<\/a> had five catches between them for 61 yards. Not enough. The result? A passing game that feels safe but toothless. It\u2019ll beat Nebraska. It won\u2019t scare Ohio State or Penn State<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Haynes Breaks Free<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If the passing game sputtered, the ground game roared. Meanwhile, the rushing attack looked unstoppable. Michigan showed its hand by running the ball, and it did so often. \u00a0Nebraska couldn\u2019t stop it. Justice Haynes<\/a> was the hammer. He had 17 carries for 149 yards. That included a 75-yard sprint that broke open the game and sucked the energy out of Memorial Stadium. Once he hit the second level, Nebraska<\/a> had no answer.<\/p>\n

Marshall and Underwood Join In<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jordan Marshall gave them more of the same. Just six carries, yet 80 yards, including a 54-yard dash that hushed the crowd instantly. Every time he touched the ball, he felt like a threat to go the distance. Even Underwood chipped in. With receivers blanketed, he pulled the ball down and ran. Sixty-one yards and a touchdown on scrambles. Not polished, but effective. By the final whistle, Michigan had piled up 286 rushing yards. That\u2019s not just production. That\u2019s identity. This team wins on the ground, behind its backs, and on the line. While the ground attack delivered, Michigan\u2019s air game continues to lag.<\/p>\n

Raiola Refuses to Back Down<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nebraska didn\u2019t fold. Not with Dylan Raiola<\/a> under center. The freshman delivered one of the most polished games Michigan\u2019s defense has seen this season. Thirty completions on 41 attempts. 308 yards. Three touchdowns. For example, Raiola found ten different receivers. Forcing Michigan\u2019s secondary to cover sideline to sideline. His favorite target, Jacory Barney Jr<\/a>., made the highlight plays. Six catches, 120 yards, two touchdowns. One was a 52-yard strike that lit up the stadium. Tight end Luke Lindenmeyer<\/a> worked the middle, steady as ever, with seven catches for 60 yards. Raiola showed what a sharp passing attack can look like, something Michigan\u2019s struggling aerial game has yet to match.<\/p>\n

Nebraska Finds Life After Halftime<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the second half, Nebraska looked sharper. Michigan\u2019s secondary bent, gave up big chunks, and looked a step behind. The Huskers had momentum, and the crowd was buzzing until Cole Sullivan<\/a> cut it off. Sullivan read Raiola\u2019s eyes, jumped the route, and came up with the interception that swung the game. Nebraska\u2019s passing game looked more advanced than Michigan\u2019s, but it didn\u2019t matter. The pick sealed it.<\/p>\n

Sullivan\u2019s Pick Seals It<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The defense wasn\u2019t dominant. It bent. It gave up yards. But it also made the play that mattered most. Hausmann, playing against his former team, looked like a man on a mission: nine tackles, one sack, and constant pressure. In the trenches, Derrick Moore and Rayshaun Benny<\/a> combined for three sacks, collapsing the pocket and forcing Raiola to throw quicker than he wanted. The secondary struggled, no question. Big plays slipped through. Nebraska receivers found space. But the night will be remembered for Sullivan\u2019s interception. Nebraska had life. The stadium was loud. Then, silence. One mistake, one play, game over. In the end, it wasn\u2019t perfect, but it was enough.<\/p>\n

Zvada\u2019s Leg Keeps Michigan Steady<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When the offense stalls, you need special teams to carry you. Michigan got exactly that. Kicker Dominic Zvada<\/a> was flawless, three field goals, including a booming 56-yarder, and three extra points. Twelve points total. On a night when Michigan couldn\u2019t finish drives, those kicks kept the scoreboard moving. Hudson Hollenbeck<\/a> punted four times, averaging 41 yards and pinning Nebraska deep once. The return game was quiet. Semaj Morgan lost a yard on his only attempt, but coverage units shut down any chance of a big Husker return. Special teams won\u2019t grab headlines, but without Zvada\u2019s leg, this game could\u2019ve turned.<\/p>\n

Box Score Tells the Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The numbers say it all. Nearly 300 rushing yards. Barely 100 passing. Seven sacks. But also 308 passing yards allowed. That\u2019s good enough against Nebraska. Against Ohio State<\/a>? That\u2019s trouble. Michigan knows what it is right now: a physical, run-first team with a defense that can pressure quarterbacks and special teams it can trust. What it doesn\u2019t know is whether its passing game can catch up in time.<\/p>\n

Big Ten Wins Always Count<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At the end of the day, Michigan left Lincoln with a 3-1 record, but 1-0 in the Big Ten Conference, following this victory. And that matters. The rushing attack carried Michigan through, but the passing game still lags, and that could define their Big Ten season. The defense bent but came up with the stop of the night. Special teams gave them breathing room. All positives. But the passing game? Still lagging. Underwood has talent, but he\u2019s not ready to shoulder the offense. The receivers haven\u2019t proven they can win against tight coverage. And the secondary gave up 300-plus yards to a freshman. \u00a0For now, they control their path. But control isn\u2019t destiny. Balance is.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michigan won its game against Nebraska, but the passing game still lags. The Wolverines leaned on 286 rushing yards and timely defense. However, how they won tells a different story. Passing Game Still Stuck in Neutral All eyes were on Bryce Underwood. The freshman quarterback, the big-name recruit, the player Michigan fans believe can be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5604,"featured_media":80252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,35631,35608,17],"tags":[35554,33919,34704],"class_list":["post-80219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","category-michigan-wolverines","category-nebraska-cornhuskers","category-news","tag-biff-poggi","tag-derrick-moore","tag-jordan-marshall"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5604"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80219"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80253,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80219\/revisions\/80253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}