Position grades for Michigan Football’s win at Nebraska

The Michigan Wolverines used a balanced performance to outlast the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 30-27, in a thrilling Big Ten opener on Saturday. Here are our grades for each position group.

Quarterbacks: B

Bryce Underwood’s statistics — 12-of-22 passes, 166 total yards and one rushing touchdown — don’t jump off the page like they did a week ago, but the freshman was solid from start to finish in his first career Big Ten game. He scored a 37-yard touchdown run in the first half and finished with a 94.6 quarterback rating.

Running backs: A

This group absolutely exploded in the final three quarters, as Justice Haynes went for a 75-yard touchdown, and Jordan Marshall scored a 54-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 27-17. Haynes picked up a pivotal first down with a 19-yard run in the fourth quarter en route to finishing with a game-high 149 yards as Michigan averaged 8.7 yards per carry.

Wide receivers: B-

It was a pedestrian performance from the wide receivers, as Donaven McCulley led the team with three catches for 39 yards and Semaj Morgan added two catches for 22 yards. Morgan — who accounted for two drops in this game, per PFF — missed a wide-open McCulley on a potential trick-play touchdown in the first half, but he stepped up in the fourth quarter by breaking a tackle and picking up a key first down to help seal a win.

Tight ends: B

This unit wasn’t a factor in the passing game early on, but Marlin Klein and Zack Marshall got involved in the second half, recording a combined three receptions and 27 yards. The tight ends were much more impactful as blockers, with Klein taking out two defenders to help spring Morgan’s aforementioned catch in the final minutes.

Offensive line: A-

The offensive line was highly-scrutinized in the first few games of the season, but the group responded with an impressive showing at Nebraska. Greg Crippen had key blocks on the touchdown runs from Haynes and Marshall, while Nathan Efobi and Andrew Sprague also played great. Evan Link and Jake Guarnera each gave up some pressures, but performed well for the most part.

Defensive line: A

The defensive line was dominant, as the group wreaked havoc all game long and ended up with the most sacks (7) for the Wolverines in a game since 2022. Rayshaun Benny and Derrick Moore were seemingly unblockable, both finishing with three total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Trey Pierce had a critical tackle to force a turnover on downs on Nebraska’s first drive of the game, while Cam Brandt and Enow Etta also got in on the sack party.

Linebackers: A+

It’s difficult to play any better than the defensive line did but the linebackers might have done so. Jaishawn Barham (four tackles and one sack) continued to look unstoppable along the edge, while Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan combined for 20 tackles and two sacks. Oh, and Sullivan had his second interception of the season. Simply an unreal performance.

Secondary: C+

It was a roller coaster from the secondary, as Jyaire Hill’s pass deflection led to Sullivan’s pick, and freshman cornerback Jayden Sanders had eight tackles in his second career start. However, it’s impossible to overlook two major mistakes — the game-tying Haily Mary at the end of the first half and an inexcusable taunting penalty from Brandyn Hillman to keep the Cornhuskers on the field and eventually put points on the board. Those type of blunders just can’t happen.

Special teams: B+

The special teams have been underwhelming this season, but it showed up in a big way at Nebraska. Dominic Zvada finally got on track by finishing 3-for-3 on field goals and tying a career-best with a 56-yarder. Hudson Hollenbeck averaged 41 yards per punt on four attempts, and Kendrick Bell helped seal the win with a sure-handed onside kick recovery.

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