Photo Credit: Aaron J. Thornton
Lincoln, NE — The undefeated Michigan Wolverines Football team traveled to Nebraska and set the tone early in the game on their way to a dominant 45-7 win over the Cornhuskers for the Jim Harbaugh-led team’s fifth win of the season.
Nebraska found themselves down two touchdowns after just the first 11 minutes of play to the No. 2-ranked team in the nation. The Wolverines scored on their first drive going 75 yards on a balanced attack of both run and pass plays. The highlight of the drive was a circus catch made by receiver Roman Wilson in the end zone, catching the ball on the helmet of a Nebraska defender and holding on to give Michigan the game’s first points.
Less than a minute later, it was the defense with a highlight of their own, as defensive lineman Kenneth Grant caught an interception on a tipped pass attempt by Nebraska Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg. Michigan would have the ball at the 35 yard line after the pick and a couple plays later, reserve running back Kalel Mullings would avoid a tackle and run the ball in for the second Michigan touchdown to make the score 14-0.
In the second quarter, it was more Michigan as the Wolverines would end an 88 yard drive with a J.J. McCarthy touchdown run from 21 yards out. This put Michigan up 21-0 and in complete control of the game. The team was not done as they would score a fourth touchdown to end the first half on another McCarthy-to-Wilson connection. Michigan headed into the locker room up 28-0 at halftime.
Nebraska would show some potential life to start the second half. Haarberg would find receiver Marcus Washington on a 56-yard pass downfield to put Nebraska into the red zone. But after a penalty and a sack by the stingy Michigan defense, the Cornhuskers would have to try a 40-yard field goal into the wind and miss, keeping the score 28-0 Wolverines.
The dominant performance continued when the Wolverines got the ball back. Michigan, starting at their own 22 yard line after the missed Nebraska field goal, would drive down field again and go up 35-0 as Blake Corum ran the ball in from the 1 yard line.
The Wolverine defense would stand tall again and force a Cornhusker punt with about six minutes left in the third quarter. Starting from the 25 yard line, Michigan owned the line of scrimmage and take the ball down the field into the red zone once more, this time led by backup Quarterback Jake Tuttle. The drive would end with more points for the maize and blue, adding 3 to the score with a 30 yard field goal by kicker Tommy Doman.
In the fourth quarter, Michigan would finish with a sixth and final touchdown drive as Jayden Denegal, the third Wolverine quarterback to take the field on the day, found receiver Peyton O’Leary in the end zone to make it 45-0. With just under five minutes left in the game, it looked as if the Wolverines would be heading to the locker room with shutout against the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, but Nebraska fought to the end to avoid leaving the field without scoring. Against the Michigan reserves, Nebraska finally had something to celebrate as Haarberg handed the ball off to Joshua Fleeks in the backfield who avoided tackles and ran for a 74 yard touchdown making the score 45-7.
As the score suggests, the Wolverines were dominant, playing a complete game on both sides of the ball. Michigan’s offense tallied 436 total yards, rushing for 246 compared to Nebraska’s 106. It was a well-managed game by McCarthy, who completed 12-of-16 passes for another efficient outing, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Corum led the Wolverines on the ground with 74 yards on the day. Wilson continued to demonstrate why he’s the number one receiver, catching two touchdowns in the game. Defensively, Josiah Stewart led Michigan defenders with five total tackles and a sack.
After the game, Harbaugh (who was back for his second game after a three-game suspension) said “McCarthy had one of his best games” and that he was proud of all the quarterbacks as they all played well. McCarthy had this to say after the victory: “I just had the most fun I could have. “t was great to get the win.”
Michigan (5-0) will have another road game next week when they travel to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers (3-2). Nebraska (2-3) will look to regroup before heading to Champagne, IL to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-3).
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