Wolverines Ups & Downs: Who Stood Out In Win Over Washington?

Taking everything into account, Michigan’s 24-7 victory over Washington was the best, most complete game that the Wolverines have played all year.

From holding one of the nation’s top offenses to just seven points, to putting together its most fluid offensive game of the season, Michigan didn’t have too many miscues Saturday. 

The win was a much-needed bounce-back effort after losing badly to USC the week prior, and the Wolverines’ playoff hopes remain alive for at least one more week.

Here are four ‘Ups’ and two ‘Downs’ from Michigan’s impressive win over the Huskies…

Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was excellent Saturday. He threw 21-for-27 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. It was the most comfortable Underwood looked in the pocket all year, and his accuracy was dead-on all afternoon. 

This version of Underwood is what the college football world was expecting when he earned the starting role. He’s had his own whole set of ups & downs throughout the season, but he’s shown steady improvement, and it’s all starting to click. Underwood wasn’t asked to use his legs much, but in the few times he did, he looked comfortable and controlled.

Underwood did everything that the Wolverines could ask from him, and this kind of performance should be the expectation moving forward.

With star running back Justice Haynes out with an upper body injury, Michigan turned to sophomore running back Jordan Marshall to take the bulk of snaps in the backfield. He was satisfactory last week against the Trojans when given the same task, but against Washington, he was spectacular.

Marshall ran for 133 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, replicating the type of production that a healthy Haynes usually offers. Marshall showed off his strength all afternoon, repeatedly carrying the pile for an extra couple of yards.

Having a back like Marshall ready to take over whenever he is needed is a massive luxury for the Wolverines, even when Haynes returns.

Senior kicker Dominic Zvada continues his struggles in 2025. A 48-yard field goal attempt is no cakewalk for a typical college kicker, but for Zvada, it’s generally automatic. Thus, when he hooked his attempted wide left, it was a disappointing outcome.

So far this year, he’s missed three field goals under 50 yards. Michigan knows that the two-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist’s talents didn’t just vanish in 2025, but the Wolverines need him to get back on track.

Even with their top-two tight ends — senior Marlin Klein and sophomore Hogan Hansen — out with injury, the Wolverines tight end room still had itself a day. Junior Zack Marshall led all receivers with five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, while fellow junior Deakon Tonielli caught three passes for 38 yards.

Michigan tight ends have had a rough go of it when it comes to injuries this season, but the depth of the room allows the high-level production to continue. Even when Klein and Hansen return, Marshall and Tonielli have proved plenty capable of contributing.

Picking up the Wolverines’ only two sacks on the day, senior edge rusher Derrick Moore had his best game of the season. Moore’s efforts were a large part of how Michigan kept Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and the Huskies’ high-powered offense at bay.

Michigan’s pass rush has been volatile this season with several peaks and valleys, but if Moore can find a rhythm, the duo of him alongside senior edge rusher Jaishawn Barham could cause a lot of problems for opposing offenses moving forward. 

Dropped passes continue to be a problem for junior wide receiver Semaj Morgan, as he collected another Saturday. This one came in a big spot, too. 

With about six minutes left in the first quarter, Michigan went for a fourth-and-1 on Washington’s 31-yard line. Underwood dumped the ball off to Morgan for what should have been an easy conversion and maybe a lot more, given the amount of space he had in front of him, but Morgan couldn’t haul it in.

Ultimately, it didn’t hurt the Wolverines in the long run, but it’s a play Morgan can’t afford to not make. There’s a reason Michigan is so high on Morgan, his speed and agility give him big upside, but the drops are a concerning trend.

Sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan, senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder, and sophomore defensive back Jacob Oden all came down with interceptions in the second half of the contest…Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh continued his solid stretch, catching all five of his targets for 49 yards and a touchdown…Michigan’s rush defense as a whole was superb, allowing just 40 rushing yards for an average of 1.7 yards per carry, with the Huskies’ longest rush of the day being just eight yards.