Wolverines Ups & Downs: Who Stood Out In A Season-Opening Win?

The Michigan Wolverines are 1-0 on the 2025 season after a 34-17 season-opening win over the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Michigan got big plays on both sides of the ball, but also came out of the win with things to clean up and work on ahead of a tough matchup in Week 2 against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Here are three "ups" and three "downs" from the game, plus some honorable mentions to know from the win...

Underwood arrived as advertised, when it comes to the passing game. Underwood flashed the arm talent that made him the nation's top recruit, delivering the ball with zip and accuracy and completing a number of throws on the run. The freshman showed impressive poise in a late-second-quarter drive, going 5-for-5 and throwing his first career touchdown pass to give the Wolverines a two-score lead at halftime.

At the same time, Underwood did make a few dangerous attempts and sometimes tried to do too much. He also appeared to rush into a snap before the line was set, resulting in a false start penalty. There will be occasional bumps in the road, but it's clear that Underwood gives the Wolverines' new offense a chance to vastly improve upon last season.

Barham gets a "down" for his status heading into Week 2, as much as anything else. The linebacker momentarily thought he'd scored a strip sack and fumble recovery touchdown in the third quarter, but the officials overturned the play to a targeting penalty. That ejected him from Saturday's game and bans him for the first half of next week's game against Oklahoma.

The call should prove controversial in postgame discourse, as Barham didn't necessarily look to have malicious intent on the play. But helmet contact is helmet contact, and Barham obviously had too much of it on the play for the officials to ignore it.

Klein had never made more than 13 catches in a season prior to his senior year. He's already almost halfway to that total after enjoying the most productive game of his college career, catching six of his nine targets for 93 yards and his first-ever touchdown catch.

A surprise favorite of Underwood's in the season opener, Klein suddenly looks like a weapon for the Wolverines with a talented signal-caller showing big-time trust in him.

The Wolverines had a forgettable night in the return game, which is where ball security became the biggest problem. Marsh was too loose with the ball during a 29-yard return, as the ball got stripped out of his hand for the Wolverines' only giveaway of the game. Marsh will want to hold the ball high and tight going forward, in the event of future opportunities for defenders.

Much credit is due to the Wolverines' outstanding run-blocking up front, but Haynes also broke tackles and made guys miss, especially on two runs of 50-plus yards. The first one was his third carry of the game, a 56-yard touchdown run, and he later delivered a dagger with a 59-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.

Haynes seized the lead role in the ground game, if he hadn't already, with the explosive night. No. 2 back Jordan Marshall averaged only 2.6 yards on 11 carries, marking a much better opener for the starter.

Expected to be the Wolverines' top cover corner, Hill didn't have his best start to the season in coverage. He most notably got flagged for pass interference in the end zone to set up first-and-goal from the 1-yard line for the Lobos, then gave up a touchdown to tight end Dorian Thomas. Hill is going to have to bounce back in a hurry, with the Sooners' deep wide receiver group coming next week.

The Michigan offensive line played well as a unit, with especially high marks for left tackle Evan Link, left guard Giovanni El-Hadi, and right tackle Andrew Sprague...Tight end Max Bredeson also deserves credit for his second-level blocking, as he helped spring Haynes for his 56-yard touchdown run...Edge rusher TJ Guy is the leader in the clubhouse for best interception of the season by a front-seven player, as he tracked down a midair deflection for the pick...Safety Mason Curtis made his presence felt throughout the night with a pass breakup and five total tackles.

Jo'Ziah Edmond was the other Wolverines defensive back to commit defensive pass interference, also on a third-down play...Punt returner Semaj Morgan set an ominous tone for the special teams units with a bad muffed punt, which he was lucky to recover.