Wolverines Ups & Downs: Who Stood Out In A Rivalry Win Over Michigan State?

It wasn’t pretty, but the Michigan football team boarded the bus back to Ann Arbor with a 31-20 rivalry win over Michigan State in its pocket.

The Wolverines were quiet in the passing game, but it didn’t matter, because their rushing attack was elite. The defense had some lapses, but overall was quite solid, coming up big when it mattered most.

With the win, Michigan won its first night road game of the season after losing its first two. Even if it wasn’t as dominant as some expected, any road win in the Big Ten is a good win, especially against a bitter rival.

Here are four ‘Ups’ and two ‘Downs’ from the Wolverines' win over the Spartans…

Senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder was everywhere for Michigan Saturday night. On the opening drive, he jumped on a fumble, gaining possession and staying in bounds long enough to ensure Michigan got the ball. He also broke up a pass and had several massive tackles, including a sack and a fourth-quarter, fourth-down stuff.

With fellow linebacker, sophomore Cole Sullivan, leaving the game with an injury, Rolder stepped up in a massive way. It’s been said all season, Michigan’s linebacker corps is incredibly strong, and Rolder is a big part of that. But with an injury to Sullivan, more responsibilities might fall onto Rolder’s shoulders.

Saturday night, however, he proved he was plenty capable of holding it down.

Between Michigan’s two running backs, junior Justice Haynes and sophomore Jordan Marshall, the Wolverines ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns on 41 attempts. Michigan’s passing game wasn’t performing well, but it didn’t matter, because the duo of Haynes and Marshall might just be the best running back duo in the country.

After missing the game against Washington, Haynes was back and just as productive as he was pre-injury. During his stint on the injured list, however, Marshall got the chance to shine, putting together a really nice game against the Huskies. Now that they’re both healthy and confident, the duo will be even more foreboding for opposing defenses.

It was a bit of a weird game for freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. Just one week after his most complete performance against Washington, he took a step back against the Spartans. Part of this was due to the game script — he only threw the ball 17 times — but even when he did throw, he wasn’t as accurate, completing just eight passes for 86 yards.

Underwood is still quite young, and he’s learning on the fly each and every week. There’s no doubt that this game was full of learning experiences for the 18-year-old, and learning experiences are much easier to digest when they come in a win. 

Junior defensive back Jyaire Hill had an all-around very solid outing Saturday night. He was tasked with keeping Michigan State’s star wide receiver Nick Marsh in check, and Hill largely succeeded. He dropped a potential interception in the first quarter, but otherwise made very few mistakes.

Hill’s development into a reliable cornerback has been big for Michigan. He’s someone that the coaching staff trusts against the opponent’s No. 1 receiver, and he takes the challenge in stride. In the Wolverines’ young secondary, he’s emerging as the lead guy.

Following his best performance of the season last week, senior edge rusher Derrick Moore had yet another great game. For the second week in a row, he tallied two sacks, and he almost had three, but he had one erased in the fourth quarter due to a holding call.

It seems that Moore has found his footing in recent weeks, and that’s a big win for Michigan. The ability to make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable has been a large component of the Wolverines’ defensive success as of late, and they will continue to count on Moore to bring the pressure.

Michigan’s special teams have been shaky all season. Punt and kick returns have been the main culprits, and the same was true against Michigan State. On a punt, junior wide receiver Semaj Morgan called for a fair catch at the 5-yard line instead of letting it bounce into the end zone, or at worst, take the bounce further into positive territory. 

Similarly, after a penalty moved Michigan State’s kickoff back 15 yards, freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh called for a fair catch at the 8-yard line instead of taking it out with plenty of open space.

Senior punter Hudson Hollenbeck has also struggled with consistency, and that was also exemplified Saturday: He had a beautiful 67-yarder to pin the Spartans deep, but he also kicked a 32-yard dud.

Ultimately, the miscues didn’t cost Michigan, but in a closer game, small things like these can be the difference between a win and a loss.

Graduate edge rusher TJ Guy collected his first sack on the season…Tight end/fullbacks Jalen Hoffman and Max Bredeson both threw great blocks on Underwood’s touchdown run…Marsh continued to be solid in the passing game, catching three of his four targets for a team-leading 54 yards.

Graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley had another quiet game, catching just one of his six targets for nine yards…Morgan’s struggles with drops continued, as he dropped a possible third-down conversion.