The Michigan Wolverines had been searching for a fully complementary game seemingly all season. They had games where only one (or neither) side of the ball would show up. It finally happened Saturday against Northwestern.

Offense

Michigan put up 396 total yards of offense, their first 300+-yard game since their 21-7 to Illinois on October 19th.

While it wasn’t their best day of the season running the ball, they ran it with relative ease when they stuck with it. Kalel Mullings gained 92 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, while Donovan Edwards tallied another 65 on 10 carries. The Wolverines rushed for 201 yards on the day and nearly hit six yards-per-carry (5.7).

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Despite a mostly disappointing season, the Michigan Wolverines capitalized on their recent recruiting momentum to deliver their biggest victory of the season, cruising to a 50-6 win over the Northwestern Wildcats. This win pushed the Wolverines to 6-5, securing a bowl game berth. In their win, their best offensive player set a new Michigan record. […]

The story of the game has to be Davis Warren. While he did throw his first interception since Week 3, overall Wareen looked vastly more comfortable running the offense than he had in any other game this season for Michigan. Warren completed passes to 11 (!) different receivers on his way to a 26-of-35 and 195-yard performance. He wasn’t perfect, but it was a performance he can build off of heading into next week.

Perhaps most remarkable was Michigan’s efficiency on third down. The Wolverines went 11-16 on third down and converted their only fourth down try of the game.

Michigan was able to hold onto the ball for almost 36 minutes of game time, giving their defense plenty of time to rest. They capitalized on that.

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Defense

It’s not hyperbole to say this was Michigan’s best game of the season defensively, and it’s what they probably should have looked like all season.

The Wolverines tallied seven sacks, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, and recorded a safety as they completely dominated the hapless Wildcats’ offense.

Northwestern had just 127 total yards of offense and ten total rushing yards. Yes. Ten. On 25 carries. That's 0.4 yards per carry. 

The Wildcats converted just five of their 14 third-down tries on the day and looked totally out-gunned all game.

After allowing just 18 total yards in the second half against Indiana, the defense carried that momentum into this week against Northwestern.

They’ll need it to keep Ohio State in check next week. 

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Special Teams

Michigan kept its special teams on the sideline for most of the game, but several players stood out when they were called upon.

Jordan Marshall returned one kick but returned it for a 63-yard gain that set up Michigan's last touchdown of the day.  

Punter Tommy Doman punted just once for a 48-yarder. 

Perhaps most impressive is kicker Dominic Zvada. A candidate to be the first kicker drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, Zvada nailed a 56-yard field goal in the first quarter. He nailed both of his field goals and all five of his extra points. Zvada has a great case to be made for the best kicker in the country. 

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Ready to be Underdogs

After the game, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore discussed The Game next week as the Wolverines prepare to take on Ohio State as a likely massive underdog. 

"It’s everything. Our building, it’s all over the place. We think about it 365, so it’s the most important thing to us. Our No. 1 goal now, obviously there’s stuff we’ve got to do off the field, but our No. 1 now is to go prepare to go win that game next week.”

Michigan might be underdogs, but they've regained their confidence and are looking to play spoiler on Ohio State in Columbus next week.