Third Matchup for the George Jewett Trophy
Today’s game will be the third matchup played for the George Jewett Trophy, the first rivalry trophy named for an African American player in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history. Michigan won the inaugural meeting for the trophy in 2021 (33-7) and won last year’s matchup (50-6). Both games were played at Michigan Stadium.
Wolverines and Wildcats
This will be the 78th meeting between Michigan and Northwestern. The Wolverines hold a 60-15-2 advantage in the all-time series and have won 35 of the last 39 games played between the two schools. U-M has a 37-6-2 record against Northwestern in games played in Ann Arbor and is 23-7 in contests played in Evanston.
Michigan and Northwestern at Wrigley Field
The two programs will play at historic Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, this season as Ryan Field is in the midst of construction on Northwestern’s campus. This will be the first time the two schools will matchup at Wrigley.
The last time that Michigan played in a baseball stadium was 2008, a 29-6 victory over Minnesota at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome during its final season as the home of the Gophers. U-M posted a 12-0 record at the venue during the 27 seasons that the HHH Metrodome served as the home of Minnesota football (1982-2008). Prior to that stretch, the last game played at a baseball stadium came in 1950 as No. 1 Army defeated No. 18 Michigan by a 27-6 score at Yankee Stadium.
• The U-M offense has tallied 42 plays of 20-plus yards on offense (25 receiving, 17 rushing) through eight weeks (six in week one, four, eight, three, seven, one, three, four, five). Andrew Marsh leads the team with 10 such plays (nine receiving, one rushing) on offense. He also has four via kickoff return.
• The offensive line has paved the way for 24 touchdowns on the ground so far this year while allowing only 12 sacks against in the pass game. The unit has employed five different starting lineups in nine games due to injuries.
• The offense is permitting opposing defenses to create an average of 3.67 negative plays per game, ranking U-M ninth nationally in tackles for loss allowed.
• Running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall form a one-two punch. Whichever back starts for U-M has reached at least 100 yards rushing with at least one touchdown in eight of nine contests this year (159, 125, 104, 149, 117, 152 yards for Haynes; 133, 185 yards for Marshall), with the lone exception being at USC when Haynes left with an injury.
• Marshall is a plus-yardage rusher and pile-dragger. He has just one yard lost on 124 carries this year, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Haynes (121) and Marshall (124) are near even in carries this season.
• The Michigan run game is 12th in the FBS, averaging 223.8 yards per contest. U-M has 200-plus yards in five contests, including 250-plus yards in four.
• Six different players have scored on the ground this year, led by Justice Haynes, who ranks 17th in the nation with 10 rushing touchdowns despite missing nearly three full games. Jordan Marshall has eight scores on the ground.
• Haynes’ 857 total rushing yards are the third-most in the Big Ten (16th, FBS), despite Haynes ranking ninth in carries across the league. Even though he missed most of the contest at USC and all of the games against Washington and Purdue, Haynes is second nationally in rushing yards per game (122.4), averaging 7.08 yards per carry (fifth, FBS).
• Marshall now ranks fifth in the Big Ten (38th, FBS) with 729 rushing yards.
• U-M leads the FBS in rushing plays of 50-plus yards (seven), six of which have gone for touchdowns. Haynes (four, tied-third) and Marshall (three, tied-seventh) both rank among the nation’s leaders in runs of 50-plus yards.
• Quarterback Bryce Underwood is averaging 5.3 yards per carry with three touchdowns of his own. Adjusted for sacks, Underwood averages 7.3 yards per carry (40 rushes for 292 yards).
• Altogether, U-M has 10 separate 100-yard rushing performances on the year (Haynes, 6; Marshall, 3; Underwood, 1).
• Underwood’s 60.9 percent completion rating (134-of-220 passing) comes with an average of 7.59 yards per attempt and a pass efficiency rating of 132.5. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 12.47 yards per completion.
• Tight ends have combined to catch 34 passes for 410 yards this season (12.1 yards per catch). Five different players in the room have caught a pass.
• U-M is winning the turnover battle with a 16:8 ratio (four fumbles lost, four interceptions), ranked 10th-best in the country. U-M’s 16 turnovers gained rank 18th across the FBS.
• U-M has at least one turnover forced in every game this season, and multiple turnovers in five of nine contests.
• On the defensive side of the turnover battle, Cole Sullivan leads the team with four turnovers forced (three interceptions, one fumble recovery). Sullivan is one of nine U-M linebackers to record three or more interceptions in a season and the first since Steve Morrison in 1991. Morrison’s five picks that season are a single-season record for linebackers at U-M.
• U-M is ranked 19th in total defense; only three opponents (Oklahoma, USC, MSU) have eclipsed 300 yards of total offense against the Maize and Blue.
• Nine different players have U-M’s 11 picks: Zeke Berry, Elijah Dotson, T.J. Guy, Brandyn Hillman, TJ Metcalf, Jacob Oden, Rod Moore, Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan (three).
• Through nine games, 18 different players have an interception or pass breakup: four linebackers, three defensive linemen, and 10 defensive backs. Zeke Berry leads the defense with six passes defended (five breakups, one interception). The Wolverines are fifth in the Big Ten in total pass breakups (passes defended plus interceptions) with 29 (Oregon, 41).
• The pass rush has averaged 2.67 quarterback takedowns per game (18th, FBS). U-M’s 24 sacks generated are tied-fourth in the Big Ten; Central Michigan (fifth-highest rushing rate across FBS) is the only team to escape without a sack taken against the Wolverines.
• That figure has helped pad a TFL rank of 23rd nationally, with the defense averaging 6.7 negative plays per contest. Derrick Moore leads the team with 8.5 sacks and 9.0 TFL.
• Moore’s recent performances have vaulted him up to seventh nationally (0.94 per game). That figure ranks tied for the most among Big Ten players, and first outright in conference play.
• Derrick Moore has three consecutive games with multiple sacks for the first time in his career, marking the first time a Wolverine has achieved that feat since LaMarr Woodley in 2006 (2.0 each at Penn State, vs. Iowa, vs. Northwestern).
• Moore has entered the top 10 all-time at Michigan with 19.5 career sacks (ninth). Tim Jamison (20) is eighth on the list, followed by four players tied with 24 career sacks.
• The defense has also done a good job of ensuring minimal big-play opportunities for opponents. On the ground, opponents have 25 rushes of 10-plus yards, tied for the 11th-fewest across the FBS. Opponents have no rushes of 50-plus yards.
• Opponents have completed one pass of 50-plus yards, making U-M one of seven teams to allow one 50-plus yard play (rushing and passing combined) or fewer. The others are Army, Central Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, TCU and Washington State (seven total).
• The rushing defense is ranked 12th, allowing 100.2 yards per contest and 3.0 yards per carry on 296 rushes.
• Linebacker Ernest Hausmann is pacing the defense with 66 tackles through nine games, followed by Jimmy Rolder (52). TJ Metcalf leads the secondary (35 stops) and Rayshaun Benny (21) has the most among interior defensive linemen.
• Opponents are not finding much success in the red zone against the Wolverines. U-M allows points in 76.9 percent of red zone drives, the 22nd-stingiest mark in the nation.
