• The Wolverines begin Big Ten play this weekend at Nebraska.
• First-time starters against Central Michigan included right guard Jake Guarnera, tight end Zack Marshall, and defensive back Jayden Sanders, a freshman. Eighty-seven (87) players appeared in the game. Altogether, 12 Wolverines have made their first career start or first start at U-M so far this year.
• Against Central Michigan, running back Justice Haynes posted his third consecutive 100-yard game to begin the season (159, 125, 104 yards), the longest streak of 100-yard games since Blake Corum posted eight consecutive 100-yard efforts during the 2022 campaign.
• Haynes is the first U-M back to begin his Michigan career with three consecutive 100-yard performances. Seven of his 49 carries (14.3 percent) have gone for 10-plus yards, and he’s credited with 13 missed tackles forced by Pro Football Focus (fourth, Big Ten).
• Haynes has ripped off runs of 56, 59, and 75 yards so far in his U-M career. He currently ranks sixth in the country in rushing yards per game (129.3) and rushing touchdowns (five).
• Quarterback Bryce Underwood racked up 114 rushing yards (on nine carries) and two rushing touchdowns to lead the Wolverines against CMU for the most productive ground game of his young career. It was the first time a U-M quarterback had at least 100 rushing yards in a game since Devin Gardner (121) against Penn State in 2013.
• Underwood joined a short list of U-M signal callers who have run for 100-plus yards and scored multiple rushing touchdowns: Denard Robinson (four times), Rick Leach, and Michael Taylor (once each).
• The list of quarterbacks with 200-plus passing yards, 100-plus rushing yards, and at least one passing and one rushing touchdown in the same game is even shorter: Denard Robinson (twice), Devin Gardner, and Underwood.
• Seven different players found the end zone for the Wolverines against CMU last weekend, and eight players have scored on the season. For five U-M ball carriers, last weekend’s trip to the end zone was the first of their careers: Jordan Marshall, Bryson Kuzdzal, Jasper Parker, Andrew Marsh and Underwood.
• The rushing offense is ranked 15th in the country, averaging 242.7 yards per game. The Wolverines scored on the ground eight times against CMU, one shy of tying the program record for rushing touchdowns in a game.
• In total, the Wolverines posted 616 yards (381 rushing, 235 receiving), the most in a single game since totaling 660 yards against Maryland in 2016. The Wolverines’ 63 points were a program-high since posting the same number against Northern Illinois in 2021. The 35 first downs picked up by the offense are tied-second-most in a single game all-time.
• Explosive plays were not a strength for the U-M offense in 2024, but the Wolverines have ripped off 18 plays of 20-plus yards on offense through three weeks of the 2025 season (six in week one, four in week two, eight in week three). Justice Haynes leads the team with four such plays (all rushes), and six players have two each.
• Michigan is winning the turnover battle so far this season (7:2), having generated five interceptions (one thrown by U-M) with two fumble recoveries (one lost by U-M). The defense has forced multiple turnovers in all three games this year.
• Defensively, the Wolverines are limiting teams to 2.6 yards per rush on 101 attempts. Oklahoma (two touchdowns) is the only team to score on the ground so far.
• Opponents have combined to score only one field goal in fourth quarters this year. U-M has permitted only two touchdowns and one field goal across three second halves.
• Linebacker Ernest Hausmann is pacing the defense with 20 tackles through three games, four clear of the next-closest defender (Jimmy Rolder). Each of the team’s top three tacklers, and four of the top five overall (Cole Sullivan, 13; Jaishawn Barham, 12), are in the linebacker room.
• U-M’s five defensive interceptions rank sixth in the country. Five different players have U-M’s five picks: Elijah Dotson, T.J. Guy, Brandyn Hillman, TJ Metcalf, and Cole Sullivan.
• Through three games, 13 different players have an interception or pass breakup: two linebackers, two defensive linemen, and nine defensive backs. Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, Brandyn Hillman, and Jaden Mangham have two apiece, tied for the team lead.
• Punter Hudson Hollenbeck has effectively limited return yards from opponents. Five of his 10 punts have been fair caught or out of bounds, allowing no return yards. Three punts have been returned, totaling two yards gained (0.7 average).
