A dominant defensive line, a punishing run game and a quarterback who made enough plays to get the job done.
No. 20 Michigan used a familiar formula in a 30-27 win on the road at Nebraska on Saturday, a game that was kept close only because of some self-inflicted wounds committed by the Maize and Blue.
The Wolverines owned the line of scrimmage for a full four quarters against the Cornhuskers. On defense, Michigan sacked Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola seven times, the program’s highest single-game mark in three years. Jaishawn Barham (two sacks), Derrick Moore (1.5 sacks) and Rayshawn Benny (1.5 sacks) led the defensive effort for the Maize and Blue, which limited Nebraska to 43 rushing yards. Linebacker Cole Sullivan had his best game as a Wolverine with six tackles, including a tackle-for-loss, and an interception.
On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines bullied the Cornhuskers to the tune of 286 rushing yards, including rushing touchdowns of 37, 75 and 54 yards from three different players (Bryce Underwood, Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, respectively). In the storied history of Michigan football, no player had ever run for 100 yards in each of their first three career games wearing the Maize and Blue. Haynes has now done it in his first four games after exploding for 149 yards on 17 carries today in Lincoln. Marshall, meanwhile, had his best game of the season with 80 yards on just six carries.
Underwood had a modest but misleading stat line for Michigan, finishing with just 105 passing yards after completing 12-of-22 attempts against what has been a Top 10 pass defense in Nebraska this season. The freshman added 61 rushing yards, and was the victim of at least four drops from his wide receivers, including one that would have resulted in a touchdown.
Despite being pressured throughout the game, Raiola made his presence known for Nebraska, throwing for 308 yards and three touchdowns while completing 30-of-41 pass attempts. The Cornhuskers also benefitted from two big blunders by Michigan, including a 52-yard, ‘Hail Mary’ touchdown right at the end of the half, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that kept a Nebraska drive alive and resulted in a field goal in the third quarter.
Without those mistakes, and the aforementioned dropped touchdown pass, this could have easily turned into a rout for the Wolverines. Regardless, Michigan (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) returns home with a signature road victory as they enter a bye week.
Full highlights from the Wolverines’ 30-27 win over Nebraska can be viewed below:
FINAL: Michigan 30, Nebraska 27
Dylan Raiola finds Heinrich Haarberg on 3-yard TD pass: Michigan 30, Nebraska 27
Trailing by two possessions, Nebraska mounted a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to cut Michigan’s lead to three points, but the Wolverines made the Cornhuskers earn it. The drive ate up over two minutes of game clock, and Michigan has the ball back after a failed Nebraska onside kick with under two minutes to play.
Michigan puts together 16-play drive, adds a short FG to boost lead: Wolverines 30, Cornhuskers 20
Michigan put together a 16-play, 77-yard drive that ate up nearly nine minutes of game clock. It ended with a short field goal from Dominic Zvada to give the Wolverines a two-possession lead with under four minutes remaining in the game. The Wolverines came up with three third down conversions, each of which can be viewed below.
Nebraska makes it a one-possession game with 38-yard FG: Michigan 27, Nebraska 20
The Wolverines had ALL of the momentum in the third quarter, before safety Brandyn Hillman extended a Nebraska three-and-out with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting the Cornhuskers’ sideline. That mistake kept Nebraska’s offense on the field, and the Huskers ended up with a field goal later in the drive to cut into Michigan’s lead.
Michigan’s Jordan Marshall explodes for 54-yard TD run: Michigan 27, Nebraska 17
Law and Order!
Michigan running back Jordan Marshall explodes for a 54-yard touchdown run, extending the Wolverines’ lead to 10 points. He joins his running mate in the U-M backfield, Justice Haynes, who has three rushing touchdowns of more than 50 yards this season.
Dominic Zvada hits 56-yard FG: Michigan 20, Nebraska 17
Michigan takes the lead in the third quarter, as kicker Dominic Zvada connects on a 56-yard field goal to put the Wolverines in front.
Nebraska scores on ‘Hail Mary’ to end first half: Michigan 17, Nebraska 17
An insane end to the first half in Lincoln.
It look as though Michigan would take a touchdown lead into the locker room at halftime, but Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule called a timeout with one second left to give his quarterback a shot at a ‘Hail Mary’. It paid off, as Dylan Raiola connected with Jacory Barney Jr. from 52 yards away for a touchdown.
Tough, tough way for the Wolverines’ defense to end the half, after they had played well through the first 30 minutes of action.
Justice Haynes rips off 75-yard TD run: Michigan 17, Nebraska 0
The Wolverines strike back! Just one play after Nebraska tied the game, Michigan tailback Justice Haynes rips off a 75-yard explosion to give the lead right back to the Maize and Blue. It’s the third rushing touchdown of 50 yards or more for Haynes already this season.
Dylan Raiola finds Jacory Barney Jr. for 27-yard TD pass: Michigan 10, Nebraska 10
Another 3rd-and-long, and a blown coverage this time for the Michigan defense allows Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola to find Jacory Barney Jr. for a 27-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Michigan sacks Dylan Raiola again, Nebraska settles for a FG: Wolverines 10, Cornhuskers 3
Bryce Underwood fumbles, Cornhuskers take over: Michigan 10, Nebraska 0
A freshman mistake for Bryce Underwood, who scrambled to avoid a sack but didn’t secure the football while being tackled. He fumbles, Nebraska recovers and the Cornhuskers take over near midfield.
Michigan LB Cole Sullivan grabs INT; Bryce Underwood runs for 37-yard touchdown: Michigan 10, Nebraska 0
Momentum is firmly on the side of the Wolverines as the first quarter winds down in Lincoln, Neb. Michigan came away with the first turnover the game when cornerback Jyaire Hill broke up a pass attempt from Cornhusker QB Dylan Raiola, and linebacker Cole Sullivan intercepted the pass off the deflection.
On the very next play, Michigan QB Bryce Underwood ran for 37 yards on a draw play to increase the Wolverines lead to 10-0.
Wolverines miss opportunity for TD, settle for 46-yard field goal: Michigan 3, Nebraska 0
Michigan had two plays dialed up for touchdowns on their second drive, but couldn’t execute. First, Chip Lindsey dialed up a double-pass that left wide receiver Donaven McCulley wide open for a walk-in score, but WR Semaj Morgan’s pass attempt came up short. Then, on third down, quarterback Bryce Underwood threw a perfect ball to a well-covered Channing Goodwin, who dropped the pass in the endzone. As a result, the Wolverines settled for a 46-yard field goal from Dominic Zvada.
Another stop for Wolverines; Cornhuskers miss 44-yard FG: Michigan 0, Nebraska 0
Michigan’s defense comes up with another stop in the red zone, as linebacker Jaishawn Barham came up with a sack of Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola on 3rd-and-7 inside the 20 and the Cornhuskers missed the subsequent field goal to keep the game scoreless.
Wolverines makes a stand on 4th down: Michigan 0, Nebraska 0
Michigan’s defense was knocked on its heels a bit on the opening possession of the game, but stood tall when it mattered most, stuffing Nebraska on 4th and 2 inside their own 10-yard line.
Injury Report
What channel is Michigan vs. Nebraska on today?
Michigan vs Nebraska will be broadcast nationally on CBS in Week 4 of the 2025 college football season. Brad Nessler and Gary Danoielson will call the game from the booth at Memorial Stadium, with Jenny Dell reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include Paramount+, CBS’s subscription streaming service, and FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Michigan vs. Nebraska time today
The Michigan vs Nebraska game starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
Michigan vs Nebraska predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, September 19, 2025.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan’s run game, D-line lift Wolverines over Nebraska: Highlights
Reporting by Matthew Lounsberry, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
