On Saturday against Washington, it "felt like Michigan football" as the Wolverines defeated Washington 24-7 thanks to a dominant 17-0 run to end the game.
However, after getting stopped on fourth-and-two deep in Washington territory, and punting on 4th and inches after a poor spot on a Bryce Underwood run, it felt like things could be turning in the Huskies' favor with a quarter and a half to play.
That's when Cole Sullivan changed the game. The sophomore notched his third interception of the season and his fourth turnover play, putting Michigan in a position to score. A Jordan Marshall touchdown run put the Wolverines in front.
Jimmy Rolder, another linebacker, came up with an interception soon after. A third-and-11 strike by Bryce Underwood eventually got the Wolverines in scoring range before throwing his second touchdown of the day to Zach Marshall.
A Dominic Zvada field goal after a turnover on downs sealed the 24-7 win over the 5-1 Huskies. Michigan has two losses but two wins over 5-2 teams. The Wolverines have one loss in the Big Ten. If they win out, which includes beating Ohio State, this team can make the playoff and probably the Big Ten title game.
All the goals are still on the table and here are five things we learned from the Wolverines win.
Michigan is still Michigan
Whether it was Joel Klatt, Sherrone Moore, or others, the takeaway from Saturday's win was the same: Michigan looks like Michigan again.
The offense rushed for 187 yards and held Washington to 40. That's really what won the game and during the years of 2021-2023, that was often the story, too.
Bryce Underwood was special. We'll get to that. Michigan forced three turnovers, sacked Demond Williams Jr. twce and limited him to -19 yards rushing, under 200 total after he had over 500 total yards just a week ago against Rutgers.
The defensive line was physical. Michigan's offensive line, despite what looks like a season-ending injury to Evan Link, more than held its own. Washington was scoring 39 points per game coming in. It was one of the most underrated teams in the country, and Michigan won by 17.
If the Wolverines didn't come up empty on three possessions inside the 40, the win would have been even more lopsided. Yet, even without Rod Moore, Brandyn Hillman, Justice Haynes, Marlin Klein, and Hogan Hansen -- four starters and a key role player before Evan Link went down -- and didn't skip a beat.
That tells you a lot about this culture and this program. Fans were freaking out last week. Turns out, that was an overreaction.
Bryce Underwood is growing up as a quarterback
Bryce Underwood missed a pass on the first drive, then he didn't miss another again, basically for the rest of the game.
Underwood had one incompletion on that first drive. He had just six in a 21-of-27 performance that went for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't come close to an interception and also ran for 25 yards, including a 17-yard first-down run.
Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey had a great plan. Bryce looked comfortable from the jump. If it wasn't for four drops, he would have completed 92 percent of his throws for over 300 yards.
That's incredible for a true freshman. The way he takes care of the ball is impressive, too. Bryce has two interceptions and one fumble in seven games. He's not making mistakes. Underwood is also making eye-opening throws.
Underwood rifled the ball into some tight windows. The third-and-11 completion is one that maybe one other Michigan quarterback in the past 20 years -- J.J. McCarthy could have completed. That's how good it was.
Underwood is getting better each week. His RPO reads were sharp. I'd like to see him keep on the zone read another time or two. However, it's hard not to be over-the-moon excited about this performance.
The freshman had a game that would have been impressive for a junior. He's looking more and more polished each week, and man, it will be fun to watch his development over the next five games.
Jordan Marshall could be RB1
We always thought that Michigan football had two starting running backs on this roster. Jordan Marshall reinforced that belief on Saturday.
It has taken some time for Marshall to get going. Yet, he rushed for 61 yards last week and also had a long touchdown run against Nebraska.
The sophomore running back from Cincinnati, Ohio, has been rounding into form. It was a bummer to be without Justice Haynes, who has been the best running back in college football this season, but Marshall finally looked like the guy we saw in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Marshall only had a long run of 14 yards. Yet, he finished with 133 yards on 25 carries. He just refused to go down, pushing the pile forward each and every time. It was impressive. It showed that Marshall is more than capable of carrying the load.
You get the feeling that Haynes will be heading to the NFL draft after this season, but even so, with Marshall and Savion Hiter coming in next season, the Wolverines running back room is in a healthy place moving forward.
And going forward, this rush offense could be the best in the Big Ten. Michigan might have the best running back tandem in the conference, too.
Wink can adjust
Sherrone Moore said some tough conversations were had this week. It feels like one of those had to be had with Wink Martindale.
It's fine to have exotic stuff if your players can execute it. Michigan football wasn't executing. So the Wolverines simplified their approach. Martindale still blitzed on 30 percent of the downs, and it hurt Michigan at times.
Yet, the Wolverines shut out an elite offense in the second half. Make no mistake about Washington the Huskies are dynamic. Jonah Coleman was leading the Big Ten in touchdown runs. UW has legit receivers, too. They aren't Ohio State good, but this was a challenge and Michigan was up to it.
Williams was running for over 60 yards a game. Michigan held him to -19. One week after more than 500 total yards against Rutgers, Williams had 191 against Michigan.
It's not getting the same amount of publicity, but this performance was on par with Alabama and Ohio State last season. Michigan should have a ranked win, but regardless of that, if Michigan defends the way it did in the second half, when it forced three takeaways, or the fourth quarter, when it held Washington to -8 yards, it can beat anyone on the schedule.
The offensive line has a bright future
Injuries have been an issue for this Michigan football team all season. The injury bug struck again when Link suffered a non-contact injury.
It hasn't been confirmed that Link is out for the season. But it feels like that will be the case. Michigan already has two redshirt freshmen starting on the offensive line, Andrew Sprague and Jake Guarnera.
Blake Frazier, a redshirt freshman who was ranked No. 159 overall in the 2024 class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, more than held his own. He didn't allow a pressure and was Michigan's highest-rated pass blocker.
The 6-foot-6 offensive tackle from Texas, has been playing as the extra offensive lineman. But if continues to pass protect like that, it wil be tough to get him off the field, this season, or in the future.
Michigan will graduate Greg Crippen and Giovanni El-Hadi after this season, but with Frazier, Guarnera, Sprague, Link, Andrew Babalola, Ty Haywood, Avery Gach, and others coming in the 2026 recruiting class, the future of the offensive line is bright, and with a superstar in the making at quarterback, that's really encouraging.