Bryce Underwood took a deep shot on the first play from scrimmage and should have been intercepted. Nine plays later and 75 yards accumulated, Justice Haynes scored the first of eight touchdown runs on Saturday. On the next series, Semaj Morgan caught a pass near the boundary and made a conservative effort to land in bounds with both feet. He capped the drive with a 32-yard touchdown strike from his quarterback.
Michigan's third drive stalled, and they settled for a missed field goal by Dominic Zvada. His second miss in as many weeks for the normally automatic kicker. Three of the next four possessions resulted in touchdowns. The only one that wasn't was Underwood's errant pass to a double-covered receiver. Central Michigan turned it into their only points of the day with an 81-yard drive.
In the second, Michigan scored on all of its drives, besides the last one. Jadyn Davis led two of them. Going back to 2024, Davis has now been in charge of three touchdown drives as the quarterback, but still hasn't attempted a pass. Backups Bryson Kuzdzal and Jasper Parker visited the endzone for the first time in their careers.
Six different Wolverine ball carriers found the endzone on Saturday afternoon. They rushed for 300 yards more than the Chips. 381 yards rushing altogether, which was 242 yards more than Central Michigan had of total offense. Michigan football eclipsed the 600-yard mark on offense for the first time since 2016. The maize and blue also had five times as many first downs as the Chippewas did.
Here are three of the takeaways from the complete beatdown.
1. Michigan's sense of urgency was awfully necessary
From the onset, Michigan's attack was calculated. They let Bryce Underwood play free and unapologetic. He combined for 300 yards himself in the first two periods alone. In past experiences, Michigan has let its foot off the pedal and could have done the same when Central Michigan picked off Underwood, but they bogged down and showed no mercy.
Michigan's defense was unforgiving as well. Jaishawn Barham played like he had hoped to last week. Central Michigan had a season-low in total yardage and points. Underwood and Justice Haynes outrushed the Chippewas by themselves. The offensive line was missing two of its starters, but that didn't give them an excuse to slack off because it was a unequal opponent.
Haynes had a touchdown brought back because of a hold on Nathan Efobi to open the second half. It would have been the most explosive play of the game and sprung Haynes into the 200-yard rushing territory for his efforts. Jasper Parker flashed some signals that could win him the third running back spot in the rotation if something happens to Haynes or Jordan Marshall.
2. Bryce Underwood's restraints were unlocked
The freshman displayed his legs more then ever on Saturday. He was not afraid to run into contact, but he will surely be coached up on how to take a slide more often. He was the first guy, not named Justice Haynes to lead the Wolverines in rushing this season. He produced the longest rushing play of 28 yards on the drive that Dominic Zvada didn't obtain points for the Wolverines.
Central Michigan won't see a quarterback like him again and neither may Nebraska. This is the game plan that Michigan football has to use for him moving forward. He'll have a bye week to heal up for the October stretch. Let him run it freely on broken plays and toss it around when appropriate. Nebraska is not Oklahoma, but they have been stubborn against the three offenses that they have faced so far this season.
On the other side of the ball, the Cornhuskers surpassed 700 yards of offense on Akron. Dylan Raiola hasn't turned the ball over yet, but he has not had the pleasure of matching wits with a Wink Martindale defense. Raiola and Nebraska were 0-3 versus ranked foes in 2024.
3. Biff Poggi's words of wisdom were a delight
The interim coach was adamant about his praise and support of Sherrone Moore. He said before and afterwards that this was about their leader and the players they coach. In return it's easy to see why coach Moore and everyone entrenched within this program chose him to be the man to manage this team for the next two weeks.
In the postgame, Poggi was asked about Underwood, and he said he thinks he's "Batman". He looked the part with his arm and legs on Saturday in the Big House. It's fair game to say that following a blowout of a MAC school, but if Underwood plays to his strengths like he did against the Chips, then Michigan will be in the hunt for a Big Ten title.
It's a shame that it didn't work out for Poggi at Charlotte, but he has a home in Ann Arbor. Coach Moore should be proud of how he represented himself and how his team responded after last week's questionable effort. As for a person on the outside of the organization, it is hard not to root for a guy like Poggi. He is very likable.