The No. 20 Michigan football team (4-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) handled business against a floundering Wisconsin team (2-3, 0-2), forcing eight total punts from the Badgers, including a stretch of seven in a row. The Wolverines offense woke up in the second half and did enough to secure the 24-10 victory.
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood had his most complete passing performance of his young career thus far, throwing 19-for-28 for 270 yards and a touchdown. Graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley accounted for a good chunk of that production. He hauled in six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, providing a much-needed spark in the receiver room.
The rust from the bye week showed for the Wolverines in the game’s opening drive, as the Badgers methodically worked down the field. The 12-play, 75-yard drive ended with a touchdown, giving Wisconsin an early 7-0 lead.
Michigan quickly responded, however, ripping off a five-play touchdown drive. Junior running back Justice Haynes gained an early 54 rush yards on the drive and scored the one-yard touchdown untouched to tie the game at 7-7.
Both teams’ defenses settled in after allowing touchdowns to open the game, and the next five possessions ended with a punt, three from the Badgers and two from the Wolverines. After the early success, both teams were struggling to establish any rhythm on offense.
The Wolverines broke the trend first. Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh, who earned his first start, made an impressive 32-yard catch on the right sideline to get into field goal range.
Senior kicker Dominic Zvada knocked through a 40-yard field goal to give Michigan the 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
Entering halftime, the score remained at 10-7, and both teams certainly had things they wanted to clean up. After its opening-drive touchdown, Wisconsin ended the half with five straight punts, unable to put together any substantive offense. While Michigan secured its field goal, its offense still looked out of sorts and disjointed as well.
The Wolverines offense on the first drive of the second half looked much smoother than it did in the first half. Underwood continued to connect with Marsh, completing two more passes for 39 yards to his fellow freshman. Ultimately, though, the drive ended in a missed 27-yard field goal, holding the score steady.
After the promising start to the half, the teams returned to trading punts as it had most of the game. Both defenses were suffocating, and neither offense could get anything going. That is, until McCulley made some massive plays.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Underwood tossed a 33-yard jump ball to McCulley. McCulley made an acrobatic grab and just got his left foot down in bounds to secure the catch. Two plays later, McCulley broke away from several tackles for his first touchdown of the year to put his squad up 17-7.
This touchdown seemed to energize the Wolverines. On the third play of Wisconsin’s next drive, graduate defensive back Rod Moore hauled in an interception deep down the right sideline. It was Moore’s first interception since his iconic game-sealing one against Ohio State in 2023. Moore spent the last 18 months recovering from a knee injury, and only just returned in Week 4 against Nebraska.
Michigan couldn’t capitalize, failing to convert a fourth-and-2 in Wisconsin territory and giving the ball back to the Badgers, but the momentum was firmly on the Wolverines’ side.
Just as it had all game, though, Michigan’s defense shut down Wisconsin’s offense, forcing its eighth punt in its last nine drives. And this time, the Wolverines took advantage.
Haynes capped off the six-play 61-yard drive with another one yard touchdown rush, and Michigan took a 24-7 lead with just over nine minutes to play.
The Badgers tacked on a field goal to make the score 24-10 with 2:43 remaining in the contest, but it was much too little, much too late. After Wisconsin’s unsuccessful onside kick, Michigan was able to drain the rest of the clock, keeping the Wolverines undefeated in conference play.
