Michigan destroyed Nebraska on Saturday, 56-10, and now turns its attention to a road trip to Northwestern this upcoming weekend.
Before we focus on the Wildcats, though, we take a second look back at the demolition of the Cornhuskers with some Monday Morning Quarterbacking.
Key Moment of the Game:
Nebraska was driving into Michigan territory on its first possession of the game, when fifth-year senior defensive tackle Lawrence Marshall tipped a pass from freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez, and it fell into the hands of diving junior safety Josh Metellus.
The pick was only the beginning of the Wolverines' dominance on the afternoon, as both Metellus and fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich expressed after the game that they felt the Nebraska players quit following that initial turnover.
Judging by the way they played the rest of the contest, it's hard to argue with that assessment.
Three Things That Worked:
1. Defensive front seven
Michigan's defense couldn't have played a much better game, limiting the Cornhuskers to just 39 rushing yards, including 1.3 per carry. They also racked up four sacks and 14 tackles for loss against a Nebraska offensive line that had no answer for what U-M was bringing.
2. Rushing attack
Michigan's offensive line played far and away its best game of the season, opening up holes they hadn't ever shown they were capable of doing. U-M racked up 285 yards on the ground, including 136 from senior running back Karan Higdon.
3. Offensive play calling
Wolverine players insisted last week there was still plenty the offense hadn't shown yet this season, and that came to fruition in some ways on Saturday. The staff showed looks it hadn't before (sophomore fullback Ben Mason lining up as a running back being a main one), and it led to a balanced (30 rushes, 24 passes) and successful attack.
Three Things That Didn't Work:
1. Penalty issues
After committing 13 penalties last week against SMU, Michigan endured eight more against the Cornhuskers. The high amount of flags is becoming an issue for the Wolverines, especially when considering they have now been called for targeting three times this year (two coming from junior viper Khaleke Hudson).
2. Brandon Peters' play
This one is nit-picky, but that's simply because there's not much to choose from. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brandon Peters did not help his case to surpass redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey as the team's backup, tossing an interception late in the fourth quarter in what was one of U-M's few mistakes on the day.
3. N/A
