LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Much of the focus leading into No. 21 Michigan’s visit to Nebraska centered on how Bryce Underwood would perform in his first Big Ten road opener after he struggled two weeks ago at Oklahoma.

Never mind his modest passing numbers in Saturday’s 30-27 win. The five-star freshman was more than good enough on a day he and running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall turned long runs into touchdowns and the defense sacked Dylan Raiola seven times.

“He made some excellent throws. He made some excellent runs,” Michigan acting coach Biff Poggi said. “The thing you don’t see is his poise and leadership in the huddle and on the sideline. I’m not exaggerating, there was not a doubt in anyone’s mind on our sideline at any point that we weren’t winning that game. And he was a big part of that.”

Underwood was just 12-of-22 passing for 105 yards but scored the Wolverines’ first touchdown on a 37-yard run and extended his team’s last scoring drive with a key third-down pass and a scramble.

Haynes rushed for 149 yards, including a 75-yarder where he went untouched late in the first half, and Marshall ran for 80 yards, including a 54-yarder that gave Michigan a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines finished with 286 yards on the ground, the most against Nebraska since Oklahoma ran for 312 in 2022.

“Just too many big plays to win a football game like that,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “We battled, and I appreciate that from the guys. It wasn’t enough.”

Raiola’s 52-yard Hail Mary to Jacory Barney Jr. for a touchdown to end the first half tied it 17-all and gave the Cornhuskers momentum. Michigan wasn’t fazed.

“I know it’s 17-17, but physically, we’re beating the snot out of them, and we’re turning this into a heavyweight fight, and that’s going to be to our big advantage in the second half,” Poggi said he told the team. “And I think it was.”

The Huskers managed just a field goal in the second half until Raiola led them on a 75-yard drive to make it a three-point game with 1:34 left.

Michigan (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) recovered the onside kick, picked up a first down and ran out the clock.

Nebraska (3-1, 0-1) lost its sixth straight Big Ten opener and 28th consecutive game against a Top 25 opponent.

Raiola was 30 of 41 for 308 yards and three touchdowns, the first quarterback to throw for 300 yards against Michigan since Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell in 2022. Raiola threw his first interception of the season and was pressured the entire game as Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale sent blitzes from a variety of angles.

“Wink Martindale, we’re going to put him in bubble wrap on the plane on the way back so nothing happens to him,” Poggi said. “Our defensive kids played so hard. They never gave up. The whole team never gave up.”

Barney caught six balls for 120 yards and two TDs, but the Huskers netted only 43 yards on the ground because of the sacks and converted only 2 of 12 third downs.

Michigan linebacker Ernest Hausmann said said he and his defensive teammates thrive with Martindale putting them in position to succeed.

“It’s having people in the defense that bought into the system, bought into how he does things,” Hausmann said. “This allows us to play fast, be free. When you trust, something’s gonna be huge.”

The takeaway

Michigan: Underwood fared better than he did in his first road start, a 24-13 loss at Oklahoma on Sept. 6, but his passing continues to be a work in progress. Poggi now turns the team back over to Moore, whose two-game suspension ends.

Nebraska: The Huskers’ losing streak against Top 25 opponents is second-longest among power-conference teams. Rutgers has lost 41 in a row.

Up next

Both teams have open dates next week. Michigan hosts Wisconsin on Oct. 4 and Nebraska hosts Michigan State the same day.

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