What they're saying about Michigan's win over Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Michigan Wolverines moved to 1-0 in Big Ten play and 3-1 on the season with Saturday’s 30-27 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The outing drew several reactions from those on the field, the local media for both teams, and national pundits who watched it unfold.

Here is a roundup of some of the reactions from Saturday afternoon.

Michigan associate head coach Biff Poggi

“The statement was, I think, multifaceted. First of all, we love our coach. He’s our coach, he’s our coach for a reason. He recruited the team, he prepares the team. That was the first statement. And then the second statement was there’s this narrative going around that we can’t win on the road, and that was a statement. A little bit of a narrative like, hey, if it’s a really lively hard place to play, we kind of — we’re not finishing those games. I think a lot of that was a statement today.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule

“I don’t like where we’re at right now. I feel like someone hit me with a hammer right now. I wanted to win the football game, and I thought we would win the football game. It’s like anything else. There are things that were exposed that have to be improved, or we won’t be the team that we want to be. There are other things that I thought were excellent … I thought the guys competed. The other team … Michigan competed, as well. I thought that was a good Big Ten football game. We just we came out on the wrong end of it.”

Ryan Van Bergen, TheWolverine.com postgame show

Michigan football alum reacts to Nebraska win: ‘A sign of good things to come’

 ”This was the bounce back that you needed to see from the first away game at Oklahoma, especially offensively. I thought that you saw us be a little bit more creative, a little more dynamic, move the ball around the field. A lot of guys saw different targets. Obviously had the run game going, and that’s always nice to be able to rely on that. But overall, I just thought you saw this team have a cohesive response to what was not their best performance in Norman, Oklahoma. And to see this team come together and put a performance together like that against a good Nebraska team on the road, that’s a sign of good things to come with a lot of football left to play.”

Chris Balas, The Wolverine

Michigan 30, Nebraska 27: Notes, quotes, and observations — tougher than it should have been, but a huge win

“If Michigan could get out of its own way at times and consistently play good, sound, fundamental football on both sides of the ball, the Wolverines could have a really nice football team.  That’s one of the three biggest takeaways from a hard fought, 30-27 win over Nebraska minus head coach Sherrone Moore, serving the second game of his two-game suspension. The others — this running game back to outstanding, albeit in a different way, and “just win” on the road, no matter how it looks. 

“But if Michigan Team 146 has bigger goals (and it does), a lot needs to be cleaned up. This should not have been a three-point game, and it surely shouldn’t have been a 17-17 contest at halftime with Nebraska holding all the momentum. Interim head coach Biff Poggi mismanaged the clock, allowing a Dylan Raiola 55-yard Hail Mary touchdown, preventing the Wolverines from taking a 7-point lead into the break, slated to get the ball first in the second half. 

“Even with that, though, it was clear Michigan was the more talented and physical team. The Wolverines owned the trenches on both sides, and had it not been for some blown coverages and mental gaffes, would have been comfortably ahead … maybe even on the way to a much easier than expected win.”

John Borton, The Wolverine

Michigan far from mistake free, but survives Lincoln

When you’re caught in a corn maze filled with vipers, the best thing to do is get out — by any means necessary. Michigan chose to run out, and stands 1-0 in the Big Ten because of it.

Interim head coach Biff Poggi insisted he liked his chances in a second-half heavyweight fight. That’s just what he got, and the Wolverines fought their way to a 30-27 survival victory over Nebraska.

For Michigan, the win brought a smile not only to Poggi’s face, but certainly to the suspended Sherrone Moore. The way it ultimately played out likely rendered Jim Harbaugh, Bo Schembechler and Fielding H. Yost grinning as well.

For all the wide-open approach talk that filled the week, this never came close to a high-noon showdown between Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and Nebraska sophomore gunslinger Dylan Raiola. Raiola did most of the slinging, going 30-for-41 with 308 yards and three touchdowns passing. Underwood (12-for-22, 105 yards) went home with precisely what he wanted — a win.

Clayton Sayfie, The Wolverine

Best and worst from Michigan’s win over Nebraska

“Michigan’s best player of the game was the same one who’s proven to be its top talent on the season: junior running back Justice Haynes. He’s the first player in Wolverine history to run for 100-plus yards in his first four games in a winged helmet, going for 149 with a touchdown on 17 carries and adding 3 catches for 12 yards.

“The touchdown was a 75-yarder — his second of the season from that distance — to put the Wolverines up 17-10 on the first play of a drive right after Nebraska scored to tie it up at 10.

“Haynes is special, and Michigan can count on him to make big plays. He also strikes fear into opposing defenses, where if they don’t fit a run correctly, he can make them pay.”

David Hale, ESPN.com

College football Week 4 highlights: Top games, plays, stats

“Nebraska fans had hope this might be the year their luck changes. Instead, the Huskers fell to Michigan 30-27. It was yet another close loss for Nebraska, which is now 11-36 in one-possession games since Scott Frost’s first season in 2018. Matt Rhule is now 4-11 in one-score games there, proving that this is the result of a curse that first befell Frost when he watched a haunted VHS tape of the 2012 CyHawk game and was then passed on to Rhule when he ate some enchanted hard candies Frost had left behind in his office.”

Austin Meek, The Athletic

Michigan, without Sherrone Moore, runs wild on Nebraska, extending Husker pain in Top 25 games

“Losing at Oklahoma in Week 2 put Michigan at an early crossroads. At 2-2, it would have been an uphill climb for the Wolverines to play their way into the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff conversation. That’s why Saturday’s game was such a pivot point, especially with Moore serving the final game of his suspension.

“When Moore’s suspension ends Saturday night, he’ll return to a 3-1 team with a favorable path in front of it. Moore has to be particularly pleased with the way Michigan’s offensive line, a unit that struggled against Oklahoma, paved the way for an explosive day on the ground. He had to be equally pleased with how Michigan handled a hostile environment after the Wolverines shot themselves in the foot at Oklahoma.

“The Wolverines still have work to do, but they look much more like a CFP contender than they did two weeks ago in Norman.”

Stewart Mandel, The Athletic

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“I wonder if Michigan coach Sherrone Moore wishes he had been suspended for the Oklahoma game (a 24-13 loss) and on the sideline for Saturday’s 30-27 win at Nebraska (3-1). The No. 21 Wolverines’ (3-1) offensive line spent the day opening gaping holes for speedy running backs Justice Haynes (17 carries, 149 yards, one TD) and Jordan Marshall (six carries, 80 yards, one TD), not to mention quarterback Bryce Underwood on his 37-yard touchdown run. You’d still like to see more from Underwood (12 of 22, 105 yards) in the passing game, but his career is young.

“Michigan’s Big Ten schedule is manageable. It probably will not reach the conference title game, but landing the league’s third or fourth CFP spot is an attainable goal.”

Steven Sipple, Husker Online

Steven Sipple: Hard to blame Nebraska fans who expected more from Huskers on this day

“Nebraska put forth an admirable effort right until the end Saturday — for what it’s worth. For its trouble, it retains its rightful spot in the middle of the Big Ten pack. I didn’t see a ton of progress from Matt Rhule’s program. I expected more.

“Michigan’s 30-27 victory in Memorial Stadium told Husker fans a lot about their team, including plenty that one might deem unpleasant.

“Granted, you knew Nebraska had a long way to go before it could even remotely put itself in the category of Oregon and Penn State and Ohio State. NU fans just hoped the Huskers would take bigger steps in that sort of direction than what we witnessed on a day that seemed to hold so much promise for the home team.

“No. 21-ranked Michigan (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) is a nice team but a far cry from the Jim Harbaugh squads of recent years. Nevertheless, the Wolverines had this game under control much of the day and certainly more than the final score suggests.”