3 Winners, 3 Losers after Michigan Football survives vs Northwestern

Inhale. Exhale.

That’s what we’re all doing after Michigan narrowly survived a massive upset against Northwestern at Wrigley Field. The Wolverines had five total turnovers, but despite the errors, they still managed to get within field-goal range and get the game-winning kick from Dominic Zvada.

Here are three winners and three losers after Michigan improves to 8-2 on the season.

Special Teams — Loser

I usually start with the good, so here it is — Zvada helped the Wolverines win. Unfortunately, there were also two missed kicks earlier in the game. I don’t fault him for missing a 60-yarder, but the other one should have been good. Semaj Morgan fumbled on a punt return as well. To top it all off, the Wolverines also allowed Northwestern to pick up a first down with a fake punt. Special teams coordinator, J.B. Brown did not win anyone over after the unit’s poor performance.

WR Andrew Marsh — Winner

True freshman Andrew Marsh is proving Michigan can have good receivers after all. He had 12 catches for 189 yards, including 63 yards after the catch. While he didn’t get into the end zone, he has established that he is a reliable target for Bryce Underwood. If you’re not already pumped about Marsh’s position on this team, just watch his highlights again. He’s a real bright spot on this team this season, and he’s fun to watch.

Turnovers — Loser

Yikes! Five turnovers — the most in a single game for Michigan since 2018 — is not what you want to see. The team was supposed to go back to fundamentals, and from what I can recall, “ball security” has always been up there as a priority. I wanted so badly for the team to put a complete game together, and while there were some bright spots, a lot of was wasted with the turnovers. Yes, they found a way to win, but that doesn’t mean the turnovers don’t matter.

1st Down Offense — Winner

Looking at the advanced stats in this one, Michigan averaged 6.9 yards on first down. That’s something to celebrate after the bye week. Underwood made some key reads early on drives, and the coaching staff put their young quarterback in situations that set him up for success. That’s progress after a bye week. Underwood was 7-of-10 passing on first down, and the running backs picked up an average of six yards (both sack-adjusted). It also helped fuel Michigan’s success on third down (10-of-15).

Penalties — Loser

Looks like we’re back to all the early-season “losers.” Michigan only had four penalties for 24 yards, but they seemed more costly than that. A holding call reversed a Michigan touchdown, which led to Zvada’s first missed field goal. A few defensive penalties allowed Northwestern to stay on the field a little longer. Again, watching the game, this seemed like a bigger deal than the stats ended up showing, but I’d still like to see them clean these things up.

3rd Down Defense — Winner

The Wolverines only allowed 61 yards rushing and 184 passing yards in this one, and the Wildcats were just 2-of-12 on third down. On average, the Wildcats needed to move the ball 9.3 yards on third down, and the Wolverines’ defense held strong. Yes, they gave up 22 points, but Northwestern started on their own 39-yard line on average and had four scoring drives of less than 50 yards — six yards, 19 yards, 38 yards and 39 yards.

We know the team wins and loses together, but who would you say won the day, and who could use some improvement heading into next week? Let us know in the comments!

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