Michigan defense smothers Washington, banged-up offense finds form in needed 24-7 win

Ann Arbor — Eight days removed from putting up more than 500 total yards on his own, Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. looked less dynamo and more doomed on Saturday against Michigan.

He finished with 190 net yards as the Michigan defense kept him in the pocket, challenged his throws down the field and eventually picked him off three times in the second half. 

“We haven't been playing the way that we wanted to the past couple games and it was time to stop the bleeding and just come together and trust each other,” linebacker Cole Sullivan said. “I think we took a step forward today.” 

Behind a defense that bounced back from a putrid performance at USC a week ago and the best game of Bryce Underwood’s young career, a beat up Michigan (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) team put together a girding win, 24-7, over Washington (5-2, 2-2). The defense led the charge, forcing the trio of takeaways and turning the slight Williams into a pocket passer, not letting him alter the offense with his running ability. And without lead back Justice Haynes, out with a nagging rib injury, Underwood completed 78% of his passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns while Jordan Marshall added a score and 133 yards on the ground, a career high. 

“As a team we had to fix it,” Moore said, mostly of the defensive issues against USC. “And we gotta keep doing it, because we've got a long way to go. We've got a lot of football yet to play.” 

Both teams spent the better part of the first half feeling the other out, trading big play for big play and miscue for miscue. Both teams missed a field goal in the first half. Underwood connected on some chunk passes, as did Williams. Both teams also failed to convert a fourth-down attempt. 

It was Michigan that finally broke through first as offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey called a masterful series on Michigan’s third drive of the game. Lindsey spoke this week about the need for coaches to utilize players' skillsets better, and it evidently showed as the Wolverines chunked down the field, capped with a tunnel screen from 22 yards out that Andrew Marsh took in for the first score and a 7-0 lead. 

“For the last few weeks we've been working on the screen play and when I turned my back I kind of just smiled because I knew it was a touchdown,” Underwood said. “Because we worked that play to perfection and it came out, it worked out. 

The defense held up its end of the bargain after the shambolic showing against USC last Saturday night. 

Washington finished with 249 total yards, and just 40 on the ground for a team with a dynamic running back and dual-threat quarterback. The Huskies got tackled for loss seven times, went 5-for-12 on third downs and had the three turnovers. 

“You gotta keep eyes on him all the time,” Moore said. “You've gotta be disciplined with your rushes. I thought the D line, there was a couple times he got out but you can't just let them have free plays. First you gotta stop the run, whether it's quarterback run, running back run and we did that. We held them to 40 yards on 23 attempts, which is outstanding. If you do that and force a guy to just be a pocket passer, especially when they're smaller, it's harder. It's harder for them, it's harder for anybody if you're just going to throw the ball. You gotta step back there and throw the ball and you can't be balanced, it's hard. You can dictate coverages and things you want, to stop the pass. So just an unbelievable job by the staff and the players of buying in to the process of how to stop him.”

And Michigan did it without safety Rod Moore, held out as a game time decision despite not being on the injury report, and safety Brandyn Hillman. Hillman, who isn’t apparently injured, warmed up in pads and his uniform like Haynes and Moore, and also didn’t play. He took off his pads at halftime and wore street clothes for the second half. 

The absence in the middle of the secondary was felt as Williams connected on one of his few big passes of the day, a 31-yard post to convert a 2nd and 20 and get the Huskies in the red zone just before halftime, his receiver working with inside leverage against Jaden Mangham. 

Jonah Coleman scored the lone touchdown of the game for Washington a few plays later, tying the game 7-7 late in the first half. 

But Michigan’s defense buckled down at halftime, forced a three-and-out to open the second half, and then another punt before the turnover spigot opened.

Sullivan came away with the first interception, his team-leading third of the season, as the linebacker attacked a flat route to the offense’s right and found the ball coming his way, igniting a sleepy Michigan Stadium as he made a short return to the Washington 14 yard line. 

“Running back flared, so I'm responsible for the flat,” Sullivan said. “And I was just trying to work through the slant window, look back at the quarterback and the ball just came right to me.”

Marshall scored a 14-yard touchdown the next play. 

“For us to score the next play was just great momentum,” Moore said.

The Huskies managed to get around midfield on the next drive before Williams found another Michigan linebacker, this time Jimmy Rolder, who reeled in a throw that was slightly off target, behind the receiver across the middle. 

Michigan followed that with a 9-play, 62-yard drive ending with Zack Marshall hauling in his first career touchdown and a 21-7 lead. 

“I'm gonna put it straight into my backpack, put it right on the wall and I'm never touching those gloves again,” Marshall said of his game ball from his first touchdown. 

With Marlin Klein and Hogan Hansen both out on Saturday, Marshall stepped into a bigger role, as did several Wolverines for a team that’s thoroughly banged up.

Moore and Haynes didn’t play, nor did guard Brady Norton who remains sidelined with an injury. Left tackle Evan Link went out with a non-contact knee injury in the first half and was carted off, as Blake Frazier stepped in to fill the spot. True freshman Jasper Parker backed up Marshall with Haynes out. Behind Marshall at tight end, Deakon Tonielli and Jalen Hoffman played significant snaps. 

And even with his array of weapons depleted, Underwood delivered his best game as a Wolverine, completing 21-of-27 passes for 230 yards and the two touchdowns, hitting some difficult throws down the field, running at the right time and rarely making ill-advised decisions. 

With Underwood humming, Marshall churning out productive carry after productive carry and the defense putting a lid on the Washington offense, Michigan had everything it needed to bounce back and stay in the thick of the Big Ten’s second tier of teams. 

It’s a reassuring turn after last Saturday, when it wasn’t so certain the Wolverines did. 

“You gotta push each other and we did that this week,” Moore said. “But we've gotta continue to do it.”