Michigan emphatically got the job done with a 50-6 victory over Northwestern on Senior Day. Here are the players who stood out the most and deserve to take home a game ball for their efforts:
In their final home game of the 2024 season, the Michigan Wolverines rolled to a 50-6 victory over Northwestern. In the process, Michigan secured bowl eligibility by winning its sixth game of the year.
There were a handful of contributors that made it happen, but a select few stood out above the rest. Here are the players we believe made the biggest impact and deserve to take home a game ball.
Davis Warren
For the first time this season, Michigan seemed to have more of an emphasis on passing on early downs. The result was 35 pass attempts for Davis Warren, and while it wasn’t all perfect, he completed 26-of-35 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown. He did throw an interception as well in the first quarter.
While Warren hasn’t exactly been stellar in his second stint as the starter, he’s been doing a good job taking what the defense gives him. He continued that trend Saturday, making plenty of good decisions with the ball. He even made a couple improvisational plays with his legs to keep the Northwestern defense on its toes. We’ll need to see more of that against Ohio State ’s great defense next week.
Kalel Mullings
After a puzzling lack of carries against Indiana two weeks ago, Kalel Mullings was a bigger part of the game plan against Northwestern. He made the most of his opportunity, turning 12 carries into 92 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 17 yards.
Colston Loveland has been Michigan’s offensive MVP this year, but Mullings isn’t too far behind. His success this year has been one of the few positive headlines for the offense, and its even more impressive considering the lack of experience he had coming into the year. He’ll need to be a big part of the game plan as well against the Buckeyes.
Josaiah Stewart
Unsurprisingly, Josaiah Stewart had himself a nice game on Senior Day. Michigan’s star edge rusher led the charge for the defensive front, registering two of Michigan’s five total sacks on the day.
JOSAIAH STEWART IS AT IT AGAIN… on the VERY NEXT PLAY, he is able to apply pressure and forced the QB to get rid of the ball without taking a sack.
RELENTLESS. #GoBlue https://t.co/Z81Cihkn7M pic.twitter.com/K5s4e7bvCG
— O’Leary’s Draft Takes (@GagesDraftTakes) November 23, 2024
With Will Johnson missing as much time as he has this year, Stewart has been the MVP for the defense. He’s emerged as a force and has proven to be the next in a long line of elite edge rushers for Michigan. He seemingly gets better every week and will be a pivotal part of what Michigan hopes to do against the Buckeyes. Michigan edge rushers have had a knack for making a stamp on The Game, so hopefully history will repeat itself next week.
Sherrone Moore
After how the game ended against Indiana two weeks ago and how Michigan came out of its first bye week, head coach Sherrone Moore needed to have his team ready to play. They were on Saturday, as the Wolverines started and finished strong, and controlled the game for four quarters, something we haven’t really seen this year.
Playing a lackluster opponent and having a big game against Ohio State on deck, Saturday’s game could have easily been a let-down spot. It proved not to be, so Moore and the staff deserve credit for having Michigan ready to play. With that said, the preparation will have to go to another level with Ohio State looming.