Sherrone Moore will miss a pivotal game on the road against Nebraska to open Big Ten play. Here’s what the Wolverines will need to do to leave Lincoln with a W without their head coach:
The Michigan Wolverines are now in a really interesting spot to open the 2025 regular season, as Sherrone Moore is suspended for Week 3 against Central Michigan and Week 4 at Nebraska.
Over the last few years, a one-sided rivalry has formed between Michigan and Nebraska, with snide comments being made by Huskers head coach Matt Rhule on numerous occasions. On the field, however, Michigan has taken care of business, winning the last two meetings (2022-23) by a combined 79-10.
But a new era is under way for both programs, and the Wolverines are headed to Lincoln to open Big Ten play. It was already going to be a tough spot for Michigan, but it just got even more difficult without Moore in a spot that should not be overlooked.
In a similar spot in 2023 without Jim Harbaugh, Michigan went to Penn State in late November and ran the ball 46 times to beat the No. 10 Nittany Lions and their No. 1 ranked run defense in the country, 24-15. There is very little chance that strategy would work against Nebraska for a variety of reasons.
First off, Michigan was late in the season and already had national championship pedigree. There were so many returning starters on both sides of the ball, Blake Corum was one of the best backs in the history of the program, and the defense was riddled with stars that kept an awful Penn State offense dormant.
The 2025 Nebraska offense should be far more explosive, led by sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola. He was a lot of show for little production as a freshman — his 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and the team’s 3-6 Big Ten record were a major disappointment. But he got better as the season went on, completing more than 70 percent of his passes in the final four games.
Nebraska hammered the portal for offensive linemen this offseason to help protect Raiola, earning commitments from former Alabama tackle Elijah Pritchett and Notre Dame guard Rocco Spindler. Nebraska also added two receivers in Cal’s Nyziah Hynter and Kentucky’s Dane Key. Both stand are big-bodied guys that averaged more than 14 yards per reception in 2024. I suspect Nebraska will be much more willing and able to air out the ball this year.
Furthermore, Nebraska’s defense has been top-10 in stopping the run the last two seasons. The Huskers return three starters in their front seven and brought in former five-star edge rusher William Nwaneri from the portal out of Missouri.
It makes it highly unrealistic for Michigan to be able to bully ball its way to a win like in Happy Valley in 2023. The Wolverines’ offensive line is a work in progress after a down year in 2024, and while they have nice pieces on both the line and at running back, they would need to prove a lot early if they were to have confidence in a Penn State-style game.
Preparation for these two games without Moore could get very interesting in the quarterback battle, too. Michigan will be coming off that game at Oklahoma in Week 2. We should know a lot about this team at that point, specifically at quarterback. That means the Central Michigan and Nebraska games could be the time when a transition from Mikey Keene to Bryce Underwood happens if Keene wins the starting job initially. Without Moore, any change at quarterback is highly, highly unlikely because Moore wouldn’t be able to call the shots.
That means Chip Lindsey must get creative and have a more balanced attack during that Nebraska game. Whether it’s Underwood or Keene, the team must have confidence in getting the ball to the outside and down the field.
We already mentioned an offensive line that needs improvement, but there are also zero proven pass catchers right now. If Raiola is slinging it, Michigan needs to match in some capacity. Last year at North Carolina, Lindsey called at plays 44 percent to the pass and 56 percent to the run. When he was the head coach at Troy, that was much closer to a 50-50 split.
Whether or not Lindsey is the head coach for the Nebraska game remains to be seen, but he will have full control of the offense and any decisions that come with it. Nebraska’s makeup draws intrigue as the beatdown mentality we saw just two years ago against Penn State may not work if the Huskers can be successful through the air. If Michigan gets out of script on the road, it will be in significant trouble.
There are months for these things to be ironed out, but Week 4 just got a whole lot more challenging for the Wolverines.