From a dominating defensive effort to a balanced offensive output, here are takeaways from Michigan’s win over Northwestern.
The Michigan Wolverines improved to 6-5 on the season, defeating the Northwestern Wildcats 50-6 on Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium.
Here are key takeaways from the game.
Bowl game secured
With Michigan reaching six wins on the season they’re now bowl eligible. Getting it done before the final regular season game against No. 2 Ohio State (10-1) was crucial, as no one is really giving Michigan a shot to beat the Buckeyes. A bowl game will be important for the development of some of Michigan’s younger players. The bowl game and the month of practices that come along with it will only make the team better in 2025.
Mullings has a dominating effort, and Edwards comes alive late
Mullings rushed for 92 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns. It was nice to see Mullings, who’s been Michigan’s most productive back this season, get back on track. Donovan Edwards didn’t get much traction through three quarters but rattled off a couple of great runs in the fourth quarter on the same drive — the first was a 24-yard gain and the next was a touchdown run from 20 yards out. On the day, Edwards finished with 10 carries for 65 yards and one rushing score.
Colston Loveland makes history, then leaves the game
Loveland broke the single-season reception record for a Michigan tight end with 54. Loveland capped off the first half with a three-yard touchdown reception but then didn’t come back out of the tunnel for the second half. Loveland looked fine on the touchdown grab, even dancing afterward, so his exit is head-scratching. Perhaps Loveland suffered the injury on a play prior to the touchdown. Michigan will need him ready to roll against the Buckeyes.
Davis Warren plays well overall
Warren had a few inaccurate throws, including a ball that sailed over Colston Loveland’s head for an interception, but he played well for most of the game. Warren was 26-of-35 for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Warren recorded completions to 11 different targets. While Warren’s performance came against a Northwestern team ranked No. 100 in passing yards allowed, it still was a positive heading into the Ohio State tilt next week.
Michigan defense
The defense had arguably their best four quarters of the season. Michigan recorded seven sacks, two interceptions, eight tackles for loss, a safety, and held Northwestern to 4-of-13 on third down and to just 127 total yards. After allowing just 18 total yards in the second half of their loss to Indiana, Michigan’s defense picked up right where they left off. But will this trend continue next Saturday?
Credit to Sherrone Moore
Michigan must have used their bye week effectively as they played well on both sides of the ball. The offense was balanced with 396 total yards — 195 of which were through the air and 201 were on the ground. Michigan’s offense even did something Ohio State hasn’t done this season — score 50 points against a Big Ten opponent. On the defensive side of the ball, the scheme looked reminiscent of former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. This was the type of gameplan and execution of said gameplan Moore and Michigan needed before Ohio State.
Onto Ohio State
Michigan faces a daunting task when they travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State. The Wolverines and Buckeyes are having drastically different seasons and history isn’t exactly on Michigan’s side with just two road wins over Ohio State since 2000. Yes, Michigan has won three in a row over OSU and yes, record books should be thrown out in rivalry games, but a win this year would be nothing short of a miracle. Just don’t embarrass yourself, Wolverines. Play with some fight instead.