Michigan and Northwestern are set to square off in one of the most unique matchups of the 2025 college football season this Saturday, as the teams will descend upon Chicago’s North Side for a game at Wrigley Field. There would usually be a great deal of anticipation for Michigan to showcase itself in such a unique environment, but after its previous game against Purdue, fans might be looking for things to just appear that they are on the right track again.
Fortunately, there were still some positive
things to take away from the win vs Purdue. Even without starting running back Justice Haynes, the Wolverine rushing attack didn’t miss a beat by churning out 253 yards, with nearly three quarters of that coming from Jordan Marshall alone.
Earlier this week, Northwestern head coach David Braun was complimentary of Michigan’s rush attack and views it as a threat his team will need to get a handle on this weekend. He would said quarterback Bryce Underwood is a contributor to the run game and his team will need to look out for him, too.
“They’re running the football at a really high level,” Braun said. “Young, very talented quarterback that has started to settle in and is playing at a really high level. And when things do break down for him, extremely scary when he starts to utilize his legs and take off with the football. When you’re dealing with these types of quarterbacks, these types of athletes, you can’t become passive. You have to find ways to apply pressure.”
Entering the weekend, Michigan might have an opportunity to (and perhaps a desire to) exploit Northwestern’s run defense. The Wildcats are middle of the pack nationally against the run (No. 63 in the country surrendering 142.9 yards per game on the ground). Marshall will lead the charge, but there will likely be some contributions from Underwood on both designed runs and scrambles.
A big reason for Northwestern’s struggles against the run might sound familiar to Michigan fans, as the Wildcats have had issues finishing tackles. If they’re unable to get things corrected this week, it could lead to a field day for the Michigan offense.
In the Purdue game, we saw Michigan churn out extra yards on several occasions, most notably on Marshall’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter where he escaped an entire pack of Boilermakers. Correcting that issue has been a focus for Northwestern, according to Braun, as it should be with a player like Marshall that doesn’t easily give up on plays.
“We have to tackle better — we emphasize it in practice. We’re not taking our foot off the gas in terms of the way that we approach it,” Braun said. “Michigan will certainly challenge that and we’re going to have to play better on Saturday.”
Based on the issues Northwestern has to correct, as well as Michigan’s offensive strengths, fans might think this is the perfect time for a tune-up. However, many around the Big Ten will attest Northwestern is no slouch and is perfectly capable of throwing its own punches, much like Purdue did to the Wolverines two weeks ago.
This week begins the most important stretch of the season for the Wolverines as they hope to get all their ducks in a row before the Ohio State game. They just can’t afford to come out overlooking an opponent with a worse record again.
In front of what could be a friendly crowd in a city full of fans and alumni, the Wolverines will look to show their struggles are behind them and do the job that’s expected of them, likely relying on the ground game to do so.
