It wasn’t as crisp as you might’ve expected with Michigan coming off its bye week, but Michigan defeated Wisconsin in the Big House on Saturday by a final score of 24-10. Plenty of players contributed to the effort, but these are the four that we believe stood out the most and deserve to take home a game ball for their efforts:
WR Andrew Marsh
The Wolverines shook things up with their offensive lineup this week by giving true freshman Andrew Marsh his first career start at receiver. This was something we wondered
would happen coming out of the bye week with Channing Goodwin and Semaj Morgan struggling with drops through four games. The drops were still an issue in the game, but not from Marsh who finished the afternoon with four catches for 80 yards.
Marsh had always been one of the recruits from the 2025 class that had a good chance of seeing playing time early in the season, and he didn’t disappoint with his first extended run of playing time. He showed some ability to run after the catch, and even showed some impressive hands and body control on a reception in the second quarter where he held on for the grab despite tight Wisconsin coverage. Marsh will be a player to watch the rest of the way as the passing game continues to progress.
WR Donaven McCulley
Sticking with the theme of the wide receivers, Michigan got its most productive day from senior Donaven McCulley so far, as the Indiana transfer hauled in six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. McCulley entered the year as the presumed WR1 for Michigan, and while he’d been the leading receiver so far had yet to truly take over in a game and show what he can do.
That all changed Saturday, as McCulley helped spark the offense in the third quarter. With the Wolverines unable to muster much through the air, McCulley made a highlight reel contested catch on the sideline, narrowly getting a foot in bounds. Just two plays later, he caught a short pass over the middle from Bryce Underwood and broke a tackle before taking it the distance for 29 yards. It was a breakout day for two of Michigan’s receivers – hopefully it’s a sign of things to come down the stretch.
LB Jimmy Rolder
In Michigan’s last game, it was Cole Sullivan that was getting much of the attention from his off-ball linebacker spot. This week though, it was Jimmy Rolder that had an impressive afternoon for the defense. Now settled into a starting role alongside Ernest Hausmann, Rolder finished the day with seven total tackles.
Up until this point in his career, Rolder’s production has been pretty quiet due to more experienced and talented linebackers like Junior Colson, Mike Barrett, Ernest Hausmann, and even Jaishawn Barham being ahead of him on the depth chart. With Barham moving to the edge, Rolder is finally getting the chance to shine in his senior season. By stepping up like he has, Michigan’s defensive ceiling appears to be on the rise. The group will probably get its biggest test of the year next week when it takes on USC on the road.
S Rod Moore
Rod Moore returned to the field in Week 4 for Michigan’s win over Nebraska after a knee injury had kept him sidelined for over a year. He was on a bit of a pitch count in that game, so we weren’t able to really see what Moore is able to do, but he made his presence felt on Saturday and looked much more like his old self against the Badgers.
His most impactful play of the game came in the third quarter. After a Michigan touchdown, Wisconsin was starting to regain some offensive momentum of its own. Badger quarterback Hunter Simmons attempted a deep ball down the right sideline, but Moore came in with great speed to pluck the ball out of the air before it reached the receiver. That helped set Michigan up for a strong close to the game – and hopefully his return to the secondary can help set the group up for a strong close to the season.
