Michigan 24, Wisconsin 10

 

Justice Haynes (image via Alejandro Zuniga/X)

We have a new #1. There was talk in the off-season about Michigan wanting to add size at the receiver position, and Donovan McCulley was the guy who came in to add that element. The 6'5", 215 lb. former quarterback has had some glitches in his understanding of what Bryce Underwood was thinking or where the routes should go, and there was at least one more on Saturday. But McCulley certainly looked the part of a #1 receiver on Saturday, making amazing leaping catches and running after the catch. He made 6 catches for 112 yards and 1 touchdown, including an amazing contortion on the left sideline to get one foot down for a 33-yard gain. His touchdown catch was an RPO where he bounced off a couple tacklers and then beat defenders to the pylon for a 29-yard score. He's not going to amaze anyone with his speed, but when off-season comparisons to Nico Collins came in, most people rolled their eyes. I think now he's putting on display where those comparisons came from. He registered the first 100+ yard game for a Michigan wide receiver since Roman Wilson against Purdue on November 4, 2023.

Hit the jump for more.

Wisconsin was annoyingly pesky. The opening drive for Wisconsin didn't worry me too much when the Badgers drove right down the field and scored. Scripted offenses at the beginning of a game often go that way, including against Michigan's elite defenses under Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter. The problem opponents have discovered is that it's not easy to keep that going once Michigan's defensive coordinators figure out what teams are trying to do. That first drive lasted 12 plays and went 75 yards for a score. The rest of the game netted 177 yards and 3 points. That opening drive was also the result of Wisconsin having a surprise quarterback starter in Hunter Simmons, who was the third-stringer to start the year and had been behind Danny O'Neil, who was healthy for this game but played sparingly. Anytime there's a new quarterback starting or a major shift in the offense to surprise a good defense, there's often an adjustment period. Simmons had previously started a handful of games at FCS Southern Illinois and had yet to attempt a pass for Wisconsin, so I'm not sure how much info Michigan had on the guy before the game. Michigan struggled up front to move Wisconsin's defensive front, which was expected. I thought Michigan would be a little more opportunistic defensively and create a couple short fields to get some more points, but that didn't happen.

Another positive game for Chip Lindsey. Maybe I'm repeating this too much, but I really like Lindsey as a coordinator. One of the commentators on TV yesterday mentioned it, but Lindsey has answers built into the offense for what opponents are doing. That's something Michigan lacked under Kirk Campbell last year. We're seeing a complete offense with a variety of run schemes, draws, screens, different ways to get Underwood out of the pocket, RPOs, a downfield passing game, etc. Something I felt like Michigan lacked under Campbell and even Sherrone Moore when he was offensive coordinator was some of those auxiliary plays, such as draws and RPOs. The offense was very effective from 2021-2023, but some of that time was just asking J.J. McCarthy to make a play or for the offensive line to block a bunch of people in the box and let Blake Corum or Hassan Haskins be awesome. Not every play was a hit (I didn't like the play action forward toss to Semaj Morgan) because the timing and spacing just weren't there, but things make sense the way they're put together.

Michigan only allowed 10 points but I'm still disappointed. You know you're in a pretty good spot when allowing 10 points to a Big Ten team is a bit of a disappointment, but that's how I felt. I expected Michigan's pass rush to be a little more effective, and I thought they would create one or two more turnovers. Granted, my expectation stemmed from planning for Danny O'Neil to be the Badgers' starting quarterback, but running back Dilin Jones (17 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD) was more effective than I expected. And so were Simmons (18/29, 177 yards, 1 INT) and wide receiver Vinny Anthony (9 catches, 97 yards). I don't think this is anything to worry about, because Wisconsin was coming off a bye, they were well rested, and they had a chance to get better.

I think Luke Fickell is a good coach. It pains me to say it about the former Buckeye, but I think Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is a good coach. I don't think his decision to move away from Wisconsin's offensive strength was a great move, because he set himself back. If things don't work out in Madison, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him go somewhere else and be successful, somewhere that is more ready for him. I'm not sure if Wisconsin can afford to fire him (he has a $25 million buyout) if he doesn't get things going, but if he's back on the job market in the off-season, I think he can go to a mid-level program and be a thorn in good programs' sides by being consistently well coached.