ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A dominant second half led by the defense helped the Michigan Wolverines get back on the winning track, tacking down the Washington Huskies 24-7 to improve to 5-2 on the season.
The game on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, was tight for a while until Michigan’s defense stepped up and forced three second-half interceptions to pull away for the victory.
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Michigan will travel to East Lansing in a battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy when they take on the Michigan State Spartans.
1st quarter
Washington won the toss and will receive the ball to start the second half, setting up for Michigan’s offense to take the opening kickoff.
Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood went incomplete to open the game, as there were receivers in the area, but the throw was way outside.
Jordan Marshall gained one yard on second down, setting up a third and nine, gaining five yards to tight end Deakon Tonielli.
Hudson Hollenbeck blasted a punt to the Huskies’ 40-yard line.
Michigan went three and out on its opening drive, which drew jeers from the home crowd.
Washington handed the ball off to running back Jonah Coleman for a two-yard gain.
Decker DeGraaf made a six-yard catch before quarterback Demond Williams Jr. gained six yards on a scramble to pick up the first down.
Coleman rushed for three yards before Washington got called for a false start.
On second down and 12, cornerback Jyaire Hill dropped an interception that would have been returned for the game’s first touchdown, as there was no receiver or player near him, but the ball fell to the ground.
Williams Jr. threw incomplete on third down, setting up a punt, which went into the endzone.
With the ball on their own 20-yard line, Marshall, who got the start over an injured Justice Haynes, gained eight yards to open their second drive of the game.
Underwood hit Semaj Morgan for seven yards while taking a big hit from the blitzing defender.
Marshall gained three yards to the 38-yard line.
On second and seven, Underwood connected with Marshall for a nine-yard catch and run to pick up the first down.
Wide receiver Donaven McCulley picked up 11 yards on an end-around before Michigan picked up a 10-yard holding penalty on Max Bredeson, setting up a first down and 20.
Underwood hit Marshall on a screen pass for four yards.
On second and 16 at the Washington 40-yard line, Underwood hit Tonielli down the seam, but he dropped it.
Underwood hit tight end Zack Marshall for a 15-yard catch and run, setting up fourth down and one, but lineman Evan Link got injured on the play and remained down for an inconsiderable amount of time as the stretcher came onto the field.
With the team and the crowd looking for a spark, head coach Sherrone Moore decided to go for it, and Underwood hit Morgan for a potential touchdown or at least a first down, but he dropped the pass as the crowd started booing once again.
Morgan had a bad habit of dropping passes all season, and he did it once again.
As offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey drew up a good play, Morgan ran to the line like he was going to block and then sprinted left, where he was wide open, but the ball bounced off his hands.
Washington opened the drive with a 38-yard pass to Denzel Boston as cornerback Zeke Berry lost track of the ball.
Coleman gained two yards on first down before Raiden Vines-Bright lost a yard on a wide receiver screen.
Williams Jr. threw an incomplete pass before kicker Luke Dunne shanked a field goal attempt to keep the game knotted at zero with 4:20 to play.
Wink Martindale’s defense got bailed out on that one, as the players seemed to be lost on defense at least for that one play of 38 yards.
On their third possession of the game, Michigan’s offense retook the field on the 20-yard line, and Underwood hit Toneilli for a five-yard catch.
Marshall toted the rock for a hard-fought five yards to move the sticks.
The former Mr. Football gained a tough seven yards on first down to set up second down and three, before catching and trucking a defender for a seven-yard catch and run.
Underwood connected with McCulley on a read-option catch and run of 15 yards to the Huskies’ 43-yard line.
Zack gained 19 yards on the next play before Underwood hit Andrew Marsh for a wide receiver screen for a 22-yard touchdown.
The scoring drive, capped off by a Dominic Zvada extra point, was seven plays for 80 yards in 3:47.
With the crowd back in the game, Williams Jr. completed a five-yard pass to Coleman to end the quarter.
2nd quarter
Williams Jr. ran a quarterback draw but was sacked by Ernest Hausmann for a loss of nine yards.
On third down and 10, with the crowd back into the game, Williams Jr. connected with Coleman for a 27-yard catch and run to move the sticks.
Just like against USC, Michigan’s defense gave up a chunk play on third and long to stay on the field.
Adam Mohammed gained six yards before Williams Jr. picked up four yards on the next play.
Washington was called for a false start, resulting in a five-yard penalty that moved the ball back to the 43-yard line.
Williams Jr. eluded a sack and scrambled left before throwing the ball out of bounds.
On second down and 15, Williams Jr. connected with Mohammed for six yards.
With the ball on the 37-yard line, Washington got called for another false start, moving the ball back to the 42-yard line.
On third down and 15, with a chance to get off the field, Williams Jr. connected with Mohammed for a three-yard loss thanks to Jaishawn Barham.
After the punt and a lengthy injury timeout, Jordan ran the ball for one yard before Underwood connected with Zack for 13 yards to gain the first down.
As the pocket collapsed, Underwood broke containment and scrambled for 11 yards.
Underwood hit Marsh, who caught the ball with one hand for 20 yards.
Michigan got tricky and ran an end-around to McCulley; the former quarterback nearly threw an interception to Morgan.
On second down, Jordan gained eight yards to set up a third down and two.
Underwood sprinted right and handed the ball off to Jordan, who shook a defender to gain 10 yards to move the sticks.
Zack dropped a contested pass on first down, so on second down, Michigan got called for an illegal snap to lose five yards.
Back-to-back plays put Michigan in the negative.
On second and 15, Underwood hit Marsh for a wide receiver screen for one yard.
On third down and 14, Lindsey played it safe and ran the ball for a four-yard gain.
Zvada lined up at the Michigan 48-yard line and missed it wide left.
Unbelievable play calling to the start and end of that drive as Michigan leads 7-0 with 5:11 to play.
The drive was stalled by a dropped pass, an illegal penalty, and a safe play call on third and 14, resulting in no points.
With the ball on the 30-yard line, Washington came out of the break and called a timeout with 5:09 to play.
The timeout seemed to work as Coleman gained six yards to silence the crowd, setting up a second and four.
Williams Jr. eluded the pressure and sprinted right to Kade Eldridge for six yards to gain the first down.
The first down play was blocked at the line of scrimmage, but Williams Jr. hit Coleman for nine yards.
On third down and short, Coleman picked up the first down with a four-yard run.
Dezmen Roebuck gained five yards on first down before Mohammed rushed for three yards on second down.
Boston gained three yards on a reception to move the sticks as the clock hit the two-minute timeout.
On first down and 10 from the Michigan 33-yard line, Washington lost nine yards thanks to a sack by Derrick Moore.
On second and 19, Williams Jr. connected with Vines-Bright for 31 yards on another big play after moving them back nine yards.
The defense has struggled with giving up big plays after making a big one in back-to-back games this season.
Coleman rushed for five yards to set up a second and six at the five-yard line before gaining one yard for their first touchdown of the game.
The Wolverines outgained Washington 211-187 in total yards in the first half, with 40 seconds to play, but the game was tied as all the momentum shifted to the Huskies, who got the ball after halftime.
With the ball on their own 25-yard line and three timeouts with 40 seconds to play, Underwood completed a one-yard pass to Marsh before throwing incomplete to Zack on second down.
Underwood completed a 10-yard pass to Channing Goodwin to end the half.
The team looked out of sync, and the crowd knew they were not playing good football, as it was super quiet until the PA announcer played the Michigan fight song as both teams walked off the field.
The entire team looked deflated and lifeless as the clock struck triple zeros, and they could be seen walking off the field into the tunnel.
The crowd was not into the game, and the boos were deafening at the end of the first half.
3rd quarter
Washington ended the half with momentum and got the ball to open the third quarter.
After Michigan kicked off for a touchback, the ball was moved to the 25-yard line, where Williams Jr. handed the ball off to Coleman for a two-yard gain.
On second down and two, Williams Jr. threw incomplete out of bounds in the direction of Boston.
With the crowd back into the game, Williams Jr. eluded a sack and threw incomplete on third down and eight to Roebuck.
With the ball in their possession in the second half, Underwood hit Marsh for a seven-yard catch and run to set up a second and three.
Underwood threw a completed pass to Marsh on a read option play, but a lineman was called for being ineligible downfield.
On second and nine, Jordan ran the ball to the Michigan 46-yard line for 12 yards.
Underwood tried to scramble as no receivers were open downfield, but got tackled for no gain.
On second and 10, Jordan rushed the ball for four yards before Underwood hit Zack, who was screaming across the field in the flat, for a 15-yard catch and run.
Underwood ran a run-pass-option, hitting Morgan for 13 yards.
Running back Jasper Parker picked up two yards on the play for his first run of the game.
Underwood threw a bullet pass to Jordan out of the backfield, which fell incomplete on second down and eight.
On third down with the ball at the 12, Underwood hit McCulley for a six-yard slant before handing the ball off to Jordan, who got stopped for one yard, forcing a turnover on downs with 8:22 to play.
With the ball on the five-yard line, Coleman carried the ball for eight yards to the 13-yard line, setting up a second and two.
Coleman gained one yard, as the Michigan faithful chimed in, but a first down was gained by Coleman for two yards.
After gaining the first down, Washington got called for holding Hausmann before tackling him to the ground.
On first and 18, with their backs against the endzone at the eight-yard line, Williams Jr. hit a wide-open DeGraff for 14 yards.
Williams Jr. threw in the area of Boston on second and four, setting up a big third down and four with the ball on the 22-yard line.
After an injury timeout, Washington took the field in the depths of the Michigan faithful, screaming in their ears before Williams Jr. connected with Boston for three yards.
Williams Jr. rushed to the line on fourth down and one and handed the ball off to Coleman, who broke a tackle to gain three yards.
Roebuck gained five yards on second down before DeGraff got tackled for a one-yard loss.
Williams Jr. threw an incomplete pass to Roebuck, setting up a punt which was returned for five yards by Morgan to the Michigan 18-yard line.
Lindsey called a good game, but the players on the field struggled to execute, committing numerous miscues.
With the ball, Jordan took the handoff from Underwood for a three-yard gain, to set up second and seven.
Underwood kept the ball and gained three yards to the Michigan 24-yard line.
After taking a big hit, Underwood felt the pressure and ran up the gut for three yards, setting up another punt, this time to the Huskies’ 18-yard line.
On the first play of the drive, Williams Jr. stared down the receiver, and linebacker Cole Sullivan jumped the route for the interception, returning the ball to the 14-yard line before Jordan rushed the ball up the gut for a 14-yard touchdown.
In a cool moment of symmetry, No. 23 on defense set up No. 23 on offense as Michigan regained the lead with 1:20 to play in the third quarter.
With the crowd somewhat getting back into the game, Sherrone could be seen running up and down the sideline to get them going, but Williams Jr. hit Roebuck for 17 yards.
Williams Jr. connected with Boston for 16 yards before throwing his second interception to Jimmy Rolder on the 38-yard line.
Underwood handed the ball to Parker for a three-yard gain to end the quarter.
4th quarter
Michigan entered the quarter with the sweet tunes of Mr. Bright Side echoing around the Big House with the lead and the ball on the 41-yard line with second and seven.
Jordan took the ball from Underwood for five yards.
On third down and two, Jordan, after bouncing like a game of ping-pong, gained two yards to move the sticks.
With the game clock winding down, Sherrone called a timeout, their first of the second half, to save them from getting a delay of the game.
It was announced that the Wolverines had 327 consecutive games with more than 100,00 fans inside Michigan Stadium, as there were 110,701 fans in attendance to be exact.
In 13 personnel, Jordan rushed for four yards while moving the ball to the 48-yard line.
Underwood lost five yards as he got chased out of bounds.
On third down and 11, Underwood, with massive stones, completed a 28-yard pass to Tonielli for a first down.
Marshall gained 11 yards on the next play to keep the chains moving.
With the ball on the 14, Jordan took the pigskin and gained another four yards.
On second down and six, Underwood hit Zack on a play-action pass for a 10-yard touchdown, capping off a nine-play 62-yard drive in 5:25. Zvada came in and collected the extra point to take a 21-7 lead with 10:05 to play.
With the momentum, Coleman carried the ball for seven yards, setting up a second and three.
Coleman gained two yards on the play before an injury timeout was called for Michigan’s Hausmann, who lay on the field, grabbing his leg, but he got up and walked off the field unassisted.
On third and one, Coleman got stuffed in the backfield for a loss of two by Rolder.
With fourth down and three, Sherrone called Michigan’s second timeout of the half as the team did not have the right personnel on the field, as Washington decided to go for it on their own 32-yard line.
Michigan tasting victory, got a strip sack led by Derrick, but the fumble was recovered by the offense for a loss of 15 yards.
Jordan carried the ball on the 17-yard line for five yards to set up second and five.
He ran the ball up the gut for a one-yard gain. On third down and four, Jordan ran a sprint to the right to gain six yards.
On first and goal from the five-yard line, Underwood got sacked, losing four yards.
With second and goal from the nine, Jordan regained the sack yardage to move the ball back to the five-yard line.
On third down and goal, Parker ran the ball to the three-yard line, setting up for a Zvada field goal attempt.
After a delay in the game, Zvada drained it, but Washington ran into the kicker, and the penalty was declined.
The Wolverines took a 24-7 lead with 4:10, capping off a four-play, nine-yard drive, eating up 4:24.
Cornerback Jacob Oden got an interception while lying on the ground on the first play of the next possession.
It was Michigan’s third of the game.
Jordan finished with a career day, carrying the ball 25 times for 133 yards and one touchdown.
With the addition of Haynes when healthy, they’ll be a dangerous duo in the future.
History
Michigan and Washington met for the 16th time in their football rivalry, with Saturday being the 11th contest played during the regular season.
Michigan holds a 10-6 advantage in the all-time series, including wins in three of the last four games between the two programs.
The Huskies won last season’s matchup 27-17 at Husky Stadium, marking their first meeting as Big Ten conference opponents.
Michigan defeated Washington 34-13 in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, securing the 2023 national title.
Saturday was the sixth meeting between Michigan and Washington at the Big House in Ann Arbor.
Michigan holds a 5-1 record against Washington in games played in Ann Arbor, with victories in 1953, 1969, 2002, and 2021, and a loss in 1984.
Overall, Michigan has a 7-4 record against Washington in regular-season matchups, including a 4-1 home record and 2-3 on the road.