ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 18-ranked Michigan Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore reflected on the team’s 8-2 record and the challenges posed by self-inflicted errors.
“All our goals are in front of us. We’re playing meaningful football in November, which is what you asked for as a football coach, as a college football player,” said Moore.
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Moore emphasized the importance of playing for something significant late in the season.
He also acknowledged the youth of the team, noting, “You go out there with six freshmen on offense and a bevy of them on defense and special teams.”
Moore said mistakes are expected but must be fixed.
Bryce Underwood
Despite turnovers, Moore highlighted positive moments, especially from quarterback Bryce Underwood.
“I hope people talk about that third-down throw to Andrew Marsh, not just the first one that led to a touchdown, but that second one that led to the game-winning field goal," Moore said.
When asked about the game plan involving Underwood, Moore said, “He just saw it really well. As you went through the bye-week, you just saw him progress and progress and progress.”
Moore described Underwood’s improvement in pass protection: “He’s done a really good job of adjusting... practice helps put me in those positions to help him going against our defense.”
On the topic of turnovers by Underwood, Moore said, “The first one, he moved off the first target too quickly. The second one was heat checking. He’s eating himself up about it, but he made incredible plays.”
Defense
Moore praised the defense for holding the opponent to two early field goals and expressed pride in the team’s resilience.
“We had five turnovers. Last year, SMU had six and won. So, don’t ever want to be in that position again,” Moore said.
Injuries
Regarding injured players, Moore provided updates: "Zack Marshall is doing good. Looks like he’ll be fine for the week."
On Jordan Marshall, Moore said, “X-rays were negative. We’ll see day by day.”
Moore spoke on the possibility of running back Bryson Kuzdzal being the lead back against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, at 4 p.m. inside SECU Stadium.
“But if Bryson has to be the guy, I feel very comfortable with him. He’s explosive. He’s probably faster than Jordan. Probably not as strong, but maybe he is a strong kid for how built he is. He’s 5’11”, six-foot, 210, 215 pounds. He’s got burst probably right below Justice Haynes.”
Speaking of Haynes, Moore announced on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, that the Heisman hopeful was likely to miss the rest of the regular season following foot surgery.
→ Michigan football Heisman hopeful Justice Haynes likely out for regular season following foot sugery
Dominic Zvada
Moore shared his trust in kicker Dominic Zvada after Zvada’s game-winning field goal against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field.
“Just trusting him because of what you see in practice,” Moore said. “He missed the first one, the second one was 60 yards, and I saw him actually watch him in warm-ups; he knocked it through.”
Moore explained that despite the missed kicks, Zvada showed strong potential, especially with the wind factor.
“It had the distance, just wasn’t there,” Moore said.
Reflecting on the final drive, Moore recalled, “I just looked at his eyes and he just gave me the nod like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s going to make this kick,’” Moore said.
Moore expressed full confidence in Zvada’s ability to deliver under pressure.
He reflected on Zvada’s confidence and mechanics following a game-winning field goal.
Moore recalled a conversation from last year when Zvada described himself as a “system kicker,” comparing his confidence to NFL kicker Justin Tucker.
“If his system is working, he knows it’s going to work,” Moore said.
Asked about the relationship between mechanics and confidence in kicking, Moore joked, “I’ve never kicked before. The closest I’ve gotten was Madden and the little beam.”
Moore described the joy Zvada showed after the kick as “amazing” and said he spoke with him afterward.
“His dad sent me a text thanking me for trusting him. The kid just works his tail off,” Moore said.
Moore noted it was Zvada’s first game-winning, time-expiring kick and hopes it’s his last under such pressure.
“He’s done an unbelievable job and should have a lot of confidence in his abilities,” Moore said.
When asked if the kick went out of the stadium as there was no net up, Moore laughed, “Probably hit an ivy.”
Moore spoke about hearing from players’ parents and how he handles those interactions.
“Nobody knows their kid more than the players’ parents. They’ve bred them and brought them up for 18 years,” Moore said.
Moore added that most parent communication is positive.
“Our players’ parents are awesome. They just support our kids and do everything they can to keep them positive,” Moore said.
Moore acknowledged there are always naysayers but emphasized the strong support system from families.
Potential trap game
Moore dismissed the idea of the Maryland matchup being a “trap game,” calling them “a really good team” that will be tough to beat.
“There’s nothing about this game that is a trap game. There’s zero trap game on this. This is about a really good team that, if you don’t play well, you will get beat. The trap is like Nick Saban’s “poison” comment. They’re trying to get us. No trap game,” Moore said.
Moore said that everybody knows what’s ahead, meaning the Ohio State Buckeyes in Ann Arbor inside the Big House.
He said they’re preparing for the Terrapins game as if their lives depended on it. He said each game is a playoff game.
“They’re a good team. There always are, and it’s always tough to go there. They are always tough to play there. They’re always a tough team. They always play us tough. So, yeah, we got to be ready to go,” Moore said.
Andrew Marsh
Moore described the recruitment of receiver Andrew Marsh and what stood out about him.
“Everything you see is just ball skills, ability to separate, how smooth he was, and just the ability to go make plays,” Moore said.
Moore recalled watching Marsh in high school: “The first play catches a post, the next play he’s getting handed over reverse, the next play’s catching a slant, taking it. He’s going there, throwing his body in there and blocking.”
Moore called Marsh “just an all-around great player” who continues to make plays.
“He’s probably in here right after class, watching the film again. I just think he’s a special player for us,” Moore said.
Moore discussed Underwood’s targeting of Marsh, who set a freshman single-game record with 12 catches and 189 yards against Northwestern.
“I think just allow the quarterback to read through his progressions,” Moore said. “We’ll put him in different positions so that people can identify exactly where he’s at.”
Moore emphasized spacing the ball and getting it to the open player. “He just found him a lot, you know, ironically. But he knows how to get open.”
Wide receiver reverse
Moore broke down the reverse play that led to Marsh’s fumble against Northwestern.
When asked if the play was a missed assignment or was it just a good defense against the play call, Moore replied, “Both. It was a good defense. We could help them too with the call and make sure if we see anything pre-snap.”
Moore praised Northwestern’s defense for hiding pressure and allowing its defenders to get upfield against the offensive line.
“It’s two-part; we got to help them too,” Moore said.
Davis Warren
Moore expressed admiration for quarterback Davis Warren’s resilience and leadership.
“I talked about how much I appreciate Davis and what he’s just gone through, not only now, but in life, to be able to be where he is. It’s pretty special,” Moore said.
Moore praised Warren’s attitude and work ethic, noting, “He keeps helping Bryce. He keeps helping all the quarterbacks and love having Davis around. Just happy for him.”
Semaj Morgan
Moore addressed the change in punt return duties from Semaj Morgan to Marsh after fumbling the ball away vs. Northwestern.
“The message is to just stay positive,” Moore said. “It ate him up having the fumble. He was trying to do so much for the team and even broke like three tackles.”
Moore emphasized the importance of knowing when to protect the ball.
“At some point, you’ve got to know when the journey’s over and you’ve got to get down and bolt the ball at the end,” Moore said.
Despite the setback, Moore assured Morgan of continued support.
“We’re still going to support him. We’re going to need him,” Moore said.
Moore discussed the importance of maintaining positivity and support for players like Morgan, who may be struggling with confidence.
“Continue positivity because the world that we live in is so negative, and we pour so much negativity into these young men,” Moore said.
Moore emphasized the coaching staff’s role in supporting and caring for players “like they’re our own,” adding that this message of encouragement will continue from him and the entire staff.
Offensive line
Moore evaluated the offensive line’s performance, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.
“You don’t want me to critique them too bad because it gets dirty—that’s my group,” Moore said. “But I am very proud of them. I really am.”
Moore noted the unusual feat of three redshirt freshmen starting consecutive games and praised their production, including multiple consecutive 200-yard rushing games.
Moore credited the offensive line’s fight and physicality, as well as the work of coach Grant Newsome and the O-line staff.
“There’s never perfection, but those guys put up a great fight and put us in a great position to win games,” Moore said.
Timeout on final drive
Moore explained the thought process behind calling a timeout after a second-down run with 50 seconds left against Northwestern.
“You don’t want to rush in when you have a timeout and you still got one left,” Moore said. “You got control of what you want. You got control of the clock.”
Moore added that the timeout was called to ensure the team was set up for the best possible run to gain yards and position the ball.
“We wanted to make sure we were in the best possible run that we knew we can execute and get the yards.”
Moore noted the importance of managing the clock and field position carefully in the final moments of the game.
Tight end involvement
Moore addressed the involvement of tight ends in the offense.
“I think it’s more of that they’re getting targeted a lot too, but just kind of how the game went and as it molded,” Moore said.
Moore explained that the game’s flow allowed receivers Marsh and Donaven McCulley to have more targets than the tight ends.
“They’ll be targeted throughout the games as we go through these last two,” Moore said.