The Michigan Wolverines opened the 2025 campaign with a 34-17 win over the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday, showcasing impressive depth, explosiveness and physicality. Here’s how each position group performed in the season-opening victory.
Quarterbacks: A
Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood definitely didn’t disappoint in his debut, completing 21-of-31 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown. He looked poised in his first game, putting together a two-minute drive to end the first half that included completing 5-of-5 passes for 68 yards and a 15-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24-10.
Running backs: A
Despite losing both starters from last year, the new-look backfield didn’t appear to miss a beat. Alabama transfer Justice Haynes recorded a career-best 159 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, which included runs of 59 and 56 yards. Jordan Marshall didn’t have as much success, finishing with 29 yards on 11 rushes.
Wide receivers: B
Michigan didn’t have to lean on the wide receivers heavily, but when called upon, they delivered. Semaj Morgan was targeted early and often, finishing with four catches for 33 yards, and Donaven McCulley added four catches for 31 yards. Channing Goodwin also had a pivotal 39-yard reception that led to Underwood’s touchdown pass just before halftime.
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Tight ends: A-
The tight end unit was relatively unproven coming into this year, but the coaching staff expressed confidence in Marlin Klein — and you can see why. He provided a reliable target for Underwood and was the leading receiver, racking up a career-high 97 yards on six catches to go with the first touchdown of his career. Max Bredeson was also key to the ground game as always, and he also had a catch for four yards.
Offensive line: B-
Michigan didn’t play up to its normal standard on the offensive line in 2024, so it’s important to return to form this year. However, the season opener wasn’t totally inspiring. Evan Link and Andrew Sprague each made a few costly miscues that allowed New Mexico to create pressure at times, but the offensive line was obviously a big part of creating holes for Haynes to run through.
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Defensive line: B
The defensive line played well for the most part, but there were also a couple penalties that allowed New Mexico to stay on the field. Enow Etta and Damon Payne led the way on the inside, while Cameron Brandt, TJ Guy and Derrick Moore dominated off the edge. Moore came up with a deflected pass that led to a one-handed interception by Guy to set up a field goal to go up 17-0.
Linebackers: A-
Ernest Hausmann is accustomed to leading the team in tackles, and he did so once again in this game with eight. After Jaishawn Barham was ejected due to a targeting penalty, Cole Sullivan was thrusted into the rotation and he took advantage of the opportunity, grabbing an interception and recording a sack.
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Secondary: B
The secondary certainly wasn’t perfect, as cornerback Jyaire Hill picked up a crucial pass interference penalty and was beaten for a touchdown in the third quarter, but Brandyn Hillman and TJ Metcalf more than made up for the mistakes. Hillman posted five tackles and snatched his first career interception, and Metcalf came up with multiple hits behind the line of scrimmage.
Special teams: C+
It was an up-and-down showing by the special teams unit. Dominic Zvada connected on a pair of field goals, but Morgan muffed a punt in the first half and freshman kick returner Andrew Marsh lost a fumble that New Mexico turned into a touchdown. There is plenty of room for improvement on special teams, but it doesn’t seem to be something to worry about quite yet.
