3 Michigan players to watch against Nebraska

The Michigan Wolverines have one of the biggest games of their season ahead of them. They travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers to open Big 10 play, and after falling to Oklahoma earlier this season, they need to get a big win on their resume.

The Wolverines have started Big 10 play 1-0 in each of the last five seasons. That's a streak they'll look to keep alive this weekend, but if they want to do that, they'll need a big game from these three players.

QB Bryce Underwood

True freshman QB Bryce Underwood is coming off his best game of the season against Central Michigan, where he totaled nearly 350 yards and three touchdowns, which helped him win Big 10 Freshman of the Week. His arm looked great, but he also showed off his mobility, rushing for 114 yards on nine carries. He looked confident, but now he needs to answer the bell against a good Nebraska defense.

In his lone game against a Power Four opponent, Underwood struggled quite a bit. He completed nine of his 24 pass attempts for 142 yards against Oklahoma and didn't use his legs at all. Hopefully, now that he's got another game under his belt and feels more comfortable running, he can learn from that performance and play well against Nebraska, but he's still a true freshman QB going on the road to a hostile environment. It won't be easy, but if he can play well, Michigan should win this game.

RB Justice Haynes

Michigan, RB, Justice Hayne — Michigan running back Justice Haynes (22) runs against Central Michigan defensive back Elijah Gordon (10) and defensive back Elijah Rikard (2) during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A QBs best friend is a good run game, and that's exactly what Justice Haynes has provided through the first three games of the season. Haynes has already rushed for 388 yards and five touchdowns, and he's done it on just 49 carries (7.9 average). He has been a weapon out of the backfield for the Wolverines, and he'll need to keep it up against Nebraska if they want to get a big road win this weekend.

Haynes doesn't have to average eight yards per carry, but if he can get going early and chip away with 4-5 yard runs, it's going to make Nebraska's safeties start crowding the line of scrimmage, and it will open up a ton of stuff in the pass game. He doesn't need to be Superman; he just needs to consistently put pressure on Nebraska's defense every time he touches the ball. If he can do that, Michigan's offense should roll in Memorial Stadium.

CB Jyaire Hill

Nebraska's passing game has been red hot to start the year. Dylan Raiola has thrown for 829 yards and eight touchdowns without turning the ball over one time, although it hasn't been against the best talent. He looks like he's taken massive strides from last season and could be one of the better QBs in the Big 10, so if Michigan wants to win this game, they'll need to limit what he can do with his arm.

Because of the Cornhuskers' passing attack being so dangerous, one of the players to watch for Michigan is Jyaire Hill. The Wolverines still have a few cornerbacks working their way back from injury, including Zeke Berry, who should be active but might be on a pitch count. Hill will likely serve as the Wolverines' CB1 in this game, so they'll need him to lock down Dane Key or whichever receiver he's lining up across from.

QB Bryce Underwood

RB Justice Haynes

CB Jyaire Hill

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