ANN ARBOR, Mich. — No matter how good or bad the overall first road team Michigan football has played in each of the past few years, it’s been one that, on paper, has had defensive prowess.
In 2021, it was a trip to Madison to face Wisconsin, which had the best run defense and No. 1 defense overall at the time. In 2022, it was Iowa, which was viewed quite similarly. This year, it’s Nebraska, which enters Week 5 with the nation’s No. 2 rush defense and the 24th-best overall defense.
The Huskers have had their struggles against the pass, having given up 396 yards to Colorado in Week 2. And while the Lincoln-based team has yet to face a team with rushing prowess, it’s yet to give up more than 58 yards on the ground in any given game.
So what does Michigan football see? Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore shared what he’s gleaned from watching film this week, noting that these are experienced players who won’t be overwhelmed by talent on the other side of the ball.
“Big, strong up front, experienced guys that played a lot of football, do multiple things, front-wise, coverage-wise,” Moore said. “So it’ll be a great challenge and a great environment for us. But those guys, they play really well. They’re really, really stout against the run.”
Nonetheless, the Wolverines are looking forward to the challenge, similar to Week 5 in each of the previous two years. Both seasons, the maize and blue excelled in the same area where the opposition was supposedly stout, so Moore is hoping for similar results.
“I think they’re like the No. 1 rush defense in the country,” Moore said. “So it’s a great challenge for the players. They’re really excited about it and excited to go play in that environment.”
Michigan and Nebraska will kick off at 3:30 p.m. EDT at Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Fox.