No. 2 Wolverines devour Huskers in blowout win

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Wolverines were on the prowl Saturday, and the Huskers were their prey.

No. 2 Michigan defeated Nebraska 45-7.

The Wolverines drew blood on the first drive, with a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback J.J. McCarthy to Roman Wilson.

Nebraska’s first possession was short-lived. Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg threw an interception on the second play.

Michigan took over on NU’s 29-yard line and took advantage of the short field. Kalel Mullings ran 20 yards into the end zone to widen the Wolverines’ lead.

On the next drive, the Huskers marched to Michigan’s 12-yard line but failed to convert on fourth-and-1.

The Wolverines struck again on a 21-yard touchdown run by McCarthy.

Just before the end of the first half, Michigan tacked on another TD with a 16-yard pass from McCarthy to Wilson.

Nebraska’s first possession of the second half started with a 56-yard throw from Haarberg to Marcus Washington.

But that drive fizzled out, and Tristan Alvano missed a 40-yard field goal attempt.

The Wolverines scored again when Blake Corum ran the ball in the end zone from 1 yard out.

Third-string Michigan quarterback Jayden Denegal later threw an 8-yard TD pass to Peyton O’Leary to finish the job.

Nebraska got on the board with four minutes left when Joshua Fleeks ran 74 yards to the end zone.

Michigan racked up 436 yards, including 249 on the ground.

Before Saturday, the Blackshirts had only allowed 185 rushing yards all season.

The teams were competitive in the air; Nebraska had 199 passing yards to Michigan’s 187.

But the Huskers struggled to run the ball. They finished with 106 yards, most of which came from Fleeks’ futile touchdown.

Nebraska plays at Illinois at 7 p.m. Friday. The game will be broadcast on FS1.