The Michigan Wolverines head back to Ann Arbor 1-0 in Big Ten play and 3-1 overall this year following a back-and-forth affair with the Nebraska Cornhuskers that ended in a 30-27 victory. There were big plays made on both sides of the ball, with a few explosive plays on the ground as well as seven — yes, seven — sacks on Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola.
After the game, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule praised Michigan’s defensive effort, and pointed at one player in particular — Jaishawn Barham — as being a “dominant” player.
“There was too much pressure on the quarterback, too much sacks — I would say it’s always the function of everything, but at the end of the day, they overwhelmed us at times,” Rhule said. “…I think No. 1 for them is — he was an inside linebacker, they moved after last game to outside backer and I thought he was dominant last week (against Central Michigan). I think he’s a dominant player.”
The move to edge has done wonders for Barham. He compiled four total tackles against Nebraska, including two tackles for loss and one sack. He also tied edge rusher Derrick Moore for the team lead in total quarterback pressures with six, per Pro Football Focus.
Barham wasn’t the only Wolverine that Rhule had compliments to hand out to, as he also had great things to say about running back Justice Haynes. On Saturday, Haynes went for more than 100 yards — 149, to be exact — for the fourth consecutive game to open the season. His 75-yard touchdown right before halftime made a huge difference in the game.
“Haynes is an excellent back, utmost respect for him,” Rhule said. “He made the plays that you have to make to win those games. You look at what he did — he had three catches, he had all the carries. They couldn’t throw the ball against us very well, but they certainly made the explosive run plays.
“We had to make a couple more tackles in the run game. That’s a big time back, and he hurt us.”
Haynes already has more total rushing yards (537) this season than he did all of last year (448) at Alabama. He is also just one touchdown shy (six) of what he had last season. After this week’s action, Haynes leads the Big Ten in rushing and is on pace for a career year after being a backup in Tuscaloosa the last two seasons.
Michigan will enjoy a bye week this upcoming week before welcoming in the Wisconsin Badgers to the Big House on Oct. 4. Rhule and the Cornhuskers are also on bye this week and will host Michigan State for their next game.
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