Michigan
Niyo: Marshall plan keeps Michigan running on schedule
Ann Arbor — One minute, Jordan Marshall was lying on the ground on the Michigan sideline, looking like another casualty on a night full of them for the home team.
The next, he simply disappeared. But not for long.
Because the game wasn’t over — much to the dismay of a chattering crowd of 110,517 inside Michigan Stadium on Saturday night — and the workhorse wasn’t done working.
So there Marshall went, plowing into the line one more time. And somehow, out of the pile, there he came again, leaving little doubt about how this night would end.
But questions? Sure, there would be a few.
Starting with the one Tony Alford greeted Marshall with on the sideline after that remarkable fourth-quarter touchdown run had finally given the Wolverines some breathing room.
“Coach Alford was, like, ‘What happened?’” Marshall recalled later, laughing, after he’d helped his team escape Purdue’s upset bid.
His answer: “I just kept running.”
He did, all right. All night, really.
Primary role
And the redshirt freshman might be the single biggest reason Michigan has kept winning these last few weeks, picking up the slack after starter Justice Haynes was sidelined by injury — or injuries, as it were — and practically carrying the Wolverines into their bye week with a 7-2 record.
Whatever you think of Michigan’s chances going forward — wins at Northwestern (Nov. 15) and Maryland (Nov. 22) could set up another epic clash with Ohio State at the end of November — don’t overlook Marshall’s role in getting the Wolverines where they are.
Saturday night, Marshall rushed for a career-best 185 yards on 25 carries, scored all three of his team’s touchdowns, and effectively ran out the clock on the Boilermakers, who haven’t won a Big Ten game in two years but easily could’ve won one here.
That’s because Michigan’s passing game feels like a disjointed mess most of the time. Freshman Bryce Underwood is still rushing too many throws, receivers are still dropping too many passes and the coaching staff is still lacking the kind of confidence you’d expect from a team that’s at least pretending to be a playoff contender at this point in the season.
Underwood followed up an underwhelming performance at Michigan State (7-of-18, 86 yards) with another one Saturday, finishing just 13-of-22 for 145 yards and a costly red-zone interception against a Purdue defense that just gave up 359 yards through the air to Rutgers a week ago in West Lafayette. And while neither the quarterback nor his head coach, Sherrone Moore, sounded any alarms after this latest outing, Moore did acknowledge, “We’ve got to be better in the passing game.”
They’ll have to be better all around, frankly. Michigan’s special-teams play remains an Achilles’ heel more than two months into the season. And a defense that was already missing a few starters lost another one Saturday when Jaishawn Barham exited with an apparent shoulder injury on the second play from scrimmage. But that’s no excuse for the way Purdue dominated time of possession through three quarters or the fact that the Boilermakers completed 77% of their passes and were only a third-down stop away from having a chance to win this game late in the fourth quarter.
Then again, Marshall made sure none of that mattered in the end. Nearly half of his 25 carries — a dozen, to be exact — came in the fourth quarter Saturday. And it would’ve been more if not for the cramping that sent him hobbling off the field in the middle of that final touchdown drive. Marshall missed a few plays getting treatment on the sideline — backup Bryson Kuzdzal filled in — yet he was determined to finish what he’d started.
“It can hurt tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got a whole week to get our bodies right. But I gotta go out there for my team. They fought for four quarters, and I have to be out there to help seal the game and put the game away. And that’s my mindset.”
It showed, obviously. Just as it did a couple weeks earlier in the win over Washington here, as Marshall (25 carries, 133 yards against the Huskies) stepped into the starter’s role that likely would’ve been his all season had Michigan’s coaching staff not hit the transfer portal to bring in Haynes from Alabama last winter.
Waiting his turn
Instead, he was left to play a supporting role for the first six weeks, biding his time and waiting for a bigger opportunity. It finally came when Haynes missed that Washington game while nursing a rib injury suffered in the loss at USC. He returned last week against the Spartans and both backs went over 100 yards in that rivalry runaway. But now Haynes is out indefinitely with a different injury, one that had him using a knee scooter to get around on the Michigan sideline Saturday, his right foot stuffed in a protective boot.
Asked about Haynes’ status before Saturday’s game, Moore would only say “we hope to get him back.” But the back who’s shouldering the load in his absence certainly looks more than capable of doing just that.
Marshall has an impressive ability to absorb contact and gain extra yardage at the end of runs. And as Moore was quick to point out after Saturday’s win, of his 124 carries this season, only one has gone for negative yardage. But he packs more than a punch, too, and this career night against the Boilermakers amplified that, the way Marshall used his patience and vision to break off chunks of yardage time after time. A dozen of his carries went for 5 yards or more —Marshall gave most of the credit for that to Michigan’s young, improving offensive line — and the 54-yarder he took to the house for the game’s first touchdown was his second 50-plus yarder in as many weeks.
“But it’s not a surprise,” linebacker Ernest Hausmann said. “We all know what Jordan’s capable of doing. We go against that in practice every day. So it’s not surprise. We know who he is, and we know what he does.”
And for what it’s worth, Marshall says he knows he can do more.
“I don’t think I played my best today,” he said. “I think I ran well, but there’s some stuff in the pass protection I think I have to clean up, and our (running back) room has to clean up. And again, I’m very hard on myself, and there’s some runs that I wish I had back, things like that.”
And those aren’t just the kind of things coaches love to hear, either. It’s the mentality Michigan’s going to need when it gets back to work over the bye week, preparing for the stretch run.
“I promise you guys that we’re going to come out in two weeks ready to go,” Marshall said. “Next week is an opportunity. It’s not a week where we just get to sit around and relax. It’s a week to get healthy, fix things … back to the fundamentals.”
Saturday was a win, yes. But it was a “sloppy win,” Marshall added, “and we’re a way better team than that.”
john.niyo@detroitnews.com
@JohnNiyo
Michigan
Missing White River kayaker found safe, police say
Michigan State Police say a kayaker who went missing on White River northeast of Montague and Whitehall on Sunday, June 14, has been located safe, after a three-day search.
The man, Justin Wolfiss, 44, entered the river in a kayak at Sischo Bayou around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday with a friend, but did not arrive with his friend at the end point of their trip.
Wolfiss was located safe near Pines Point, officials announced on Tuesday, June 16.
He is currently being medically evaluated, officials say.
Wolfiss and his friend were traveling downstream toward the Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery, near Diamond Point, when they were separated early in the 3- to 4-hour trip, police said.
The friend, police said, waited several hours for Wolfiss to arrive after reaching Diamond Point around 7 p.m.
“The Michigan State Police would like to thank Blue Lake Township Fire Department, Hesperia Fire Department, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, MSP Aviation, MSP K-9, partnering agencies, volunteers, and members of the public who assisted in the search effort and shared information.”
Michigan
Report: Michigan cancels volleyball game vs. Texas Tech, to discuss prohibiting other contests
The fallout from the Brendan Sorsby saga continues. On Monday, Michigan canceled a scheduled volleyball game against Texas Tech, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
According to Dellenger, Michigan “plans to hold further discussions with its athletic staff on prohibiting contests against the Red Raiders.” The program becomes the latest to expressly state intent not to schedule Texas Tech amid the ongoing Sorsby saga.
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The controversy involves legal rulings that have made Sorsby eligible to play after Texas Tech and the NCAA declared him ineligible over sports wagering. Sorsby was granted an injunction against the NCAA that restored his eligibility temporarily, allowing him to play in 2026 after serving a two-game suspension.
Many, including the Big 12 itself, have come out staunchly against the ruling. They argue it presents an existential threat to the integrity of college athletics.
Sorsby placed dozens of sports bets while a student-athlete, including bets on his own program while at Indiana. The NCAA prohibits such activity.
Because of the legal posturing by Sorsby, the Big 12 and even programs outside the conference, like Michigan, have explored various avenues to state their own intent. Already, programs like Georgia and Nebraska have taken steps to avoid scheduling Texas Tech in athletics contests as a form of protest.
Last week, reports emerged from both athletic departments about their intent. Dellenger provided much of the reporting.
“Based on recent developments, Georgia Athletics will not schedule future contests against Texas Tech until further notice,” Georgia’s internal message read.
“Please review your sport’s current schedules and future scheduling plans. If you have any contests currently scheduled against Texas Tech, or are actively engaged in scheduling discussions with Texas Tech, please notify your sport administrator as soon as possible so we can evaluate the situation and determine next steps.
“Effective immediately, no new contests should be scheduled against Texas Tech without prior approval from the Athletics Department.”
The message from Nebraska was a bit briefer. But it carried the same directive.
“I want to reach out to let you know we will not schedule any contests vs. Texas Tech in any sport,” the memo read. “If you currently have a future contest already scheduled, please connect with (Nebraska athletic director) Troy (Dannen) immediately.”
Now Michigan has reportedly actively taken a step to cancel a contest against Texas Tech. It may not be the last, either.
Michigan
Mark Hollis tells AP he’s interested in Michigan State AD job after Kentucky hires J Batt
The University of Kentucky has hired athletic director J Batt away from Michigan State, a little more than a year after he left Georgia Tech.
Kentucky announced the move on Monday, delivering another blow to Michigan State’s leadership.
“The championship standard has been established at Kentucky and we are committed to upholding that standard of excellence,” Batt said.
Shortly thereafter, former Michigan State AD Mark Hollis told The Associated Press he wants to lead the Spartans’ athletic department again.
“I would be interested in talking to Michigan State about it,” Hollis said at Detroit Golf Club, where he was serving his role as tournament director of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic. “I care for the university and I want to help it in any way I can.”
Batt will succeed retiring Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart. Barnhart has had the job since 2002, making him the longest-serving AD in the Southeastern Conference. Barnhart won’t take on a high-paying role at the school after Gov. Andy Beshear questioned decision-making at the school.
A year ago, Michigan State hired Batt away from Georgia Tech, where he was its athletic director since the fall of 2022. Before leading Georgia Tech’s athletic department, he was executive deputy athletic director at Alabama and served as chief operating officer and chief revenue officer in the athletic department.
Michigan State athletic director J Batt speaks during a news conference, June 4, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. Credit: AP/Larry Lage
“Across these institutions, J has distinguished himself as a record-breaker in fundraising and as a leader who strategically invests in facilities to maximize resources and revenue,” University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said.
Batt’s exit follows Michigan State President Kevin M. Guskiewicz choosing to leave for the same job at Clemson.
Hollis had a successful run for a decade as AD at Michigan State before announcing his retirement in 2018 amid the fallout from the sex abuse scandal involving Larry Nassar, a former Michigan State sports doctor who also worked for USA Gymnastics.
He also was credited with innovative concepts such as putting a court in the middle of a football field as he did when Michigan State played Kentucky in 2003 at Detroit’s Ford Field in front of a then-world-record crowd of 78,129 at a basketball game.
Hollis, a Michigan State graduate and close friend of Spartans basketball coach Tom Izzo, hired Mark Dantonio and he became the school’s all-time winningest football coach.
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