The 1997 National Champions and Michigan: Wolverines vs. Huskers Game Thread

Welcome to our fifth Game Thread of the 2023 Nebraska football season.

Nate M’s Quick Thoughts: I am really interested in how Nebraska’s rushing attack will fare against the best defense in the country with Michigan. Especially if Nebraska is going to continue to run Haarberg like they have. Is Michigan going to force him to pitch the ball and if they do how will that go?

I think Nebraska’s defense will play good enough. Unfortunately, I do not think Nebraska’s offense will score enough to win.

Nate M’s Prediction: Michigan 28 - Nebraska 3

Date: Today!

Location: The Beautiful Magnificent Astounding Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE.

Time: 2:30 p.m. Central.

TV Broadcast Info: Fox. Play-by-Play: Jason Benetti. Analyst: Brock Huard. Sidelines: Allison Williams

Radio Broadcast Info: Husker Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning and Jessica Coody)

Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Nebraska-Michigan Series History:
Saturday’s meeting between Nebraska and Michigan will be the 13th all-time between the schools, with Michigan holding a 7-4-1 advantage. This marks the third time Michigan has visited Lincoln, including trips to Memorial Stadium in 2012 and 2021.

• The Huskers and Wolverines have met six times since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, with Michigan holding a 4-2 edge.

• Between 1962 and 2011 the only meetings between the two historical powerhouses were a pair of bowl matchups. Michigan was victorious in the Fiesta Bowl following the 1985 season (27-23), when the Wolverines were quarterbacked by current head coach Jim Harbaugh. Nebraska defeated Michigan 32-28 in the 2005 Alamo Bowl, when it was led by quarterback Zac Taylor, the current head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

MATCHUP TO PIT TWO HISTORICAL PROGRAMS

Saturday’s meeting between Nebraska and Michigan matches up two of the most successful programs in the history of college football.

• Michigan and Nebraska rank first and eighth, respectively, in all-time victories in college football. The Wolverines have 993 all-time victories, while the Huskers have 914 wins in the history of the program.

• Michigan and Nebraska have combined for 16 national championships, with the Wolverines winning 11 and Nebraska owning five national titles. The schools shared the 1997 national championship. Together, Nebraska and Michigan have won 90 conference championships, including 46 by Nebraska and 44 by Michigan.

The Matchup from Huskers Game Notes:

Nebraska returns to Big Ten Conference play and finishes a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when the Huskers entertain the second-ranked Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Game time in Lincoln is set for shortly after 2:30 p.m. Central time, with the game televised by FOX and available on the Fox Sports App. The radio broadcast will be available on the Huskers Radio Network, the official Huskers App and Huskers.com.

Nebraska won its second straight game last Saturday with a 28-14 victory over Louisiana Tech. The Huskers used a powerful running game to wear down the Bulldogs and take control with three touchdowns on their first four possessions of the second half. Nebraska finished the game with 312 rushing yards, including a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game since the 2020 season. Defensively, the Blackshirt defense limited Louisiana Tech to 46 rushing yards.

Michigan comes to Lincoln with a 4-0 record, including a 1-0 Big Ten mark following last week’s 31-7 victory over Rutgers in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are ranked second in both polls this week, and have captured the past two Big Ten Conference titles.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s squad has been impressive on both sides of the ball this season. Michigan leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 5.8 points per game and is third in total defense, allowing 231.0 yards per game. The Wolverine offense is one of the nation’s most efficient passing attacks, completing better than 77 percent of its attempts.

Saturday’s contest pits two of just eight football programs in the nation with at least 900 victories. Michigan ranks first in all-time victories, while the Huskers rank eighth nationally in wins.