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Can Nebraska’s Front Seven Disrupt Michigan’s Ground Game?

Originally posted on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI
By Michael Cavallo | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 7:00 AM ET

As Nebraska (3-0) prepares to host No. 21 Michigan (2-1) in a pivotal Week 4 showdown, all eyes turn to the trenches. Michigan’s ground game, anchored by four-star tailback Justice Haynes (388 yards) and the dynamic legs of quarterback Bryce Underwood (108 yards), has steamrolled early opponents with ruthless efficiency through the first three games.

For Matt Rhule’s defense, this isn’t just a test of toughness, but it’s a referendum on progress. Can Nebraska’s front seven shed blocks, plug gaps, and finally dictate terms at the line of scrimmage? Or will Michigan’s physicality expose lingering cracks in the Huskers’ run fits and pursuit angles?

Michigan’s run game thrives on downhill momentum and second-level punishment, with Haynes showcasing elite vision and contact balance behind a veteran offensive line that excels at combo blocks and seal techniques. Nebraska’s front seven, led by Williams Nwaneri (7 total tackles) and Cameron Lenhardt (6 total tackles), must win early downs with gap integrity and disciplined leverage, especially against Michigan’s frequent use of counter and split-zone concepts.

The challenge isn’t just physical, but more schematic. Underwood’s mobility forces edge defenders into conflict, often freezing contain responsibilities and opening cutback lanes. If Nebraska can’t compress the point of attack and rally with backside pursuit, Michigan will grind out possessions and control tempo.

This game may hinge on whether Nebraska's linebackers, particularly Dasan McCullough (7 total tackles) and Javin Wright (7 total tackles), can diagnose quickly and fill with force before Michigan's backs reach the second tier.

McCullough's tape reveals a linebacker with elite diagnostic speed and fluid lateral movement, traits that will be tested against Michigan’s zone and counter schemes. He’s at his best when playing downhill, triggering quickly off guard pulls and slicing through traffic with precise angles. Against Michigan, his ability to read Bryce Underwood’s mesh-point decisions and react without hesitation will be vital.

Wright and McCullough's roles in spy packages and scrape exchanges could determine whether Nebraska contains Underwood’s improvisational runs or gets gashed on broken plays. If he can stay clean behind the front and avoid false steps, these two cornhuskers have the range and tackling form to be a difference-maker in limiting explosive gains.

If Nebraska wants to flip the narrative and notch a signature win under Rhule, it starts with trench dominance. Michigan’s run game is built to punish hesitation and exploit fatigue, but the Huskers have the personnel and emerging discipline to make this a four-quarter fight.

The front seven doesn’t need perfection, but they need disruption. Timely penetration, clean linebacker fits, and edge containment could force Michigan into uncomfortable down-and-distance situations, putting the game in Underwood’s hands. If Nebraska can do that, Memorial Stadium might just witness the kind of defensive statement that echoes far beyond Lincoln.