No. 4 Michigan beats No. 8 Wisconsin 14-7, stays undefeated

PEPPERS HELD IN CHECK: For a game in which Wisconsin was forced to punt nine times, the Badgers did well to not allow MI star Jabrill Peppers to make a big play in the return game.

Offensively, Michigan football is averaging 238.0 yards in passing and 229.8 yards in rushing, and 52.0 points per game.

The Huskers didn’t look all that good against IL, but they’re still 5-0 and in control of the Big Ten West.

Wisconsin’s defense gave it a couple more opportunities to put together a drive to reel the game back in, but Michigan’s defense wasn’t going to let this one go, and sealed the game with a ridiculous one-handed interception on a desperation heave on fourth down.

The Badgers went for it on fourth-and-10 from their 8, and Alex Hornibrook’s deep pass was picked off by Lewis. Luckily for him and the Badgers, Michigan couldn’t do anything with it. The drive stalled, setting up a 40-yard field goal for Ryan Tice.

The story moving forward: With 3 missed MI field goals, will Harbaugh take his kickers (2 different kickers missed FG’s in this game) deficiency into consideration when 4th down rolls around when in field goal range?

Here are three takeaways from Michigan’s win over Wisconsin.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Jourdan Lewis leaped, fully extended his right arm, squeezed the point of the football into his palm and pinned it against his hip. “They made plays.” One more big play than UW.

Compared to what was said from his teammate and head coach, it didn’t appear to be just instincts.

“I think I did a good job”, Dooley said. We always have to explore the mind of MI coach Jim Harbaugh first.

That means it was played at Wisconsin’s tempo, an obstacle the Wolverines were able to overcome.

Wisconsin had the ball at its 8-yard line with 2:59 and no timeouts left with a chance to beat for its third win against a top-10 team this season.

Wisconsin suffered a blow on Thursday when they learned that senior linebacker Vince Biegel is expected to be sidelined for several weeks due to a broken foot. Quarterback J.T. Barrett completed 21 of 29 attempts for 238 yards and four touchdowns for the Buckeyes. The Wolverines’ De’Veon Smith, Karan Higdon and Ty Isaac were unstoppable here, combining for 32 carries, 262 rush yards and four touchdowns. Darboh led the team in receiving, hauling in six catches for 87 yards.

On Saturday, Michigan’s offense will stare across the line of scrimmage at a Wisconsin rush defense that’s ranked 10th nationally, allowing just 80.5 yards per game. Smith led MI on Saturday with 17 rushes for 66 yards and Evans eight for 34 while Higdon didn’t appear in the game.

Defensively, it looked like Wisconsin could have had three separate interceptions in the first half. The Badgers have impressive wins over LSU and Michigan State, and they have a chance for another huge win this weekend in Ann Arbor.

Wisconsin heads to the Big House to take on MI in a Big Ten matchup featuring two teams ranked in the top ten. Today’s game has an afternoon start time and airs on a national TV channel as well as a live stream online option.