Michigan’s Week 7 win did more than snap a two-game skid. It also changed the conversation at quarterback, with Bryce Underwood pulled at halftime and freshman Tommy Carr stepping in to spark the offense. Michigan scored touchdowns on two of its first three second-half drives, then added another late to put the game away.
For now, the Wolverines still haven’t locked in what comes next. Kyle Whittingham praised Carr, but he did not say whether the freshman will keep the job or whether Underwood will get another look.
That uncertainty in Ann Arbor is part of a much bigger QB picture across the Big Ten, and several Saturday developments mattered for Michigan’s road ahead.
The wildest finish of the day came in the Ohio State-Indiana matchup. With just over a minute left and Indiana facing fourth-and-4, Josh Hoover hit Nick Marsh for what looked like the winning touchdown. Marsh, though, could not get both feet down in bounds, and the play ended in a turnover on downs.
That loss snapped Indiana’s 22-game win streak that dated back to the 2025 season opener.
For Michigan, the bigger issue was what happened to Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. Sayin went down with an arm injury in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Day said he would be out for "several weeks." Freshman Luke Fahey came on in relief, and he will presumably start in two week as well.
Sayin still has a little more than a month to get back before Ohio State’s regular-season finale against Michigan, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be ready for that game. Day did not provide a firm return date, and even once Sayin is cleared, he may need time to get back into rhythm. Until that timeline becomes clearer, this one stays front and center.
UCLA also gave Michigan something to watch, even in a game that leaned heavily toward defense. Against Wisconsin, the Bruins forced three punts on their first three defensive series, while Wisconsin answered with an interception to finish the first half and another to open the third quarter.
The game stayed tight until the fourth quarter, when UCLA finally created separation. Anthony Woods finished the Bruins’ third-to-last drive with a 3-yard touchdown to make it 17-7.
Wisconsin never really responded. Its final two possessions covered just 10 plays and 29 yards.
That result matters because UCLA comes to Ann Arbor in just over a month, and the Bruins are still sorting through life after Nico Iamaleava’s season-ending knee injury last week. Ty Dieffenbach got his first start, and while one game doesn’t tell the whole story, he did enough to keep the offense moving.
Michigan won’t need Dieffenbach to be a star when UCLA arrives, but he does need to be functional enough to keep defenses honest and prevent them from loading up against the run. If he can do that, Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods can keep doing damage.
Oregon’s game with Nebraska finished ugly, and for Michigan, the most important takeaway is that the Ducks still look shaky without Dante Moore. Through three quarters, Oregon had only six points. Nebraska was only slightly better, leading by eight over that stretch.
The game opened up in the fourth quarter, when Oregon finally found two scoring drives and kept Nebraska from mounting anything on defense. The clock-control moment came when Nyziah Hunter could not get out of bounds, which effectively ended Nebraska’s hopes.
That situation matters because Oregon visits Ann Arbor on Nov. 14, and the Ducks’ offense has not looked right without Moore. Dylan Raiola had three turnovers in his start a week earlier, and Brock Thomas followed with an even rougher outing on Saturday, finishing with just 54 passing yards and -3 rushing yards before Raiola came back in at the start of the fourth quarter.
Moore’s status remains unsettled after a severe concussion against USC two weeks ago, and whether he’s available by the Michigan game could end up shaping that matchup as much as anything else.
In Other News...
Ohio States Playoff Push Just Got A Tough Julian Sayin Twist
Ohio States unbeaten march took a hit in the middle of an otherwise important win over Indiana, when quarterback Julian Sayin left with an arm injury and did not return. Ryan Day said afterward that Sayin is expected to be out for several weeks, a development that lands at a tricky point in the Buckeyes season as the schedule starts to tighten up.
Freshman Luke Fahey now steps into the backup role while Ohio State tries to keep its playoff momentum intact. The Buckeyes moved to 6-1 with the win, but the margin for error is slimmer now with tough games ahead and a quarterback situation that suddenly looks much different than it did before Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem To Solve
The Buckeyes are heading into the Indiana game with a thinner backfield than they expected, after Ja'Kobi Jackson was confirmed unavailable because of an injury that appears to be more serious than first believed. Based on what was seen in the game, the issue looks to be a foot injury, and Jacksons Instagram post suggested the recovery could be a difficult one.
For Ohio State, the immediate concern is how the carries get redistributed in his absence. Bo Jackson and Legend Bey are expected to take on a bigger role at running back, and the Buckeyes will need that group to settle in quickly as the offense adjusts without one of its depth pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Big Win Just Created A Julian Sayin Problem
Ohio States 19-15 win over Indiana came with a fresh concern attached to it, because Julian Sayin was forced out of the game with an injury and left the locker room with his right throwing arm in a sling. The Buckeyes did enough to avoid a second loss and hand Indiana its first defeat since the end of the 2024 season, but the victory carried an obvious cost as the day wore on.
What happens next with Sayin is now the question hanging over the program. His future status is still unknown, and with Ohio State trying to build on a hard-fought win, any absence at quarterback would turn a gritty result into a much bigger storyline in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]