ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When you get your playmakers the ball, good things happen. The problem for Michigan football was that it didn’t seem to know who those players were or how to get them the ball consistently in the first four weeks.
But in Week 6, the fifth game of the season, it wasn’t just running back Justice Haynes wowing fans.
Two receivers stepped up and stood out. Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley had his second-best game ever as a wide receiver, and his best in a Michigan uniform. He nabbed six catches for 112 yards, including two on a drive that featured a long, acrobatic toe-tapping play and then a 29-yard touchdown after McCulley evaded defenders by changing direction, resulting in big yards after the catch. The other was true freshman Andrew Marsh, who had four catches for 80 yards after making a surprise start at Z receiver over incumbent Channing Goodwin — who has been struggling with drops early this season.
Head coach Sherrone Moore commented on the duo, as well as slot receiver Semaj Morgan — who has also struggled with drops — noting that he’s excited about the performances from that unit against Wisconsin.
“To add the Donovan McCulley career game here — I think first receiver over 100 yards since Purdue in ’23 — just continuing to make big plays, doing what we thought he could and doing it at a high level,” Moore said. “Making some acrobatic catches, some high-point catches, yards after catch.
“And then the same thing with Andrew Marsh, kind of what we echoed, what we thought was going to happen. And played consistent, played fast, played physical. So, happy with how those guys played. And Semaj had the drop, but he also had some really big plays. And all those guys are really stepping up. So, excited for the group and what they’re doing.”
For Marsh’s role, it appears that he’s usurped Goodwin, at least for now. Moore is noncommittal when it comes to naming a player as having permanently supplanted another on the depth chart, but he says that Marsh has earned the right to start again at USC on Saturday.
What’s more, it sounds like another freshman, Jamar Browder, may see increased playing time either this week or in the near future.
“Yeah, 100%. He definitely has earned that right with four catches for, I think, 80 (yards),” Moore said. “And four targets on those four catches. So, yeah, absolutely, he’s earned all the right to continue playing, continue to do what he’s been doing.
“And we’ll see. Again, it’s still open competition for everybody else. Channing will still compete. Obviously, Semaj is in there competing. Kendrick Bell; Jamar Browder is a guy. We’ve been talking about him, about his ability. So, we’ll see him start to get in the mix a little bit. So, we’ll see this week and how those guys compete. But, yeah, 100%. Andrew Marsh definitely earned the right to be a starter and play.”
As for Browder — who was the talk of spring ball — the 6-foot-5 receiver brings a lot to the table. But, as he’s young and still learning the college game and the playbook, he’s still a work in progress.
However, like Marsh, if he can have a good week of practice, Moore says, he could start getting involved in actual games.
“He’s got great ball skills,” Moore said. “He’s fast. The biggest thing is just understanding the concepts and learning where to go and how to do it. We’ll continue to help him with that.
“So, we wanted big receivers, man. I mean, that’s something we’ve really attacked as we’ve gone through this process of getting bigger. And, obviously, what happened with McCulley, having a guy like that. So putting Jamar in places to help him. And he’s a freshman, too, right? So, we’ll see what he does and how he practices this week, and that will determine the game plan.”
Michigan is set to continue to work the passing game as it travels to Los Angeles to face USC and the No. 111 pass defense in the country. The Trojans, who give up 251 yards per game, do have an excellent pass rush, but have struggled in coverage. They’re also 99th in the country in passing yards allowed per play with 7.7.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Andrew Marsh earns starting spot as Sherrone Moore praises McCulley
