By Evan Bland,Omaha World-Herald staff writers

Copyright omaha

LINCOLN — Nebraska had opening after opening Saturday in its Big Ten opener against No. 21 Michigan.

The Huskers were deep into Michigan territory on their first drive, tied at the half after a Hail Mary touchdown pass, and never really out of it until the final seconds.

But Michigan’s offense abused the Huskers all day, reeling off big play after big play and finishing with 286 rushing yards in a 30-27 win at Memorial Stadium.

Justice Haynes rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown and Jordan Marshall rushed for 80 and a score for the Wolverines, who averaged 8.7 yards per carry.

Nebraska, on the other hand, rushed for 43 yards as a team and averaged 1.4 yards per carry.

Dylan Raiola threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for the Huskers, who have a bye week next week before hosting Michigan State on Oct. 4.

Read on for a recap of how it all came together.

Fourth quarter

Michigan recovers onside kick, gets key first down to seal it

Nebraska attempted an onside kick, but Michigan recovered and returned it one yard to the Nebraska 45.

Marshall rushed for 3 yards on first down, bringing up second-and-7 at the 42.

Marshall carried for 8 yards on the next play for a first down, forcing Nebraska to use its final timeout to stop the clock.

Underwood took a knee on each of the ensuing plays and the clock ran out, handing NU its first loss of the year.

Long scoring drive gives Nebaska an opening

Clinging to slim comeback hopes, Nebraska went on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a Raiola touchdown pass to Heinrich Haarberg with 1:34 left.

Desperately needing a scoring drive, Nebraska took over with 3:54 left and the ball on its own 25.

Raiola completed to Johnson for a 6-yard gain. On second down, Johnson made a juggling catch on another Raiola pass to make it first-and-10 at the 36.

On first-and-10 from the 36, Raiola bombed it down the field for Key but overthrew him, bringing up second down.

Facing third-and-22 at their own 34, hit Hunter for a 21-yard gain that made it fourth-and-1 at the Michigan 45.

On fourth down, Raiola completed to Haarberg for a first down that kept NU’s comeback hopes hanging on by a thread.

On the next play, Raiola tried to find Hunter near the goal line and drew a defensive pass interference penalty that made it first-and-10 at the 24.

On first down, Raiola competed 21 yards to Barney, who caught the ball around the 6 and headed toward the sideline before being hit hard by Brandyn Hillman.

On fist-and-goal from the 3, Raiola hit Haarberg for a 3-yard touchdown pass that brought Nebraska to within 30-26. Cunanan’s extra point made it 30-27 with 1:34 left in the game.

Michigan goes on 77-yard scoring drive to extend lead

The Wolverines went on a 16-play, 77-yard scoring drive capped by a 21-yard field goal that extended the lead to 30-20 and took a lot of life out of the Memorial Stadium crowd.

Michigan began its drive at its own 20, leading 27-20 with 12:40 left in the game.

With the crowd coming to life a bit, Haynes carried for 13 yards on first down. He carried again on the ensuing play for a gain of 5, making it second-and-5 at the 38.

Haynes was stopped for no gain, bringing up third-and-5 at the 38.

On third down, Underwood completed to Morgan, and the receiver eluded a would-be tackler for a 6-yard gain, making it first-and-10 at the 44 with just over 10 minutes left.

Haynes carried yet again on first down for a 1-yard gain, making it second-and-9 at the 45.

On second down, Underwood had his pass batted down behind the line of scrimmage, leading to another third down.

Needing a stop, Nebraska could not get one. Haynes took a pass in the flat and scampered 16 yards for a first down.

Marshall carried for no gain on the ensuing second down, bringing up yet another third down.

Yet again, the Huskers came up short. Haynes broke away for a long run down to the 20 and yet another first down.

Underwood ran for a 12-yard gain, bringing up first-and-goal at the 9. Underwood carried on second down to the 3, bringing up third-and-goal.

On third down, Underwood was stopped for a 1-yard loss, bringing up fourth and goal from the 3.

Zvada came on to hit a 21-yard field goal, making it 30-20 with 3:54 left.

Michigan defense forces a 3-and-out

Nebraska took over at its own 29, trailing by a touchdown with 14:05 left in the game.

On first down, Emmett Johnson was brought down for a 2-yard loss, bringing up second-and-12 from the 27.

On second down, Raiola was hurried, then threw incomplete intended for Hunter, bringing up third-and-12 at the 27.

On third down, Raiola was under duress again and brought down for a 3-yard loss, making it fourth-and-15 at the 24.

Archie Wilson’s punt rolled all the way to the Michigan 20, giving the Wolverines a long field on their next drive.

Nebraska defense gets a key stop

Michigan began its drive at its own 25 with 14:56 left in the game.

Underwood threw incomplete for Morgan on first down, bringing up second-and-10.

A 6-yard completion brought up third down. Underwood rolled right and then overthrew Goodwin, bringing up fourth down and delivering a crucial stop for Nebraska.

Cunanan field goal brings Nebraska to within 27-20

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kyle Cunanan connected on a 38-yard field goal to make it 27-20 with 14:56 left in the game.

Third quarter

Unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gives NU life; Huskers trail by 10 at end of third quarter

With the crowd quiet and Nebraska trailing by 10, the Huskers began their drive at the 25.

NU lost four yards on a completed pass on first down, bringing up second-and-14 at the 21.

On second down, Raiola overthrew Lindenmeyer over the middle, bringing up third-and-14.

On third down, Raiola completed to Lindenmeyer, but he was crushed as soon as he caught the ball for a 3-yard loss, bringing up fourth-and-17.

The Huskers were bailed out when Michigan’s Brandyn Hillman was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting the NU sideline, bringing up first down at the 33.

An 18-yard completion to Lindenmeyer brought Nebraska into Michigan territory at the 43.

Raiola completed over the middle to Heinrich Haarberg, then hit Emmett Johnson for 5 yards, bringing up first-and-10 at the Michigan 29.

Another 5-yard gain to Lindenmeyer made it second-and-5 at the 24 with two minutes left in the quarter.

On second down, Johnson carried it up the middle for 8 yards and a first down. That made it first-and-10 at the 16.

Raiola completed to Barney for a 3-yard gain, bringing up second-and-7 at the 13.

On second down, Raiola was sacked for a 7-yard loss, bringing up third-and-14 at the 20.

On third down, Raiola threw a pass that Nyziah Hunter caught in the back of the endzone. But officials ruled that Hunter had stepped out of bounds and then re-entered, resulting in an illegal touching penalty and bringing up fourth-and-14 at the 20.

The third quarter ended with Kyle Cunanan set to attempt at 38-yard field goal.

54-yard touchdown run extends Michigan’s lead to 27-17

Michigan took over at its own 38 with 6:12 left. Marshall slipped away for an 8-yard gain, bringing up second-and-2 at the 46.

On second down, Marshall found a huge hole and broke away for a 54-yard touchdown that, coupled with the extra point, made it 27-17 with 5:40 left.

Michigan defense forces a Nebraska 3-and-out

Nebraska began its drive at its own 25-yard-line with 7:43 left in the third quarter.

A sack set up third-and-16 at the 19.

Raiola threw incomplete on third down, bringing Wilson back on to punt.

56-yard field goal puts Michigan back on top

On first down at the 40, Underwood handed off to Haynes, who rushed up the middle for a 7-yard gain.

Underwood rifled it to Morgan on second down and it slipped through the receiver’s hands, bringing up third-and-3.

On third down, Underwood handed to Haynes, who carried up the middle for 3 yards and a first down at the 50.

On first down, Underwood rolled to his right and hit Klein for a 16-yard gain and a first down at the NU 34.

A 4-yard loss set up 2nd-and-14 at the 38.

Underwood threw down the right sideline for McCulley, who attempted a leaping catch right on the right sideline.

McCulley leapt and reached with two hands before corralling the ball, his foot hitting the ground right on the border of the sideline.

Officials ruled it an incomplete pass and upheld the call upon replay.

On third-and-14, the crowd roaring, Underwood rolled out to his left and then threw incomplete, intended for Goodwin. That brought up fourt-and-14 at the 38.

Dominic Zvada then came on and drilled a 56-yard field goal that made it 20-17 with 7:43 left in the quarter.

Nebraska forced to punt; Michigan takes over at its own 40

Nebraska began its first drive of the half at its own 3-yard-line with 12:34 left in the third quarter.

On first down, Raiola handed off to Johnson, who carried up the middle for a 3-yard gain, bringing up second-and-6 from the 7.

On second down, Raiola handed off to Johnson again. This time he was stopped after a 1-yard gain, bringing up third-and-6.

Raiola found Dane Key on third down, but he was brought down a yard short of the first-down marker, bringing up fourth down from the 12.

Nebraska was called for delay of game on the next down, forcing Archie Wilson to punt from the back of the endzone. Wilson bombed it 52 yards down the left sideline, giving Michigan the ball at its own 40 with 10:15 left in the quarter.

Nebraska forces Michigan to punt

Michigan began the second half with first-and-10 at its own 25.

Underwood hit McCulley for a 16-yard gain down the left sideline on the first play from scrimmage of the second half.

Haynes carried for a gain of 2 on the next play, bringing up second-and-8. Underwood connected for a 5-yard gain on the next play, bringing up third-and-3.

On third down, Underwood dumped it off to Haynes, but Vincent Shavers made a diving tackle to bring him down for a loss, denying UM a first down.

Halftime: Nebraska 17, Michigan 17

A Hail Mary sent a sellout Nebraska crowd into delirium and forged a tie game into halftime with Michigan.

NU quarterback Dylan Raiola uncorked a 52-yard pass at the horn that six-foot Jacory Barney hauled in for an equalizing touchdown in front of a crowd of defenders at the front of the end zone. It came moments after Michigan hit its own home-run play when running back Justice Haynes broke off a 75-yard scoring run for the No. 21 visitors.

The teams played essentially even in yardage until the final heave, though Michigan consistently controlled both lines of scrimmage. Star UM quarterback Bryce Underwood ran for a 37-yard touchdown while Raiola had completed 13 of 20 passes for 158 yards, one score and a tipped-ball interception until the deep finish.

NU running back Emmett Johnson has 54 rushing yards on 14 carries.

The Huskers will open the second half with the football.

Nebraska glided downfield to start. Johnson popped a quick 14-yard run. Raiola scrambled in the pocket, stepped up, evaded another defender to his left and hit an open Luke Lindenmeyer to his right for 23. Chunk gains from running back Mekhi Nelson (11-yard run) and Nyziah Hunter (13 yards on a rollout right) followed.

But Big Red’s red-zone issues cropped up again. On second and 3 from the Michigan 7-yard line, Raiola threw incomplete on a fade to Jacory Barney. Then Johnson was bottled up for a gain of one. On fourth down, a quick flick to Lindenmeyer produced only a yard.

NU’s defense made sure the gamble didn’t sting too much — a crowd-aided Michigan false start led to a three and out. The offense set up at the Michigan 37 but stalled again with minimal ground progress. A sack of Raiola on third down led to a 44-yard field goal try that Kyle Cunanan missed wide right.

Michigan came back with the game’s first points on a 10-play, 46-yard possession that ended in a 46-yard kick from Dominiz Zvada. The visitors missed on a trick play when receiver Semaj Morgan threw short to Donaven McCulley, who slipped in the end zone trying to catch it. An apparent drop on a fade to Channing Goodwin followed a play later.

A disastrous two-snap sequence for Nebraska soon followed. Raiola threw his first interception of the year on a tipped pass corralled by Cole Sullivan on the boundary. Then Michigan star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood took off untouched up the middle for a 37-yard touchdown sprint.

Nebraska toed the danger zone into the second quarter after a quick punt back to Michigan. Then, a key takeaway as defensive lineman Elijah Jeudy stripped Underwood on a run and DeShon Singleton recovered near midfield.

The NU offense moved into field-goal range — a 21-yard connection with Dane Key was the highlight sequence. Michigan forced a stop with a sack on third and short.

The Blackshirts countered with a punt, sparked by a monstrous sack from Dasan McCullough off the edge.

Nebraska again moved downfield, an 11-yard slant to Jacory Barney here and a 12-yard throw in the flat to Lindenmeyer there. On third and 8 and the Wolverines showing blitz, Raiola lofted an intermediate ball over the middle to Barney for a touchdown.

A 10-10 game didn’t last long. The Michigan running back Haynes — held to 27 yards on six carries to that point — busted free up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown and 17-10 lead for the visitors.

Second quarter

Raiola Hail Mary ties it at 17 at the half

On one of the most stunning plays of the year, Dylan Raiola completed a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Jacory Barney, who made a leaping catch in traffic at the goal line for a touchdown as time expired at the end of the first half.

The play ended a wild, up-and-down half and gave the Memorial Stadium crowd a jolt of energy and the Huskers a fresh burst of life.

NU started its drive with 1:51 left in the half and the ball on its own 25.

Dane Key made a diving catch on a Raiola pass for a 10-yard gain and a first down. On the next play, Raiola hit Quinn Clark for another first down, bringing the ball to the 49.

Raiola was sacked on the ensuing play for a 9-yard loss, bringing up second-and-19 at the NU 40.

After a 5-yard run by Johnson, Nebraska called timeout with one second left in the half and the ball on its own 48.

With one second left, Raiola rolled to his right, stepped up at the Huskers 45 and heaved the ball to the goal line, where Barney came down with the ball for a stunning 52-yard touchdown. Cunanan’s extra point tied it at 17 at the half.

Haynes breaks away for 75-yard touchdown run, gives Michigan the lead again

For the second time, Michigan scored a touchdown on its first play of the drive. This one was a 75-yard touchdown run by Justice Haynes that made it 17-10 Michigan with 1:51 left in the half.

Raiola touchdown pass to Barney ties it at 10

A 20-yard Jacory Barney punt return gave NU first-and-10 at its 37-yard-line with 5:58 left in the half.

Johnson carried on first down for a 5-yard gain to the 42.

A 12-yard pass from Raiola to Lindenmeyer set up first-and-10 at the Michigan at the 28.

Johnson was stuffed for just a 1-yard gain, brining up second-and-9 at the 27. Johnson rushed for 1 yard again, making it third-and-8 at the 26.

On third down, Raiola lobbed a pass over the middle of the field that Jacory Barney caught at the goal line for a 26-yard touchdown. Coupled with Cunanan’s extra point, the Huskers tied it at 10-10 with 2:01 left in the half.

Nebraska defense gets a key stop

Michigan began its drive at its own 25, leading 10-3, with 8:58 left in the half.

Haynes rushed for an 11-yard gain and a first down.

On the next play, Underwood was sacked for a 6-yard loss. Underwood dumped the ball off to Haynes, but he was stopped for a 3-yard loss, making it third-and-19at the 26.

Haynes carried on third down for a 7-yard gain, making it fourth-and-12 at the 34.

Cunanan field goal puts Nebraska on the board: 10-3 in the second

A pass interference penalty gave NU a first down in Michigan territory.

On second down, Raiola dodged a tackle that would have resulted in a sack, then completed a 21-yard pass to Dane Key to make it first-and-10 at the UM 21.

Johnson rushed for 3 yards to make it second-and-7 at the 18.

On second down, Raiola hit Lindenmeyer for a 4-yard gain to make it third-and-3 at the 14.

Raiola was sacked back at the 21, setting up a Cunanan field goal attempt.

The attempt was good from 39, bringing NU to within 10-3 with 8:58.

Nebraska forces fumble, recovers to get the ball back

Underwood lobbed it down the right sideline for McCulley for an incomplete pass on first down.

On second down, Marshall rushed for a 7-yard gain to bring up third-and-3 at the 44.

On third down, Underwood scrambled eight yards to the 48 but fumbled, and Nebraska recovered at its own 48.

Elijah Jeudy punched the ball out and DeShon Singleton recovered.

Penalty, sack, force Nebraska to punt

Nebraska began the second quarter with the ball on its own 32, facing third-and-3.

A false start penalty pushed NU back to its own 27, where it faced third-and-8.

Raiola was sacked for an 11-yard loss, bringing up fourth-and-19 at the NU 16.

A 47-yard Archie Wilson punt gave Michigan the ball at its own 37 for its first drive of the second quarter.

First quarter

Nebraska in its own territory to end the first quarter

A short run and a short pass brought Nebraska to its own 32, bringing up third-and-3 at the end of the quarter.

Interception sets up Underwood touchdown run, extending Michigan’s lead to 10-0

Nebraska began its next drive with 1:33 left and the ball on its own 23. Raiola dumped it off to Johnson, who scurred for an 8-yard gain, bringing up second-and-2 at the 31.

Johnson carried again for a 3-yard gain and a first down at the 34.

Raiola’s pass on the next play was tipped, then intercepted, giving Michigan the ball at the NU 37.

Underwood took it to the house himself on the first play of the Wolverines’ next drive for a 37-yard touchdown run that made it 10-0.

46-yard-field goal gives Michigan 3-0 lead

Michigan began its next drive at its own 26 with five minutes left in the quarter.

UM gained 3 yards on a run by Justice Haynes on first down. On second down, Underwood rolled out to his left and completed to Donaven McCulley for a 12-yard gain, giving UM its first first down of the game.

A 13-yard Underwood pass to Semaj Morgan brought UM into Husker territory at the 39.

Underwood threw incomplete on first down, bringing up second-and-10.

On second down, Underwood completed to McCulley on the left sideline, and McCulley dodged a tackle to get to the NU 29 for a first down.

On first down, UM broke out a trick play, with Underwood tossing it to Morgan in the right flat and Morgan throwing the ball down field to McCulley, who was open heading toward the endzone.

Morgan underthrew McCulley, denying the Wolverines a likely touchdown.

On third down, Underwood attempted to hit Goodwin in the back right corner of the endzone, but the ball was slightly out of Goodwin’s reach.

That brought up a 46-yard-field goal attempt for Dominic Zvada. The field goal was good, giving UM a 3-0 lead with 1:38 left.

Nebraska can’t take advantage of great field position, misses 44-yard field goal

Nebraska got a huge break when Hudson Hollenbeck’s punt hit the turf near the Michigan 49-yard-line and bounced 12 yards back, going all the way to the 37 and giving the Huskers prime field position on its second drive.

NU began the drive at the UM 37 with 8:44 left in the quarter.

Raiola dumped the ball off to Johnson for an 8-yard gain on first down, bringing up second-and-2 at the 29.

Johnson carried for a 1-yard gain on second down, bringing up third-and-1 from the 28.

On third down, Johnson carried again, staying on his feet for a 4-yard gain and giving NU a first down at the Wolverines’ 24.

On first down, Isaiah Mozee was stuffed for a 1-yard gain. Johnson carried on the ensuing play, gaining 2 yards and making it third-and-7 at the 21.

On third down, Raiola was sacked for a 5-yard loss, bringing up fourth-and-12 from the 26.

Kyle Cunanan then attempted a 44-yard-field goal that missed wide right.

Nebraska defense forces a 3-and-out

Michigan started its first drive with 11:08 left in the quarter and the ball on its own 5. A 2-yard-run and a 3-yard pass set up third-and-3 from the 12.

With the crowd roaring, Michigan was called for a false start, pushing the Wolverines’ back to the 7.

With the crowd again buzzing, Bryce Underwood eluded the Husker pass rush in his own endzone and scrambled, but came up two yards short of the first-down marker, forcing UM to punt.

Nebraska drive stalls out on the 5

Nebraska moved the ball quickly on its opening drive, but ended up turning the ball on downs at the Michigan 5, setting up the Wolverines’ first possession deep in their own territory with 11:08 left in the quarter.

The opening kickoff went into the endzone for a touchback, leaving Nebraska with the ball at its own 20 to begin its first drive.

Emmett Johnson carried for 14 yards on the first play from scrimmage, running to the left and getting to the 39.

On second down, Raiola eluded a would-be tackler to avoid a staff, then attempted to pitch the ball forward to Johnson. The ball was broken up for an incomplete pass on a play that was nearly a disaster.

On third down, Raiola was under duress again but found Luke Lindenmeyer wide open in the middle of the field for a first down at the UM 38.

A carry by Jacory Barney on an end-around got NU to the Michigan 7.

Out of the shotgun, Raiola lobbed a pass for Barney that fell incomplete on the right side of the endzone, bringing up third down.

Raiola handed off to Johnson for a yard, bringing up fourth-and-2.

Raiola pitched it to Lindenmeyer on fourth-and-short, but he was stuffed short of the sticks.

Michigan wins toss, defers

Michigan won the toss and deferred to the second half. Kickoff was at 2:40 p.m.

Calm, partly cloudy at kickoff

It’s 73 degrees and partly cloudy with calm winds at kickoff — a nice day for football with a lot at stake for both teams.

After the 1995 Husker national championship team took the field, Bud Crawford led the current Huskers out of the tunnel wearing a No. 168 Nebraska jersey.

Hartzog, Benning and Williams listed as questionable

The smell of Runzas wafted among tailgates on the east side of Memorial Stadium. A line of students stretched past Avery Hall. Yellow and blue T-shirts freckled the throngs of red.

The stage is set. No. 21 Michigan (2-1) and Nebraska (3-0). Winner begins the second quarter of the season with their best result to date.

Neither side is 100% healthy as Big Ten play begins.

Questionable for Nebraska are defensive backs Malcolm Hartzog and Caleb Benning — Hartzog is a longtime starter at safety — along with returner Kenneth Williams. Wolverines starting offensive guard Gio El-Hadi is out while fellow starting guard Brady Norton is listed as questionable.

Unlike when the team’s met at Memorial Stadium two years ago — a 45-7 Michigan win in 90-degree heat en route to a national title — conditions are more favorable. Mid-70s temperatures and partly cloudy skies set a classic fall backdrop. Oddsmakers consider the game essentially a coin flip in a far cry from 2023.

A Nebraska win would mean another tangible sign of program progress akin to last year’s milestones of ending a seven-year bowl drought and 10-game losing streak to Wisconsin. The Huskers last defeated a ranked opponent in 2016 (Oregon), losing the last 27 such chances. That included blowout defeats to Michigan in 2018, 2022 and 2023 that offered stark reminders of just how far from nationally relevant the Huskers were.

Another opportunity comes now, one fans have waited for since Hartzog’s interception in the Arrowhead Stadium end zone sealed a victory over Cincinnati three weeks earlier.

Michigan and Nebraska. Two bluebloods with former five-star quarterbacks at the helm and expectations for the months ahead.

What you need to know

Nebraska will open Big Ten play against its toughest opponent yet — No. 21 Michigan.

The National Weather Service currently projects the forecast to be sunny with a few clouds and a high of 76 degrees.

Nebraska (3-0) will be looking to end its 27-game losing streak to ranked teams this weekend. The Huskers are coming off two dominant wins — 68-0 over Akron and 59-7 over Houston Christian.

Michigan, on the other hand, is 2-1 on the seasons. The Wolverines dominated Central Michigan 63-3 last weekend but lost 24-13 to Oklahoma in the previous game.

Nebraska and Michigan have faced off 13 times with the Wolverines holding a 8-4-1 edge in the series. Michigan has also won the past four games, including most recently a 45-7 Wolverine victory in 2023.

Stay tuned for more live updates throughout the game