The Michigan football team faced a setback in their national championship rematch against Washington on Saturday, suffering a 27-17 defeat. After overcoming an early 14-0 deficit to lead 17-14 at one point, the Wolverines failed to score again, while Washington capitalized by scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This marks Michigan’s first conference loss of the season, leaving them with a record of 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Washington improves to 4-2, avenging their earlier loss to Michigan in the 2023 national championship game.
The Huskies jumped ahead with early touchdowns from Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson. In response, Michigan saw a quarterback change as Jack Tuttle replaced Alex Orji, which sparked a scoring drive capped by a touchdown from Donovan Edwards. The Wolverines added a field goal before halftime, trailing 14-10.
In the second half, Michigan rallied to take the lead with a touchdown pass from Tuttle to Colston Loveland. However, Washington quickly tied the game with a field goal and regained control in the fourth quarter following a critical fumble by Tuttle, which set up a touchdown run by Jonah Coleman.
It was a challenging game for Michigan in their first road trip of the season, as they now reflect on losses to both Washington and Texas—two prominent teams in the current College Football Playoff picture. The Wolverines will need to regroup as they look to improve their performance moving forward in the season.