Fox’s Rob Stone: Michigan football must open vertical game to become true title contender

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Rob Stone is no stranger to Ann Arbor. The Fox host of Big Noon Kickoff also works the basketball angle, meaning he’s at the University of Michigan quite often.

Friday marked his return for the first time in the 2025 season with Big Noon Kickoff slated to broadcast from Pioneer High School, across the street from The Big House on Saturday, as Michigan football hosts Wisconsin. Stone met with select media on Friday afternoon to discuss the matchup between the Wolverines and Badgers, and WolverinesWire was there.

Here is everything he had to say.

Thoughts on the game?

I think it’s always interesting when two programs come in off of bye weeks and it gives them some time to self-scout, to heal, to get better, to kind of reflect on where they are and what lies ahead.

For Michigan, I think this is a really big four-game stretch coming up for them and they clearly have the running game sorted out. They need to get Bryce Underwood in the vertical game going. I think that’s going to be really a focus point for them on Saturday against Wisconsin.

For Michigan, they’ve got the whole season in front of them. I know they know that. That sounds obvious.

But that loss to Oklahoma just keeps looking better and better for them. So if you’re Michigan, you should be thinking let’s get a win, let’s start a rip of runs right now, and let’s get ourselves back in the playoffs.

We talked a lot to Mark Ingram about Justice and just his progression throughout this year. What do you see from him, especially against a No. 1 run defense Wisconsin?

So Justice has done it against good competition, right? I mean, four games of 100 yards rushing already this season. But this is next level.

But this is what Wisconsin does. This is really kind of all they have at the moment right now. So if Justice is able to get that fifth 100-yard game, I think we’re going to start talking about him more and more in the Heisman conversation.

Should Michigan fans be more excited about football or basketball with Dusty May?

That’s a great question. I think if I’m a Michigan fan, I’m fired up that I’m excited about both of those sports right now that seem to be on the rise again.

Michigan is, you know, the football program is what carries all the athletics at every institution and here at Michigan as well. But what Dusty has built really rapidly in a really loaded, strong, challenging Big Ten is to be admired, particularly when you consider the situation that he had to step in and coming in for Juwan as well. So I think if you’re a Michigan fan, you’re spoiled right now, man.

You’re getting the best of both worlds.

What have you seen from Bryce Underwood? He doesn’t necessarily look like a freshman.

That’s probably the biggest point is the fact that if you say he doesn’t look like a freshman, that’s the biggest compliment you can hand to him. He’s been able to handle everything that’s been handed off to him so far, and obviously his legs have been the difference. He seems at peace.

He seems comfortable. Coach was talking this week about I want him to play free. I want him to smile and maybe enjoy things a little bit more, which makes me think he’s handling the playbook at a point right now where maybe they can add a few more things without oversaturating his brain.

If you think you stink, and right now maybe he’s thinking a schmidge too much about I’ve got to get that passing game going. I think if you’re a Michigan fan, you’re loving everything you’ve seen in him so far, but you’re going to fall in love once they get that vertical game going. I think Saturday’s a great opportunity to open it up.

What are your thoughts on the defense now that you’re getting to see them?

Under Harbaugh, you guys were spoiled with elite defense, and that’s become the expectation here in Ann Arbor. I think right now the running game is kind of covering for it a little bit, which is fine because we’re only a couple weeks really into the season, whether it’s a third or a quarter of the way into the season. It’s given the defense time to grow and mature and become a factor, and they’re going to need to be a factor, particularly during this four-game stretch that they’re about to kick off.

For Wisconsin, is there a sense of urgency in this game, just how tough their schedule is?

Yeah, you’re right. Wisconsin’s schedule does not get any easier, so I don’t think you can look at this game as a must-win if you’re Wisconsin, but you’ve got to start getting some confidence going in your program. You’ve got to get a quarterback that’s healthy.

They’ve been plagued by this for years now, so they’ve got to find themselves offensively, and they’ve got to find that identity. I don’t think they know what it is. Luke Fickell doesn’t know what it is.

He wished he had that answer, and Luke Fickell needs some answers ASAP because he’s sitting at .500 right now through his career at Wisconsin, and that noise starts getting a little bit louder. I think in Madison they’ll have a little more patience for him when you look back and reflect on the fact that they changed offenses, now they’re going to change offenses again, and they’ve been victimized by injuries at key spots, particularly at quarterback. If you don’t have a healthy quarterback, you cannot win.

I don’t care what conference you’re in, but particularly in the Big Ten.

What do you think Luke Fickell’s mindset is, or what do you think he is approaching this game any different?

Yeah, I don’t think the Ohio State in Luke kind of trickles out in this one, but there is a part of it that’s in the back of his head. I think it’s more respect. He knows what this program is, what it stands for, and what beating a Michigan would mean for him and for his program at this particular point.

From your perspective, when Michigan’s winning these games on the ground, what’s the urgency to get back to passing the ball?

The urgency is you can’t win every single game on the ground. At some point you’re going to have to pass to win. That was the conversation we had about J.J. McCarthy a couple years ago. At some point J.J. is going to have to step up and win a game by himself, not just hand it off to somebody else. At least Bryce is doing it with his legs, but to be a complete team they know they’ve got to open it up. They know they’ve got to get the wide receivers to stop the drops.

They know that Bryce needs that confidence to go vertical to become a true national title contender. Winning with the running game is awesome, but at some point you’re going to hit a roadblock and you’re going to have to pass.

What’s it like working with Michigan alum Dave Portnoy?

It’s been fantastic. He has so much energy and enthusiasm and creativity and passion for this collegiate landscape as well. I know he’s been anxiously awaiting us to announce when we would be coming to Ann Arbor.

I know he’s going to be down the street having some fun Saturday. He’s going to be here with us on the field as well. It’s been awesome to be around them and the Barstool crew and kind of their perspective on things that maybe we’re not always privy to or allowed to express.

They lean into that college atmosphere and they own it, and they’re so much fun to be around.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Rob Stone previews Michigan vs Wisconsin as Fox returns to Ann Arbor

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