Michigan escaped Week 1 with a miracle, but the margin for error disappears fast when Oklahoma shows up in Week 2.
A four-touchdown favorite over Western Michigan, Michigan had to survive on a last-second Hail Mary just to get out with a win. That kind of night doesn’t buy much confidence heading into a matchup with the Sooners, and the Wolverines have a short list of problems that have to get cleaned up immediately if they want to be competitive at home.
The biggest issue starts up front. Michigan’s offensive line never looked like the group it was supposed to be.
The Wolverines got almost no push in the run game, gave Bryce Underwood too little protection and never created the kind of running lanes this roster should be able to generate. Against Western Michigan, that was a bad look.
Against Oklahoma, it could turn ugly fast. Michigan finished with just 106 rushing yards and a long run of 15, numbers that simply won’t play against a defense with real talent.
That’s especially jarring after the offseason buildup around the unit. Kyle Whittingham praised offensive line coach Jim Harding all summer, and the linemen themselves talked about how connected they were and how eager they were to show it.
Instead, the group looked out of sync and underwhelming. If that was the statement game, it landed flat.
Underwood is the other glaring problem. The former 5-star recruit has the size at 6-4, 230 pounds, the athleticism, and the arm strength that made him such a coveted prospect.
But none of it is translating cleanly right now. Against WMU, he looked hurried even when he had time, coughed up the ball too loosely and drifted back into familiar bad habits, including throws off his back foot and attempts to force passes that weren’t there.
Quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer, offensive coordinator Jason Beck and Whittingham have all said Underwood has come a long way since they arrived, but last night told a different story. He looked as shaky as he did last year, maybe worse.
Whatever “figuring it out” means in the span of a week, Michigan needs it from him against Oklahoma. Otherwise, the game could get away from the Wolverines quickly, and his grip on the job could get shaky too.
There’s also a defensive concern that becomes much more dangerous with John Mateer coming to town: Michigan has to do a better job containing a running quarterback. Western Michigan’s Broc Lowry wasn’t a huge rushing threat, but he still found space at times, especially when the Broncos mixed in the read game. That sort of thing won’t be survivable against Oklahoma.
Jay Hill’s defense is described as complicated and tough to sort out, and that showed at times. Trey Pierce and Dominic Nichols appeared to handle their work well up front, but Whittingham said the defense as a whole was not good against the run.
Western Michigan only averaged 2.9 yards per carry, yet still piled up 132 rushing yards and used long drives to control the game. A 20-play drive against that opponent is the kind of sequence that can’t happen.
Michigan survived one scare. If the same issues show up again, Oklahoma won’t just make them pay - it could bury them on their own field.
In Other News...
Big Ten Felt Forced To Address Michigan Ending Everyone Noticed
The late-game clock change in Michigans win over Western Michigan drew plenty of attention, and now the Big Ten has stepped in to explain it. According to the conference, replay officials restored one second after determining that a Western Michigan player who had stepped out of bounds still touched the ball with one second left, giving the crew a reason to adjust the clock.
The conference backed up the ruling by releasing video footage of the replay officials discussion, a move that usually tells you the noise around a call has gotten loud enough to demand a formal response. For Michigan, the play itself was only one small moment in a game that had already been decided, but the explanation became part of the postgame conversation anyway. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Have Every Right To Worry About This Offense
Michigans offense gave fans plenty to chew on in the first half against Western Michigan, and not much of it was comforting. After an opening touchdown drive, the unit went quiet, managing only 41 yards the rest of the way as quarterback Bryce Underwood had a mixed start that quickly turned into a mess under pressure. The offensive line did not help matters, with problems showing up both in pass protection and in the run game.
Meanwhile, the defense did what it could to keep the game under control, limiting Western Michigan to 95 total yards and forcing a turnover on downs. But for a fan base trying to gauge what this offense might look like against better competition, the early struggles were hard to ignore. Underwoods interception only added to the unease, and Michigan will have to sort out whether this was just a rough stretch or a sign of bigger issues ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Offense Has A Real Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Michigan opened with exactly the kind of first series fans wanted to see, marching down the field for a touchdown from Bryce Underwood and briefly making the offense look settled. After that, though, the rhythm faded quickly. The ground game never got rolling in the first half, and Michigan managed only 46 rushing yards while averaging 2.5 yards per carry, a sluggish start that left the attack leaning heavily on a young quarterback.
Underwood showed flashes of what he can bring, but the first half also came with the growing pains that can stall an offense in a hurry, including errant throws and interceptions. The result was a 7-6 halftime lead that felt a lot less comfortable than the opening drive suggested, and it leaves Michigan with a familiar question to answer if it wants the rest of the day to look different. [Read more 🡒]