Michigan walked into Saturday with the kind of pressure that usually ends in a rout the other way. Instead, the Wolverines stunned No. 11 Oklahoma, 17-10, and turned a week of scrutiny into a statement win.
It wasn’t clean. Michigan was flagged too often, the offense still left too much on the table, and there were stretches where the game looked like it might slip away. But the defense was relentless, Bryce Underwood kept the ball out of harm’s way, and a fourth-quarter interception of John Mateer helped seal a result almost nobody saw coming.
Oklahoma finished with 289 yards, turned it over twice, and scored as many times as it gave the ball away. Michigan still has plenty to fix. But after needing a Hail Mary in Week 1, beating the 11th-ranked team in the country - one that made the College Football Playoff and beat Michigan a year ago - felt pretty good, especially with Ohio State coughing up a 20-point lead.
Underwood gave Michigan enough
This was the kind of game Bryce Underwood had never won before. In his 15th career start, he put together a line that worked: 198 total yards, one touchdown, and no turnovers.
His 38-yard touchdown run was the kind of play that changes a game. He also came through on several third-down snaps with both his arm and legs. Against Brent Venables’ defense - and against a roster loaded with NFL talent on the defensive line - that mattered.
Michigan still managed 152 rushing yards, with Underwood carrying 17 times. If his receivers had held on better, or gotten both feet down on a couple of catches, his passing total would have looked better by about 60 yards. It was that close.
He’s still a work in progress as a passer. There were moments when old issues showed up again. But the bigger takeaway was simple: even when Underwood isn’t sharp throwing it, Michigan can still function.
If the Wolverines are going to chase a College Football Playoff berth, he’ll need to keep growing through the air. Until then, leaning on his legs 10-15 times a game looks like a reasonable answer - especially in games like this one. Still, 30 points in two games isn’t enough.
The defensive front changed the game
Kyle Whittingham wasn’t bluffing when he kept calling the defensive line the team’s strength this offseason.
John Henry Daley looked dominant, picking up a sack and a pass breakup in the first quarter while applying pressure throughout the game. Dominic Nichols was disruptive all day, even though the stat sheet only gives him 0.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble that was ruled an incompletion, and he took a facemask penalty on a play where Mateer’s helmet didn’t even appear to be strapped on all the way.
Trey Pierce was difficult to block. Enow Etta had a strong outing.
Tariq Boney, a true freshman, drew a key holding call in the fourth quarter. Jonah Lea'ea made plays against the run.
That kind of push was a major change from a year ago, when Oklahoma controlled the line of scrimmage.
The Sooners ran for 100 yards on 29 carries and Mateer went 17-for-33 through the air. Michigan flipped that script, and it was a huge reason the upset happened.
The secondary looks every bit as good
Isaiah Satenga came into the game with 965 receiving yards last season for Oklahoma. Michigan held him to two catches for 10 yards. Outside of the tight end, no Oklahoma pass catcher topped 50 receiving yards.
Through two games, Jay Hill’s defense has given up 22 points and one touchdown, and the secondary has been at the heart of it. Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and Smith Snowden form a cornerback trio that looks as good as any in college football.
Michigan spent most of the day in man coverage and trusted its corners to hold up. Rod Moore looks like Rod Moore again.
Chris Bracy played well, too. This pass defense is elite, and that matters with Big Ten games against Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon looming.
The running back production is a real issue
For all the good news, Michigan still has a problem in the backfield.
Jordan Marshall has 76 rushing yards on 22 carries through two games, which comes out to 3.4 yards per attempt. Savion Hiter has flashed at times, but he’s also taken some losses. The five-star freshman has 13 carries for 21 yards so far.
Together, Marshall and Hiter have 35 carries for 97 yards. That’s not enough, and it’s one of the most troubling numbers on the roster right now.
Jason Beck kept lining Marshall and Hiter up wide and motioning them back in for handoffs, and that seemed to be a big part of the run game plan. Whatever the design, the results haven’t been there. For a group that Whittingham called one of the best running back rooms in the country this offseason, the early returns have been very ordinary.
Whittingham’s team looked like itself
Michigan didn’t look like a Whittingham-coached team in the opener. It wasn’t physical enough, couldn’t run the ball, and made too many mistakes.
Saturday still had mistakes. The penalties have to come down. But the overall feel was much closer to what people expected from a Whittingham team.
The Wolverines were the tougher side for 60 minutes. Underwood ran with real force.
The defensive line owned the trenches. The offensive line did enough to produce 152 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
It didn’t need to be pretty. Whittingham has never built teams that way anyway, and that’s part of why he felt like such a strong fit for Ann Arbor.
After Week 1, there were real doubts. Michigan answered them against Oklahoma. For a game that mattered this much, the new head coach got the response he needed.
In Other News...
Michigan Defense Just Got Telling Praise After Oklahoma Win
John Mateer had little trouble identifying where Saturday went sideways for Oklahoma after Michigan left town with a 17-10 win. The Sooners quarterback said his own accuracy and missed throws were part of the problem, and the numbers backed up the frustration: he finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Oklahomas offense never quite found a rhythm against the Wolverines.
From Michigans side, that kind of self-assessment from the opposing quarterback is the sort of quiet validation a defense notices. Oklahoma managed just 289 total yards and converted only three of 13 third downs, and Mateer ended up leading the Sooners in rushing yards as well, a sign of how often Michigan kept the bigger answers off the table. For a Wolverines defense trying to build on a game that turned on one late touchdown, praise from the quarterback on the other sideline only sharpens the edge of what it did well. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Controlled Oklahoma With One Weapon Fans Rarely Celebrate
Special teams usually only get noticed when something goes wrong, but Michigan has leaned on that phase in a way that has quietly shaped its early season. Kyle Whittingham made a point of stressing the punt unit in preseason, and the Wolverines have turned that into real field-position value through the first two games, with Cam Brown consistently driving opponents deep and making every exchange on the field feel a little longer for the other sideline.
Michigans coverage work has helped the punt game land even harder. Defensive players such as Zeke Berry have chipped in to keep return yards down, turning hidden-yardage moments into part of the broader defensive edge. It is not the flashiest reason the Wolverines have been able to control games, but it is the kind of detail that tends to matter most once the schedule tightens and one or two possessions start deciding everything. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made Another Push For A Five-Star Local Receiver
Dakota Guerrants visit to Michigans game against Oklahoma gave the Wolverines another chance to keep the five-star receiver close to home, even after his June commitment to Oregon. The Michigan native has strong local ties, and the Wolverines continue to press for a reopening in a recruitment that still carries plenty of intrigue because of who he is and where he grew up.
Oregon has its own selling point in this race, with recent success developing NFL-caliber wide receivers helping make the Ducks a tough pull to beat. Michigan, though, is still working to persuade Guerrant to reconsider, and his presence in Ann Arbor suggested this one is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]