Michigan has spent the first three weeks showing three different versions of itself, and the one thing tying all of them together is this: the Wolverines are talented enough to hang with anybody, but only if they stop handing away chances.
The latest example came in Saturday’s 52-17 win over UTEP. Michigan fell behind 14-7 in the second quarter and briefly invited memories of the Western Michigan scare from Week 1, when the Wolverines were a four-touchdown favorite but needed a Hail Mary to escape.
This time, though, the response was much cleaner. Michigan was able to move the ball throughout the game, and the second-half surge put the Miners away.
Even so, the same old problem kept poking through. Penalties were not the issue this time.
Michigan committed just four, which was by far the most disciplined performance the Wolverines have had under Kyle Whittingham. The trouble came with the ball on the ground.
Bryce Underwood lost it on the first drive. Savion Hiter fumbled in Michigan territory in the second quarter.
Jordan Marshall also put the ball on the ground, though his body touched the ground before it came out. Underwood’s issues have been the most glaring of the bunch, especially with Michigan asking him to run more because of how dangerous he is in that part of the game.
But the ball security has to improve. When he fumbled against UTEP, it was his fifth fumble in the first nine quarters of the season.
Michigan lost the turnover battle 2-1, and that is not lost on Whittingham.
"Big concern. Look at Indiana: They won the championship last year, and they fumbled one time in the first game and never again the rest of the season," Whittingham said after the game.
"That tells you right there how impactful that can be to take care of the football. We have definitely got our work cut out for us.
We emphasize it in practice every day. It never goes uncoached.
It's always something that we're harping on. So hopefully we can slow down with that because that's six and three games is way too many, way too many ways to get that correct."
That’s the knot Michigan still has to untangle. The Wolverines are not a finished product, and the mistakes are real. But the ceiling is obvious, too.
Michigan’s defense has looked like one of the best in the country, stout on all three levels. The offense also showed real progress Saturday, even if the opponent was UTEP.
Underwood threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan both stood out, and Hiter scored twice for the first time in his young career.
The talent is there. The defense is there.
The offense is starting to show something, too. Once Michigan gets healthier and the offensive line settles in, there’s no denying what this group can be.
But that only matters if the Wolverines stop beating themselves.
Starting next weekend, the Big Ten schedule turns into a weekly grind, and Michigan has plenty left to prove once that stretch begins.
In Other News...
Michigans Ranking Climb Just Made This Big Ten Stretch Feel Real
Michigans latest jump in the AP Top 25 came with a little more punch than the usual early-season polling shuffle. After a 52-17 win over UTEP, the Wolverines climbed one spot to No. 18, a small rise that still matters because it reflects how far the program has steadied itself in the first few weeks under first-year coach Kyle Whittingham. At 3-0, Michigan has already worked through an early ranking dip and now looks more settled than it did in September.
The next test is the one that will say even more. No. 17 Iowa is up next in a Big Ten matchup, giving Michigan a chance to turn a modest poll move into something more meaningful against a ranked conference opponent. For a team that has been building momentum and credibility, this stretch starts to feel like the point where the conversations around progress become harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Have Found A Freshman Pass Rush Answer
Michigan got a useful glimpse of a young pass-rush option in Week 3, when freshman edge rusher Tariq Boney made his presence felt against UTEP. Boney finished with four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, a production line that matched the buzz he had already been building in fall camp. Coaches Kyle Whittingham and Jay Hill had both spoken highly of him during camp, and teammates had noticed the same steady rise on the practice field.
For a Michigan front that is always looking for more disruption off the edge, the encouraging part is not just the stat sheet but how familiar the performance looked to people inside the program. Boney's play against UTEP fit the reputation he created in practice, giving the Wolverines another name to watch as the season moves into games that should ask more of the pass rush. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Has A Real Chance To Climb In This Poll Shakeup
USCs 42-35 win over Rutgers gave the Trojans a fourth victory and added another wrinkle to a polling picture that has already been turned on its head by a weekend of upsets. With LSU and Texas A&M both taking losses, the AP Top 25 is in line for movement that could reshape not just the top of the ranking, but also the way the conference race looks heading into the stretch run.
For Michigan readers, the bigger takeaway is the ripple effect. Iowa has a real opening to climb, and USCs path gets even more interesting with Oregon coming to Los Angeles next, a matchup that could carry major weight in the poll shakeup. In a season where every upset seems to pull another team into the conversation, the next round of conference games may tell us even more about who is built to stay put. [Read more 🡒]