Michigan is rolling into Week 1 with a look fans haven’t seen since 2017.
Per MLive’s Aaron McMann, the Wolverines are set to wear an alternate uniform they last brought out that season, when Michigan opened against Florida in Arlington, Texas and walked away with a 33-17 win. In that game, Wilton Speight threw for 181 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, Ty Isaac led the ground attack with 114 rushing yards, and Tarik Black made his first appearance in a Michigan uniform, catching a touchdown among his 83 receiving yards.
This time, the fresh uniform is only part of the newness in Ann Arbor. Michigan is kicking off the Kyle Whittingham era with two new coordinators - Jason Beck on offense and Jay Hill on defense - while also leaning on a batch of transfers brought in to help push the program back into the College Football Playoff picture.
Four Utah transfers - John Henry Daley, JJ Buchanan, Smith Snowden and Jonah Lea'ea - are expected to have major roles after following Whittingham to Michigan.
The opener also comes with a warning label. Western Michigan has enough to make this a real test, especially for a team that can’t afford to peek ahead to Oklahoma next week. The Broncos were one of the MAC’s top teams last season, Broc Lowry won MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and Jalen Buckley earned bowl game MVP honors.
WMU’s run game is a real problem, and Whittingham has already addressed what the Broncos do best. Michigan knows the bigger goals are still out in front of it, but if the Wolverines are serious about getting back into the CFP conversation, they have to handle the games they’re supposed to win - starting Saturday night at home.
A big piece of that will be Bryce Underwood. Michigan needs to see him get more comfortable in the pocket and show better touch on his throws, instead of firing bullets every time. If that happens, the Wolverines could head into Week 2 in a strong spot.
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 🡒]