Michigan didn’t just beat No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday. It answered the questions that were hanging over the program after Week 1.
The Wolverines came out of the 17-10 win looking far more like the team they wanted to be, leaning on a suffocating defense and making Bryce Underwood a bigger part of the run game. First-year head coach Kyle Whittingham had already made it clear after the Week 1 win over Western Michigan that he wanted more, and Michigan delivered.
Urban Meyer thought so too.
The former Ohio State head coach and current FOX analyst handed Whittingham and his staff an A+ for the performance, and he didn’t hesitate.
"That's That's an easy one. And boy, I'll tell you, I got to be careful flying into Columbus, Ohio.
I might get assaulted," Meyer joked. "That was an A+.
That was - you can't the negativity because the reality is there should be 1-1. They lost, they should have lost [to WMU] but that that's - here's the good thing is you won't hear anybody talk about Western Michigan again now because they took care of business.
"So I'd give them an A+ from the head coach, Jay Hill the defense coordinator, and Jason Beck the offense coordinator. I didn't see that. I picked Oklahoma"
Meyer knows what it takes to get a team to buy in. His coaching stops at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State all came with different challenges, but the common thread was getting players to believe. In his view, Michigan’s win over Oklahoma was the kind of statement that can settle a team down early in a season.
Whittingham, after 21 seasons as Utah’s head coach, took on a new job and a new challenge at Michigan, where the Wolverines have traditionally leaned on what Meyer called “Wolverine men.” Whittingham had no connection to Ann Arbor before arriving, but Michigan believed he could help reset the culture.
Week 1 looked shaky. Week 2 looked much more like a team starting to take shape.
Defensively, Michigan did what it needed to do against John Mateer and the Sooners. Jay Hill’s group created pressure, forced Mateer to work through the air, and the secondary held up. The pressure was too much for Oklahoma to consistently handle.
On offense, the Wolverines changed course and featured Underwood more heavily in the run game, giving him 18 carries. That adjustment stood out after the Week 1 approach, and it gave Michigan a clearer idea of how to use him moving forward.
Even with the win, there’s still work to do. Michigan’s passing game remains a concern, and the numbers are blunt: it has the worst passing offense in the Big Ten, and only two wide receivers have caught a pass this season.
The next steps are obvious enough. Michigan needs more playmakers involved, more from Jordan Marshall on the ground, and a cleaner, more disciplined overall operation. If those pieces come together, the Wolverines will be a much tougher team to deal with no matter who’s on the other sideline.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Made An Early Move That Should Excite Basketball Fans
While the football team was entertaining Oklahoma, Michigan basketball used the same weekend to work its own recruiting circuit, bringing in several top prospects for campus visits. Among the headliners were 2028 five-star forwards Dylan Betts and Brady Pettigrew, a sign that the staff is already thinking far ahead as it tries to build relationships with the next wave of elite talent.
The visits also included time with head coach Mike Boynton and former players, giving the recruits a fuller look at what Michigan can offer beyond the practice gym. Pettigrew has sparked some buzz because of the possibility that he could move up a class, but that remains unconfirmed for now, leaving the bigger question open: how much traction did Michigan gain with two of the most coveted names on its early board? [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Have Gained Real Recruiting Momentum After Beating Oklahoma
Michigans win over Oklahoma did more than improve the mood around the program. It also gave the staff a chance to put several high-profile visitors in the middle of the atmosphere, with five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and four-star prospects Nasir Richardson, Mekhi McNair, Asa Burch and Armani Strong among the recruits on hand. The setting mattered, and the reactions afterward suggested the day landed the way Michigan hoped it would.
The buzz extended beyond the field, too, with recruits and their families speaking positively about both the game-day environment and the broader feel around the program. Guerrant, who is currently committed to Oregon, is among the visitors now taking a harder look after the trip, which is the kind of momentum Michigan has been trying to build on the trail. The game provided a backdrop, but the real question is how far that visit can move things in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Shouldn't Overlook The UTEP Threats That Could Test This Opener
Michigan opens the season as a heavy favorite, but the spread alone will not make UTEP disappear. The Miners bring a few players who give this matchup some real shape, starting with quarterback EJ Colson Jr., who gives their offense a dual-threat element, and Kam Thomas, a versatile piece who can move around and create problems in different spots. Add running back Tavorus Jones to the mix and UTEP at least has enough skill talent to make the Wolverines stay alert early.
Defensively, the Miners also have a few names that could make the first game of the year feel less like a tune-up than Michigan would prefer. Linebacker Jayden Wilson has been one of the more active pieces on that side, while cornerback Justin Content brings the kind of coverage ability that can challenge timing throws. Michigan should still expect to control the game, but if UTEP is going to make it interesting at all, it will probably come through a handful of those individual matchups rather than a broad team upset push. [Read more 🡒]