Michigan’s win over Oklahoma didn’t exactly read like a clean, polished statement when you glanced at the final score. But a closer look at the numbers tells a different story about how the Wolverines pulled it off.
A tool like Pro Football Focus can help separate the hidden stuff from the box score, and that’s where a few Michigan performances start to stand out. The game wasn’t perfect, but it offered a clearer picture of who was driving the offense and how the snaps were distributed.
Savion Hiter remains one of the biggest questions on the early-season offense. Michigan still hasn’t found much rhythm with its running backs, and that showed again against Oklahoma.
Hiter finished with eight carries for six yards, which is a rough day by any standard. But he did give the offense something as a receiver, catching three passes for 41 yards, the second-most on the team.
On passing plays, he graded out better than anyone else in the offense.
Bryce Underwood’s week-to-week swing was hard to miss. After posting the lowest offensive grade on the team against Western Michigan, he climbed all the way to No. 2 this time around thanks to what he did with his legs. The passing numbers were ordinary - 9-of-17 for 111 yards - but he was a major factor as a runner, carrying the ball 18 times for 87 yards and a 38-yard touchdown.
JJ Buchanan made the most of limited chances through the air. He saw six targets and turned them into two catches, but those grabs went for a team-high 48 yards.
He also came close to a highlight-reel sideline catch with a toe-tap attempt that was ruled out of bounds. He wasn’t strong as a run blocker, but his overall work was enough to land him at No. 3 on the offense with a 68.2 grade.
There were also a few clear snap-count trends worth noting. Evan Link dealt with a little bit of an injury, and Michigan used a fixed five along the offensive line: Andrew Sprague, Jake Guarnera, Blake Frazier, Nathan Efobi and Brady Norton all played every one of the 63 offensive snaps, and Underwood did as well.
Buchanan and Marsh were both on the field for 58 snaps, while WR3 Channing Goodwin was limited to 20. Kyle Whittingham said the plan was run-heavy, and the usage reflected that, with Goodwin’s playing time staying low and the Rhino guys logging 32 snaps.
At tight end, Jalen Hoffman kept earning the bulk of the work while Zack Marshall and Mason Bonner barely saw the field. Hoffman played 49 snaps, Marshall got 16 and Bonner just one. The coaches appeared high on that group before the season, but so far the production has been almost nonexistent.
Even with all that playing time, Hoffman finished last among Michigan’s offensive players in the PFF grades. His 44.6 overall mark was the lowest on the team, and the issue seemed to be his work as a run blocker.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Got Another Worry On The Offensive Line
Michigans offensive line had already been a spot to monitor, and the situation around Andrew Babalola only adds to the concern. The former five-star recruit was coming off an ACL tear in 2025 and was supposed to be in the mix for the starting left tackle job in 2026, but head coach Kyle Whittingham said Babalola has now hit another setback that will keep his return on hold for the near future.
There is at least a little more encouraging news on the other side of the line. Guard Evan Link, who missed the recent game because of injury, could be back for the upcoming matchup against UTEP, giving Michigan a chance to stabilize a unit that has been dealing with constant uncertainty. Even so, the bigger-picture worry remains whether Babalola can get back on track in time to matter for the position battle that was supposed to be waiting for him. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Had John Mateer Hearing It From Oklahoma Fans
John Mateer came out of Michigans matchup with Oklahoma carrying more than just the usual frustration of a bad night. The Sooners quarterback finished with 189 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with 45 rushing yards, and afterward he acknowledged leaving some throws on the field that he normally makes. For a player expected to steady Oklahoma, it was the kind of performance that quickly turns a postgame conversation into a wider one.
Soon after the loss, some Oklahoma fans even took the ribbing to Facebook Marketplace, where they mocked Mateer in a way that reflected just how quickly sentiment can swing after a rough outing. It was a reminder that in a game like this, the reaction doesnt stop at the final whistle. The on-field numbers told part of the story, but the off-field response showed how closely the performance was being watched. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's Offense Just Found A New Tension Around Bryce Underwood
After a shaky season opener against Western Michigan, Michigan steadied itself in a 17-10 win over No. 11 Oklahoma, and the biggest offensive shift came from a simple adjustment in how Bryce Underwood was used. The defense did plenty of heavy lifting, but the coaching staff also leaned harder into Underwood as a runner, and that added a different layer to an offense that had looked stuck a week earlier.
Underwood responded by leading the team on the ground with 18 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown, a noticeable jump from his previous outing. It gave Michigan a more dynamic look and helped balance a game plan that needed every available spark, even as the questions around how far this approach can go are only beginning to surface. [Read more 🡒]