Michigan’s win over UTEP offered a clear snapshot of where this team stands after three games: the talent is real, the young players are flashing, but the margin for error is still thin.
The Wolverines needed a field goal at the end of the first half to go into the break with the lead, then blew the game open from there. Michigan outscored UTEP 35-3 in the final stretch and turned what had been a tight afternoon into a comfortable finish.
That was the good news. The more revealing part was how the game got there.
One of the biggest takeaways is that Michigan has already uncovered a group of underclassmen who look ready to matter. Tariq Boney was everywhere against the Miners, piling up back-to-back tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage and adding a sack. He has now played in all three games this season and has looked sharp in each one.
The list keeps growing from there. Chase Taylor, Nate Marshall, Jordan Young, Nathaneal Owusu-Boateng, Benny Patterson, Shemari Earls, and five-star freshman Carter Meadows all fit into a defense that keeps showing off its depth.
Meadows got his first career snaps, while Boney and Patterson continue to look like players who deserve more run than they’re getting. The problem for them is the veteran traffic in front of them.
Even so, the front has looked deep and promising.
Savion Hiter is part of that same youth movement, and he may already be Michigan’s best running back. He scored twice against UTEP and also made an impression against Oklahoma with three catches for 41 yards. With Jordan Marshall going down with an injury in the second half and not looking fully healthy this season, Hiter’s role is only growing as conference play arrives.
The offense has also gotten a lift from Tommy Carr, who came in late for Underwood and went 4-for-4, including a dime to fellow true freshman Salesi Moa for both players’ first career touchdowns. Wide receiver Travis Johnson has already seen time in multiple games, Mason Bonner has worked into the mix, and the coaching staff has continued to speak highly of this group. There’s a real sense that the developmental pieces are arriving faster than expected.
Still, Michigan’s biggest issue is just as clear: the Wolverines have to stop beating themselves. Against UTEP, they didn’t.
Underwood fumbled on the opening drive, UTEP cashed it in for points, and a Dom Nichols offsides penalty plus a blown assignment from Chris Bracy on 4th and 1 helped extend that possession. In the second quarter, Hiter put the ball on the ground, and the Miners turned that into another touchdown.
That kind of sloppiness has been a theme. Underwood put the ball on the deck twice against Oklahoma and recovered both times.
Michigan also turned it over three times against Western Michigan and nearly paid for it. For all the talent on the roster, this is still a team that has been far too loose with possession and too willing to invite trouble.
At 3-0, the Wolverines have gotten away with it. They won’t keep getting that kind of cushion in the Big Ten.
That becomes especially relevant with Iowa up next. The schedule is about to get a lot less forgiving, and Michigan’s path forward depends on whether this young group can clean up the mistakes that kept UTEP hanging around.
The defense looks like it has the pieces of something special. The offense has to hold up its end.
There’s also a larger shift happening on that side of the ball. Through three games, Michigan has 443 rushing yards, and Bryce Underwood leads the team on the ground.
That’s not the old Michigan formula, and it hasn’t looked like one yet. Whether it’s the playcalling or a lack of confidence in the offensive line, the Wolverines have not shown they’re ready to line up and run over teams the way they used to.
In fact, they’ve thrown for more yards than they’ve rushed for through three games, with receiver J.J. Buchanan ranking behind only Underwood in team yardage outside the quarterback. Even in the UTEP blowout, the explosive plays came through the air, not on the ground, with Underwood connecting with Andrew Marsh and Buchanan.
That points to what Michigan seems to be now: a team built around space, decision-making, and the quarterback’s read on the RPO. Underwood has the ball in his hands a lot, and Saturday was the clearest example yet that he can handle that responsibility.
The coaching staff has reason to trust him. He’s the most hyped quarterback prospect in his class and is getting paid more money than any player in Michigan history.
The question is whether this version of Michigan can hold up when the competition stiffens. For now, the Wolverines have shown enough talent to be dangerous and enough inconsistency to keep the season from feeling settled.
In Other News...
Michigans Next Road Test Just Got More Serious For Wolverines Fans
Michigans trip to Minnesota on Oct. 3 now has a clear national spotlight, with kickoff set for noon ET on FOX. It will be the Wolverines second game this season in the Big Noon Kickoff window, a slot that tends to turn every detail into a bigger deal and leaves little room for easing into the afternoon.
The matchup also carries some built-in history, which only adds to the appeal of an already familiar Big Ten road test. Michigan and Minnesota have played plenty of meaningful games over the years, and with both programs coming off recent stretches that have kept fans watching closely, this one already feels like more than a routine conference date. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Heads Into Iowa With One Injury Concern Fans Cant Ignore
Andrew Spragues status is the main question hanging over Michigan as it turns its attention to Iowa. The right tackle missed the UTEP game, and his absence forced a reshuffle up front, with coach Kyle Whittingham saying the return timeline is still unclear while the staff waits on a more precise diagnosis and treatment plan.
Jordan Marshall provides a little more stability for the Wolverines entering the matchup, with the starting running back working through nagging injuries and expected to be available unless something changes. Even so, Michigans line depth will be under the microscope if Spragues recovery stretches beyond this week, especially against an Iowa defense that rarely makes life easy for an offense trying to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Can Finally Plan The Wolverines' First 2026 Road Trip
Michigan fans can finally circle a date for the Wolverines first 2026 road trip, as the Big Ten locked in the Week 5 matchup at Minnesota for a noon kickoff on FOX. It gives the trip to Minneapolis a cleaner national stage and a familiar Big Ten feel, with Michigan heading into a building where it has handled business well in recent years.
Minnesota enters at 2-1 under P.J. Fleck, with TJ Thomas and Drake Lindsey among the names driving the Gophers early this season. Michigan has won five straight in the series, and Minnesotas last victory in the rivalry came in 2014, so the matchup arrives with the usual blend of history and a little bit of intrigue. [Read more 🡒]