Baker Mayfield showed up to his Wednesday press conference wearing a No. 18 Michigan jersey, and the reason was about as good as the visual. Michigan’s win over Oklahoma left the former Sooners quarterback paying off a bet, with Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles - whose son, Troy Bowles, plays for the Wolverines - making sure the moment landed.
“It hurts, it hurts real bad. It's been a rough couple of days.
Damn, Todd,” Mayfield said. “Todd's son was on the winning side of it.
Sooners were not. Therefore I squeezed into this little tank top.”
Behind him, Todd Bowles was heard singing the Wolverines’ fight song and shouting, “Go Blue!”
The game itself gave Michigan plenty to feel good about, especially on defense. The Wolverines had one major slip when a coverage bust opened the door for Mackenzie Alleyne to score up the seam, but that was the rare mistake in an otherwise dominant outing from Jay Hill’s unit.
Troy Bowles was right in the middle of it, finishing with a team-high nine tackles. Michigan’s front four also made life miserable for John Mateer, and the defensive plan was clear: make him win from the pocket, not with his legs. The Wolverines did exactly that.
Michigan came away with two turnovers, three sacks, and eight tackles for loss. Through two weeks, the Wolverines have allowed just one touchdown, and they look like one of the best defensive groups in the country.
That matters even more when you look at the linebacker room. Losing Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder, and Cole Sullivan from last season left questions there, but Troy Bowles, Nathaneil Staehling, Chase Taylor, and the rest have answered them early.
Bowles leads the team with 21 tackles through two games, while Staehling is second with 16. After transferring to Michigan from Georgia ahead of last season, Bowles saw the field but couldn’t break through the starting trio.
Now that he has his chance, he’s making it count. He’s been a steady tackler through two weeks and has given Michigan a dependable presence alongside Staehling.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got A Concerning Injury Update On A Key Receiver
Oklahomas passing game took a hit with the latest update on Trell Harris, who has been ruled out indefinitely because of an internal abdominal injury. For a Sooners offense that could use every healthy target it can get, losing a receiver of Harris importance changes the feel of the room right away and leaves the staff adjusting its plans as the schedule keeps moving.
The timing is especially uneasy because several other programs around the country are also juggling injury questions, with key players from LSU, Florida and UCLA all dealing with issues that could affect upcoming games. For Oklahoma, the bigger concern is how long this absence lingers and what it means for a receiver group that now has to absorb another blow without knowing when Harris might be back. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Offense Has An Early Fix Fans Already Want More Of
Oklahomas offense showed one of its clearer adjustments against Michigan, leaning less often on 12-personnel than it did in the season opener against UTEP. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has pointed to the flexibility of both 12- and 13-personnel sets as ways to help the attack stay balanced and take some heat off the offensive line, which makes the usage worth watching as the Sooners sort through what traveled and what didnt in the first two games.
The package also intersected with a wider contrast in individual performances, with quarterback John Mateer struggling against Michigan while tight end Rocky Beers remained a bright spot. Even with the loss still fresh, the personnel choices offer a glimpse of a fix Oklahoma can keep leaning on, and it is the kind of tweak fans will want to see expanded if the offense is going to settle in and protect its quarterback better. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Jackson Put Oklahomas Biggest Defensive Concern Front And Center
After Oklahomas loss to Michigan, Jayden Jackson did not try to soften the message about the Sooners biggest defensive concern. The interior standout said the defense has to sharpen the basics, pointing to tackling and taking the right angles as areas that need work after a game in which Oklahoma did enough to make Michigan uncomfortable but not enough to turn those chances into real momentum.
Jacksons point landed because the Sooners defense was close in a lot of ways, limiting the Wolverines at times while still coming away without the turnovers and key stops that can flip a game. As Oklahoma turns the page, the challenge is less about effort than execution, with the small details now front and center before the next stretch of games. [Read more 🡒]