There some scary moments on Saturday at the Big House for Michigan football.
One week after a 17-10 win over 11th-ranked Oklahoma, the Wolverines found themselves in a dogfight against UTEP, down 14-7 late in the first half.
That wasn't because UTEP was playing great. It had more to do with Michigan's miscues. Finally, the Wolverines tied the game on a touchdown pass from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan.
Underwood then got Michigan into field-goal range, without any timeouts during a two-minute drill, leading to a field goal that put the Wolverines in front 17-14 on their way to a 52-17 win.
Penalties and turnovers killed Michigan football in the first half. In the second, the running game got going as Savion Hiter scored his second touchdown. Jordan Marshall found the end zone, and when Underwood connected with Andrew Marsh on a 34-yard touchdown pass, the rout was on.
An interception returned for a touchdown by Jonah Lea'ea pushed the lead to 45-14. A late field goal trimmed the margin to 28 points. Underwood finished 19-of-26 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He had one fumble and 22 rushing yards. Marsh caught 10 passes for 105 yards. Buchanan finished with seven receptions for 92. Even Tommy Carr had a touchdown as U-M outscored UTEP 35-3 in the final 30 minutes.
Here are three instant takeaways.
Michigan finally cut out the mistakes
UTEP grabbed the lead twice in the first half, scoring touchdowns after Michigan turnovers. There were some key penalties, too. Michigan jumped offsides instead of forcing a fourth down, which led to a 45-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
A big run was taken off the board, too. After the sloppy start, though, Michigan cleaned up its act. The Wolverines were credited with just three penalties. They also didn't turn the ball over in the second half.
The Wolverines can't afford to beat themsleves against Iowa next week, which is exactly what will happen if the turnovers and penalties aren't cleaned up. The second half was a step forward, though.
It was the cleanest half this team has played this season.
The passing game finally got going
It was UTEP, so take it with a grain of salt, but the Wolverines looked like they have a functional pass offense. It actually looked much better last week.
Underwood looked comfortable. He was making reads, putting the ball on his receivers, and his footwork was solid. It was a step forward. Of course, playing UTEP probably felt like 7-on-7 at times, so we'll see how things go next week.
It was good to see Marsh get involved, though. Seeing him and Buchanan combine for 17 receptions, 196 yards, and two touchdowns is exactly what Michigan football fans should have wanted to see.
This was the win Michigan needed
It took longer than expected, but the Wolverines got the kind of win they needed on Saturday. They covered the spread for the second week in a row, which wasn't easy at 34.5. points. Tommy Carr's touchdown helped.
The most encouraging thing was the rush offense getting 185 yards. Michigan's offense finished with 427 total yards. Hiter averaged 5.6 yards per attempt. Marshall got 5.1.
Getting those two going is essential if this team wants to achieve anything meaningful this season. Saturday was a step in the right direction. UTEP also managed just 149 total yards, so if Michigan just doesn't beat itself, this is a 50-point victory.
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