Oklahoma's game plan to rattle Bryce Underwood's cage was well-received. He had more incompletions than completed passes. The number one recruit in the country can't do it all, though. Injuries, a missed kick from Dominic Zvada, and poor tackling all contributed to a challenging loss. Here are some of the most amusing overreactions from Saturday's humbling experience.
1. Bryce Underwood is obscenely overpaid
The going rate for a quarterback these days is already pricey enough, let alone the amount that Michigan reportedly paid for Bryce Underwood. To get that type of performance in return is cause for an overreaction. He played like he was being held back from something. When expectations don't match the output consistently, then there is a major problem.
For his first roadblock in his career, he failed, but as Dave Revsine of the Big Ten Network said, there is no shame in losing to Oklahoma and a Brent Venables defense. This experience will make him better off in the long run, and that makes this an overreaction for now. Underwood and the Wolverines will face only one top-10 total defense for the remainder of the schedule, and that encounter comes in the Big House.
I do not consider Nebraska, Wisconsin, Maryland or anyone else on the schedule as a legitimate defense yet because they haven't played anybody of substance. Michigan's offense will be Nebraska's first real competition and Wisconsin goes to Alabama this weekend.
2. The Bryce Underwood/Justice Haynes altercation was an alarming distraction
Losing brings out the worst in people, and it got the best of two of Michigan's offensive weapons. Underwood and Haynes were caught on camera having to be held back from each other as the two were in the middle of a verbal argument. Players and coaches had to keep them from something that could have escalated.
Thankfully it did not linger and the backfield mates never reverted back to that ugly scene. It is clear that both competitors want to win so badly for each other and the entire team as a whole. When Haynes broke free for his touchdown run, Underwood was one of his first teammates there to congratulate him which makes this an overreaction that holds no merit.
Even going back to the 2024 season none of the players were ever seen verbally sparring with each other during such an adverse season. This is a learning lesson for everyone involved to not lose their cool and ruin the precious opportunities that still lie ahead of them.
3. The coaches should have unleashed Bryce Underwood without handcuffs
In his road debut, Bryce Underwood was 38% passing with a similar quarterback rating. Somehow, Michigan was still within one possession in the fourth quarter. Sherrone Moore lamented in Monday's press conference that he wants Underwood to run it more, but you'd better have a backup quarterback ready in case he gets hurt. Right now, Michigan football doesn't have a viable backup to Underwood, making it hard to improvise with him and risk the injury.
As much as the Michigan football pessimists don't want to accept it, this is an overreaction. The Underwood hype is there, but he's not a finished product two games into his career. He wasn't phased by the uninviting environment, and the coaches won't make that mistake again of underestimating him. Not having Marlin Klein available and losing Giovanni El-Hadi made things more helpless. To quantify it all, the fact that Michigan was within reach to tie it at all is a baffling notion.
The coaches have to be in agreement to give Underwood more of a leash going into road games like Nebraska and USC, or else the same result will happen. Without Mikey Keene being healthy or Jadyn Davis being playable, it's a difficult choice. Most importantly, the offensive line has to come together for any of this to become a realization.