Nobody gave Michigan football a chance to beat the 11th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. Still, after a week of media scrutiny and some predictions that the Wolverines would lose by nearly 50 points, they shocked the college football world on Saturday with a 17-10 win.
The high-powered Oklahoma offense was limited to 289 yards. The Sooners turned the ball over twice, or as many times as they scored. A critical interception of John Mateer in the fourth quarter set up the critical win for the Wolverines, who still have a lot of work to do in their own right.
This wasn't a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination. Michigan's defense was spectacular. The quarterback didn't turn the ball over, made some plays, and the special teams rose to the occasion.
However, there were way too many penalties, still a lot of head-scatching calls from the offensive coordinator, and an inability to put Oklahoma away.
Still, after needing a Hail Mary to win in Week 1, knocking off the 11th-ranked team, a squad that made the College Football Playoff and beat Michigan a year ago, tastes pretty sweet, especially after watching Ohio State blow a 20-point lead.
Looking back at the 17-10 triumph by Michigan football over Oklahoma, here are five things we learned.
Michigan can win big games with Bryce Underwood
Bryce Underwood hadn't won a game like this. In his 15th-career start, Underwood led the Wolverines to a win over No. 11 thanks to a 198 total yards, one touchdown, and zero turnovers. The 38-yard touchdown run was a thing of beauty. He also made some other critical conversions on third and down, with his arm and leg.
Underwood did all of that against one of the best defenses Michigan will face all season. Brent Venables is one of the best defensive coordinators in the sport. His roster is loaded with NFL talent, especially on the defensive line.
Michigan still found a way to rush for 152 yards. Underwood carried it 17 times. If his receivers hadn't dropped some passes or done a better job of getting a toe in bounds twice, Underwood would have added about 60 yards to his passing total. It really was that close.
It's going to be a work in progress. Underwood improved as a passer on Saturday, but there were times when bad habits came back. The Wolverines proved that even if he isn't throwing the ball well, the offense can function in other ways.
If this team is going to make the College Football Playoff, Underwood will need to keep improving as a passer, but until that happens, running Bryce 10-15 times per game is a solid plan, especially against teams like Oklahoma. 30 points in two games isn't good enough, though.
Kyle Whittingham wasn't lying about the defensive line
I'm not willing to say that the defensive line is better than the secondary, but you could see why Kyle Whittingham called it the strength of the team over and over again this offseason.
John Henry Daley was a man amongst boys. He had a sack and a pass breakup in the first quarter. He got constant pressure, too. So did Dominic Nichols. He forced a fumble that was called an incompletion. He was also flagged for a facemask, when Mateer's helmet didn't even seem to be strapped on all the way.
Nichols was credited with 0.5 sacks. He was much more impactful than that. Trey Pierce was unblockable. The Sooners ran for 100 yards on 29 carries. Mateer completed just 17-of-33 passes.
Enow Etta played well. Tariq Boney, a true freshman, drew a key holding call in the fourth quarter. Jonah Lea'ea was making plays in the run game. It was impressive to watch and a massive difference from the D-line performance a year ago, when the Sooners controlled the line of scrimmage.
Michigan flipped the script and it's one of the main reasons it won the game.
Michigan's secondary is elite
Isaiah Satenga had 965 receiving yards last season for Oklahoma. On Saturday, he caught two passes for 10 yards. Outside of the tight end, there wasn't an Oklahoma pass catcher who went over 50 yards receiving.
Through two games, Jay Hill's defense has allowed 22 points and one touchdown. The Wolverines' secondary has been a key part of that. Frankly, I don't know that there is a better cornerback trio in all of college football than Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and Smith Snowden.
Michigan can play man coverage across the board and did for most of the day. Rod Moore looks like Rod Moore again. Chris Bracy is a stud, too, and this pass defense is elite. There is no other word to describe it, which bodes well for Big Ten showdowns with Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon.
Michigan has a running back problem
One of the most shocking things about Michgan football so far this season has been the lack of production from the running backs.
Jordan Marshall has 76 rushing yards in two games on 22 attempts. That's an average of 3.4 yards per attempt. I have no idea why Jason Beck kept lining up Marshall and Hiter wide, then motioning them in for a handoff. That seemed to be most of the run plays they got.
Savion Hiter had some nice runs (and catches), as well as some big losses. Through two games, the five-star freshman has 13 carries for 21 yards. Combined, Marshall and Hiter have 35 carries for 97 yards.
Nothing should alarm Michigan football fans more than that after two weeks. The Wolverines have to figure that out. I would argue that's a bigger red flag than the lack of a passing game.
One of the best running back rooms in the country, as Whittingham called it in the offseason, has looked very pedestrian so far.
Kyle Whittingham has still got it
During the season opener, Michigan didn't look like a team coached by Kyle Whittingham. It wasn't physical, couldn't run the ball, and made way too many mistakes.
There were still too many mistakes on Saturday. The penalties have to be cleaned up. Overall, though, it looked like what you expected Michigan to look like under Whittingham.
Flat out, the Wolverines were the tougher team for 60 minutes. That's why they won. Underwood showed incredible toughness running the ball 17 times. The defensive line owned the line of scrimmage, and the offensive line did enough to churn out 152 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Nobody said it had to be pretty. Whittingham has never won games that way, which is why he felt like a perfect fit for Ann Arbor.
After Week 1, there were some doubts, rightfully so. Whittingham's team answered the bell, though. This really was a must-win game for a lot of reasons, and the new head coach delivered.
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