After a poor performance against Western Michigan, many pundits were questioning whether Bryce Underwood could be an effective quarterback for the Wolverines.
Those concerns were fair. Underwood completed 12-of-22 passes against Western Michigan, but outside of the first drive and the last, completing a pass was like pulling teeth.
It sort of felt like that in the second half against Oklahoma. It's not that the coaches don't trust Bryce. It's that the defense was playing extremely well, and Michigan was a team with a young quarterback, protecting a lead. It didn't make sense to make unecesssary risks.
I would like another deep shot or two to Andrew Marsh or JJ Buchanan. However, Underwood accounted for 198 total yards, one touchdown, and zero turnovers. That stat line will allow Michigan football to win a lot of games if it's repeated.
The most impressive thing was the 17 carries. You don't see quarterbacks carrying the ball that much that often. John Mateer ran it 19 times last season for the Sooners in the win over Michigan.
Earlier this week, I wrote about how Michigan needed to use Underwood the same way. It worked and produced a 38-yard touchdown run, along with some key conversions on third down.
It wasn't a perfect performance. Underwood has a lot of improving to do. Yet, the sophomore proved he can play winning football, against a really good team, even if some try to dismiss the Sooners.
Bryce Underwood: "I'm willing to do whatever it is for us to win a football game. My number got called 18 times to run the football. Blessed..."
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) September 12, 2026
Bryce Underwood says he will do whatever it takes to win
When asked about the game plan after the win, Underwood said, "I'm willing to do whatever it is for us to win a football game. My number got called 18 times to run the football. Blessed..."
After Underwood's press conference this week, more than a few suggested he doesn't care about Michigan or doesn't want to be in Ann Arbor.
Saturday showed that couldn't be further from the truth. Underwood was willing to run the ball 17 times against one of the SEC's toughest defenses. Michigan's quarterback took plenty of big hits, including one directly to the head.
Still, Underwood never backed down. Some people want to call him soft or say he doesn't care, but that's not what I saw on Saturday.
Underwood put his body on the line. He didn't complain about not throwing the ball enough. He just wants to win. Saturday, he helped Michigan do that by whatever means necessary.
Until Underwood becomes a more polished quarterback, that will have to do. But one thing people shouldn't do is question his commitment to the program, or to winning.
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