Bryce Underwood, others grade Michigan debut: 'Maybe, one day I'll be telling my grandkids I coached against (him)'

Bryce Underwood had a modest view of his first performance as the Michigan football starting quarterback following a 251-yard effort in a 34-17 win over New Mexico.

The 6-foot-4, 228-pound freshman was 21-of-31 for 251 yards. He was sacked twice and threw one touchdown pass compared to zero interceptions. Underwood didn't fumble or throw the ball to the other team.

His ability to play a clean game was important. He did that. Underwood also flipped the momentum with a two-minute touchdown drive that included a 39-yard completion on third-and-14.

Michigan football couldn't have made that play last season. The 2024 team would have been happy to punt. Instead, Undrewood engineered a touchdown drive to push the lead to 24-10 after finding Marlin Klein in the end zone.

The 451 yards were the most for a Michigan offense since the Michigan State game in 2023. Still, the true freshman was far from satisfied.

"Lot of things I've got to work on, and the team as well. We've got to get back to the drawing board," Underwood said after the 17-point win via Zach Shaw of 247 Sports.

Underwood also graded his performance a,"C+."

New Mexico head coach impressed with Bryce Underwood

New Mexico head coach Jason Eck wasn't shy in his praise of Underwood.

"He was awesome. I complimented him afterwards... maybe one day, I'll be telling my grandkids that I coached against Bryce Underwood," Eck said via Brice Marich.

There were four or five throws that showed why Underwood was the No. 1 ranked player in high school. He didn't seem stressed and surely, he's only going to get better, which is probably why Eck was so impressed with the Michigan football quarterback.