As rough as the loss was for Michigan football against Iowa last Saturday, there were actually a lot of positives to take away from the 20-19 defeat.
It was one of those games that will be hard to forget. Fans will relive it over and over again in their minds because if one of about 10 plays goes the other way, Michigan wins.
That's football, though, especially when you are playing Kirk Ferentz. You have to deliver the knockout blow. Michigan football didn't do it, although it coud have tried harder on the final third-and-five.
Mistakes killed the Wolverines. Whether is was penalties, turnovers, red-zone issues, special teams, or the dropped interceptions, the good news is that Michigan just has to fix it owns problems.
If it does that, it will be a tough team to beat for everyone on the schedule, especially with the way that Bryce Underwood played on Saturday.
Bryce Underwood has flipped the narrative on its head
Underwood accounted for 312 total yards on Saturday against Iowa, a team that allowed four points per game coming in. Michigan rolled up 429 yards against what will be a top-20 defense, and the sophomore quarterback had his best game throwing the football.
Andrew Marsh and J.J. Buchanan each went over 100 yards. Underwood completed 17-of-28 passes for 276 yards. That's 60 percent with an average of 9.68 yards per attempt. Anything over seven is considered good.
The go-ahead touchdown was a thing of beauty. Bryce bought time, stayed in the pocket, then threw a dart to Buchanan for a 49-yard score. Bryce added 36 yards on the ground, and he didn't come close to fumbling. He's also gotten much better with his reads.
The one interception was on Andrew Marsh. He ran the wrong route, something Kyle Whittingham confirmed on Monday.
If the Wolverines just run the same play on fourth-and-one that they did when they were at their own one-yard line, they'd probably have gotten a first down. Good luck trying to stop a 6-foot-4, 228-pound quarterback with a lead blocker when he needs less than a yard. All he has to do is fall forward.
Outside of a bad QB sneak and an interception because the dude ran the wrong route, Underwood was flawless. If he plays like that the rest of the year, Michigan can beat every team on the schedule.
This season was always about Underwood becoming a championship-level quarterback. He's not there yet, but Saturday was the clearest sign of progress we have seen to this point. The light has come on, and despite the 3-1 record, that's a huge positive for Michigan football.
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