Outside of people trying to rob Michigan football of a legitimate victory, the hot topic of conversation surrounding the Wolverines this week is starting quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Underwood was hyped up all offseason as having taken a significant step forward. However, when the lights came on at Michigan Stadium last week, he looked like a player who had taken a step back.
It's easy to sit back and say Underwood should be showing more improvement in his second season. That's an accurate statement, but it also ignores some of the reality.
Underwood isn't in the second season of the same offense. When Sherrone Moore was fired, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey went with him, so did the system that Bryce knew.
Jason Beck is known as a really good offensive coordinator. He should be able to figure it out, although there were some strange play calls last week. Still, learning a new offense isn't easy.
Add that on top of everything else, the pressure, and the fact that Underwood is still just 19 years old, trying to be the face of one of the biggest programs in college football. It's a tough spot, for everyone.
Kyle Whittingham didn't recruit Underwood. He didn't give him the massive NIL deal, so he might not be as invested as seeing Bryce succeed, especially if he thinks Tommy Carr can do that job.
That's a big if, though. It feels like going to Carr is a break-glass for emergencies move. It should be pointed out that Underwood isn't the only highly-touted QB to struggle. Arch Manning sat for two years, then struggled mightily last season for the Longhorns before turning a corner.
Dante Moore wasn't nearly as good as Underwood in his first season. Bryce is 10-4 as a starter, and for the record, he has two game-winning drives to his credit (Northwestern and Western Michigan).
QB development isn't linear, but Bryce Underwood needs to flip the trend
Underwood needs to take a step forward this season, but maybe the idea of him being a national-championship quarterback in the second or third year was just wishful thinking.
Manning and Moore took until their third years before the light really came on. Not every quarterback is like that. CJ Carr and Julian Sayin balled out after one year of sitting and watching. That's still one more season than Underwood got.
Going back even further, Cam Newton and Vince Young, two players Underwood was often compared to, also didn't play right away. Newton sat at Florida for two years, transferred to a JUCO, then became Auburn's starter in his fourth year of college football.
Young redshirted his first season. As a redshirt freshman, he passed for 1,155 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Even as a redshirt sophomore, Young passed for 1,849 yards and 12 touchdowns, before hitting the 3,000-yard mark as a redshirt junior, leading Texas to a national title, yet he completed under 60 percent of throws for two full seasons.
When it comes to these uber-talented quarterbacks, it can take time. Teams just don't always have the time to give them for proper development.
The problem for Michigan is that it has no veteran alternative. There wasn't another option last season, and while Tommy Carr is probably a gamer, throwing him to the wolves doesn't feel like a great move either.
Whoever is playing quarterback, Michigan has to be able to run the ball. Both quarterbacks can run, so that has to be part of the offense. The Wolverines also need to be more aggressive. We saw Underwood complete five passes to JJ Buchanan, but there should have been more deep shots.
If Oklahoma is going to give Michigan single coverage on Marsh or Buchanan, Underwood needs to take some shots, even if it could lead to interceptions.
The Hail Mary touchdown showed why Bryce is so tantalizing. He drilled a 60-yard pass throwing off his back foot as he was getting drilled. That doesn't mean he can throw the ball accurately or process what he's seeing from the defenses, though.
Michigan needs to put Underwood in a position to succeed this weekend, which means RPOs, rollouts, and running the ball. It will be easier said than done. At times, it could get ugly.
It's still too early to give up on Underwood. Michigan put all of its eggs in his basket, so it might as well ride with him this season and see where things go. Tommy Carr isn't coming off the bench to lead this team to a Big Ten title. That might hinder his development, instead of helping it.
Now, if Underwood is as bad as he was last week, Michigan might not have a choice. If the offense can't complete a pass, as it couldn't for most of the game last week, there's an issue.
Yet, Underwood should play better. It doesn't feel like he can play any worse.
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