If Michigan football is going to beat Oklahoma on Saturday, it might need to take a page out of the Sooners' playbook.
Last season, in a game that was a must-win for Brent Venables, coming off a lackluster first season on the job, Oklahoma leaned into the QB run game, giving John Mateer 19 carries. That was a key difference in the game.
Mateer also threw for 270 yards. It's hard to see Bryce Underwood doing that on Saturday, but one thing that would make it easier for the passing game to function is an effective rushing attack. Last season, the Wolverines didn't really muster one against the Sooners, outside of a 75-yard touchdown run from Justice Haynes.
One of the things that made that loss frustrating was that it seemed like Michigan football was unwilling to run Underwood the same way the Sooners were willing to run Mateer.
After watching Underwood against Western Michigan, the Wolverines can't play that way again. It's clear that Underwood has a lot of work to do. He just didn't see the field well against Western Michigan, whether it was the running game or the pass.
Michigan needs to make things easier for Bryce Underwood against Oklahoma
Michigan could take some of the reads out of it, and go with more designed runs. You'd have to think Underwood could get better at making the zone read, the more he does it. That should be a staple of the offense, just like Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter should have been on Saturday. Instead, they got less than 20 combined carries.
That can't happen on Saturday.
Michigan football coaches have to find a way to take some pressure off Underwood. Jason Beck wasn't able to do that against Western Michigan. WMU, sensing that Underwood was having a tough night, loaded the box.
Beck did get him some easy throws. It doesn't get any easier than dumping the ball to Savion Hiter, which would have allowed us to see him in the open field for the first time.
Regardless, one way Michigan can try to get something going on offense is getting Bryce more involved in the run game.
Whether that's zone read, QB counter, QB zone, QB power, whatever, Underwood needs to run the football. The defense played fairly well against Western Michigan. I expect that side of the ball to fairly effective against OU, as long as it's not on the field for 40 minutes.
Despite Western, which has the best running back in the MAC, and the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, being gifted the ball inside the 40 three times, the Broncos didn't score a touchdown.
Oklahoma will be a different challenge. Yet, if the offense can run the ball, get Underwood some confidence, and find a way to move the ball by whatever way possible, even if it means 20 carries for Underwood, then at least the defense will have a chance.
Maybe the Wolverines will have a chance to turn their season around, which could not have started any worse.
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