It's crazy how different a football team can look from one week to the next.
Michigan didn't look like a top-25 team against Western Michigan, although, we may just be underestimating how good the Broncos actually are. Either way, the Wolverines looked the part of a College Football Playoff contender against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Nobody said that John Mateer sucked before Michigan beat him to a pulp. It's hard to play football with pass rushers in your grill all day, which is what happened on Saturday. The pass rush dominated, and so did Michigan's corners.
Outside of the tight ends, there wasn't a lot of separation. Michigan's offense did just enough to win the game. Mostly, Bryce Underwood and company had to avoid losing the game. That won't be enough moving forward, but it was all that was required on Saturday.
With Michigan's defense, 20 points will probably be enough to win most weeks. The offense does need to keep improving. Week 2 was a step in the right direction, and before we look ahead to UTEP, here is a final look back with stock up and stock down after Oklahoma.
Stock up: Bryce Underwood
There was talk of Underwood getting benched for Tommy Carr leading up to the Oklahoma game. Afterward, Kyle Whittingham said firmly that Underwood is the starter. Michigan found the formula for winning games. Bryce still needs to come along as a passer, and he will.
For now, the Wolverines just need to move the ball. If that means running Underwood 15 times a game, so be it.
Stock down: Jordan Marshall
Through two games, Michigan has not run the ball well. The Wolverines are averaging just 129 yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry.
The offensive line needs to improve. So do the running backs. Marshall has 22 carries for 75 yards (3.5 per attempt). That's not nearly good enough. He took a minute to get going in 2025, before averaging 6.9 yards per attempt in conference play, behind mostly the same offensive line.
Again, Oklahoma and Western have two really good defenses. That explains part of it, but we haven't seen anything special from Marshall so far this season, outside of a a broken tackle to score the game-winning touchdown last Saturday.
If this offense wants to function at a high level, Jordan Marshall has to get going.
Stock up: Dominic Nichols
Even though he was only credited with 0.5 sacks, Dominic Nichols was a dominant presence against the Sooners. He forced a fumble that was called an incompletion.
More importantly, Nichols applied constant pressure on John Mateer. Through two games, he's got two sacks and three tackles for loss. When you consider that Nate Marshall is coming on, Tariq Boney drew a hold, and preseason All-American John Henry Daley, you can see why Kyle Whittingham has been signing the praises of his defensive line.
Stock down: Andrew Marsh
It's not all his fault, but Andrew Marsh is off to a disappointing start to the 2026 season. Through two games, the sophomore wideout has five receptions for 28 yards. He also has one rushing attempt for 15 yards.
J.J. Buchanan has essentially surpassed him as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. It would be great to feel like there was two No. 1's. Maybe Marsh will get going this week against UTEP, but this offense won't be at full stride until the dynamic wide receiver gets much more involved.
Stock up: The secondary
It's hard to single out one player from the secondary, because as a group, they were spectacular. I'm not sure there's a better trio of cornerbacks in college football than Jyaire Hill, Smith Snowden, and Zeke Berry. Their ability to play man coverage across the board will be a weapon.
Rod Moore looks like Rod Moore again. Just having him out on the field has been huge for this defense. That will be a major factor in limiting explosive plays. Chris Bracy also forced a fumble. He feels like an absolute steal out of the transfer portal.
Stock down: O-line
The offensive line has been the biggest disappointment for Michigan football so far this season. With three returning starters and three others who have started games, it felt like this would be a strength.
So far, it hasn't worked out that way. Jim Harding, the O-line coach who has a proven track record of success, should be able to get things turned around. Last week was an improvement, but I'll be looking for another step forward this week.
As much as people want to talk about Bryce Underwood, this team won't be great if the offensive line isn't.
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