One week after Michigan football fell further than any other team in the nation in the US LBM Coaches Poll (despite a win over Western Michigan), the Wolverines have now taken the biggest leap of any team in the same poll.
Kyle Whittingham's group comes in No. 19 in country in the latest poll, now the fifth-highest ranked team in the Big Ten behind No. 4 Indiana, No. 6 Ohio State (which gave up 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points in a 24-23 loss to Texas), No. 11 USC and No. 18 Oregon on the heels of Michigan's 17-10 upset win over Oklahoma.
The Wolverines' five-spot jump was the highest of any team this week.
Oregon (1-1), meanwhile, plummeted 12 spots after it was upset 39-31 by Oklahoma State but stays one spot ahead of Michigan. The Wolverines
are ahead of No. 20 Iowa (2-0) and No. 24 Washington (2-0) in the Big Ten pecking order.
The narrative surrounding Michigan changed drastically thanks in large part to a defense that continued its suffocating start to the season. Jay Hill's group made life miserable for Sooners quarterback John Mateer and company, racking up eight tackles for loss, three sacks and two turnovers.
All-American wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III was held to just five touches for 20 yards, while the running backs combined to rush for just 43 yards. One year after Mateer sliced and diced U-M's defense for nearly 350 yards and three touchdowns, he had just 234 yards of total offense and one score.
The aforementioned turnovers were also huge.
Chris Bracy punched a ball out in the first quarter when OU was on the doorstep of field goal range before Troy Bowles (who led the team in tackles for a second straight week) fell on it. Then, with the game tied at 10 and less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Jyaire HIll jumped a crossing route and picked off Mateer before he ran it back 24 yards to set up Michigan on the OU 6-yard line, two plays before its game-winning touchdown.
The offense, while still a work in progress, had one major step forward: Bryce Underwood was more poised.While he only completed 9 of 17 passes for 117 yards and connected on more screen passes (5) than all other passes (4), his legs proved to be the difference.
He ran a career-high 18 times for 87 yards which included a 38-yard touchdown run to start the scoring. Underwood forced a career-high eight missed tackles and picked up four first downs with his legs, more than all other rushers (three) combined. He also threw for six first downs, finding JJ Buchanan twice for 46 yards and freshman Savion Hiter three times for 41 yards, who graded out as U-M's best offensive player per Pro Football Focus.
Michigan was either tied or trailing with 10 minutes left of its first two games, yet has walked out of those contests 2-0 and as a top-20 team in the nation. Now, it gets one final (and true) tune up game against UTEP (1-1) which lost 51-0 to Oklahoma in Week 1, before it turns its attention to Big Ten play.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's upset over Oklahoma sends it moving up the rankings
