“He looks like a quarterback now.” − Urban Meyer on Bryce Underwood at halftime.
Do more. That was his coach’s message. Do more. Be better. You’re not here to repeat last year’s mistakes, and you’re not guaranteed your spot if you do.
All that had to be ringing in quarterback Bryce Underwood’s head last week, and when it wasn’t in his head it was in the air around him, on TV, on talk radio, in the newspapers, even in the pregame predictions for Saturday’s showdown against Oklahoma, almost all of which said Michigan would lose, perhaps because of Underwood’s underwhelming performance in a near-loss to Western Michigan that was only averted by an extra second added to a clock that had, by most everyone’s account, already expired.
Do more. Be better.
That was the spoken part. Don’t mess up. Don’t blow it. That was the unspoken part.
Try carrying that around for a week and see how fast your heart is beating come kickoff. Now try it when you’re 19 years old.
Most of us would faint in the tunnel.
But most of us weren’t kissed by the gods with Underwood’s talent, speed, strength or size. And in the second week of his second season, the quixotic Michigan quarterback swam through the murky waters of doubt and burst through the surface with a big exhale.
He tucked the ball and ran. He plowed through OU defenders and around OU defenders. He took an option, burst through the line, cut left and sped into the end zone for U-M’s first touchdown. He whipped a few passes and finessed a few others, made no punishing mistakes and kept his head and (for the most part) his feet in the right place all game.
He finished with 111 yards passing, 87 more rushing, a TD and no turnovers. And when it was finished, he walked off with the biggest win of his young tenure as the Wolverines’ QB1.
Do more?
More, done.
Rising above it
“How long a week did it feel for you,” Underwood was asked after U-M’s 17-10 upset of No. 10 Oklahoma, “given all the media attention and your coach’s comments? “
“I wasn't really focused on the media or the comments that happened,” he said. “This week was for our team to get back together and showcase what we could do. So it wasn't a long week. It was just a regular Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday …”
Few will believe that. Underwood had indeed seemed taken aback last week when he learned that his coach, Kyle Whittingham, had said that Underwood’s starting job was not written in stone.
But hey, winners get to say “no big deal.” Attitude is a spoil of war.
The thing is, beating Oklahoma was a big deal because Michigan, in squeaking past Western on that last-second Hail Mary touchdown (or should we say “extra” last second?) actually fell from No. 16 to near the bottom of the top 25 in the rankings. And that was with a win! A loss to the Sooners, and any hope of a College Football Playoff berth would likely have been history.
But the Wolverines, Underwood and Whittingham showed the nation something with this performance. Defense, not offense, won the day, with U-M’s defensive front making life miserable for Oklahoma star quarterback John Mateer, and the secondary making it all but impossible to find an open man. The Sooners are pretty awful at running the ball, and they were again on Saturday, but they’ve made up for it with Mateer connecting on explosive plays.
Not Saturday. Not in the Big House. The Wolverines draped his receivers, broke up his passes and, in the biggest moment of the game, stole one, when Jyaire Hill plucked a Mateer throw out of the air along the sidelines and returned it 24 yards to within a shadow of the goal line. The Wolverines punched it in two plays later in what would be the final score.
“I didn’t think he would throw it,” Hill said.
He surely wishes he hadn’t.
But heady plays like that, good tackling, great field position (thanks largely to Michigan’s punter Cam Brown) and keeping Mateer mostly trapped in the pocket made up for some sloppy, penalized play (11 flags for 90 yards) that could have really bit Michigan in the behind. Fortunately, Oklahoma was making almost as many mistakes. And when the Sooners needed to move the ball the most, Michigan wouldn’t let them. Their final two possessions never saw a first down.
“[We] went into this game determined to play with a lot more passion and energy and physicality,” Whittingham said after it was over. “And [we] did exactly that. Everything that we were looking for in this game that was missing last week showed up.”
And suddenly, Ann Arbor is abuzz with its, ahem, undefeated football team.
What a difference a week makes.
QB for now ... and more
But let’s bring it back to Underwood. For better or worse, the Michigan axis revolves around this guy. As a sophomore, he creates much mystery; unquestionable talent, questionable on-field habits, occasional flashes of insane ability, massive expectations that brought him an equally massive NIL price tag, and a personality that so far is hard to gauge, at least from public comments.
After Saturday’s win, he was all but reading from the athlete’s cliché playbook of crediting the team, downplaying himself, looking forward to keeping it going, etc. Hey, no problem with that. If Michigan keeps winning, no one will care how close he holds his cards to his vest.
But you know that last week had to be a challenge for the kid. He throws a Hail Mary pass to win a game, and all anyone can say is Michigan didn’t deserve it. Later his coach says, “He's our QB right now and, you know, it's not something that's infinite. At some point we've got to turn a corner and we've got to see improvement.”
When Underwood was told about that, he seemed taken aback.
“There’s comments about that?” he said. When it was confirmed, he merely added an emotionless, “That’s cool.”
For what it’s worth, Whittingham tried to clear that all up after the game Saturday, saying he was merely answering a question, not criticizing his starting QB.
“I was asked if his job was infinite and etched in stone. Whose job is ever etched in stone?" he said. "So that was my answer. … So I don't agree that I opened that can of worms because Bryce is our quarterback, and that's where we are right now.”
That should make them both feel better. Still there is much to improve on in Underwood’s game. His rushing numbers were terrific Saturday, yes, but his passing was only adequate; he made a few patient sideline throws, missed a few others, had a bad pitch that was almost costly, fumbled once but gathered the ball back in, and looked generally good but hardly super.
“Much better,” Whittingham said of his quarterback’s performance. “And he's got even more. You know, if we can see an upward trajectory with him throughout the year, we're going to be real tough to beat at some point.”
Exactly. It’s not that point yet. But the upside with Underwood has always been what made scouts lick their chops. It is still what excites – and sometimes worries – maize-and-blue fans today.
But all right. Michigan is 2-0, it will rise in the national rankings this week, it has given up a total of one touchdown in two games and made a star college quarterback (Mateer) look very mortal.
College football is a long season, and you have to let it unravel. Hey, No. 6 Oregon lost to unranked Oklahoma State on Saturday. By comparison, in taking down the other big Oklahoma school, Michigan looks pretty mighty, right?
And hey, when Urban Meyer is complimenting a Michigan quarterback, things have to be looking up.
Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates on his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow @mitchalbom on x.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mitch Albom: Bryce Underwood, back against the wall, delivered exactly what Michigan needed
