Michigan just beat Western Michigan 13-12. Here are key takeaways from the game.
Bryce Underwood played poorly, but then came up clutch
Underwood went 5-for-5 to start out the game. Michigan scored on their first drive, a QB sneak by Underwood. Things looked good, and the fans were hyped. However, that feeling didn’t last. Underwood’s erratic footwork reappeared; he forced balls into tight coverage and ultimately threw an interception at the end of the first half that netted Western Michigan six points. Things were looking all the bleaker when Underwood fumbled
with two minutes left in the game. Western would go up 12-7 with under a minute left. As bad as Underwood played for a large stretch of the game, he came up huge when it mattered most and erased all the bad that preceded it. With one second left, he turned a loss into a win when he connected with JJ Buchanan on a Hail Mary from 47 yards out. Michigan would win 13-12. Underwood was 12-of-22 for 170 yards with one passing touchdown, one interception, one fumble and one rushing score.
Time of possession really hurt Michigan
Western Michigan had the ball for 40:08 of the game — that’s an absurd stat. WMU’s scoring drive that put them up 9-7 in the second half that lasted 13:40. A lot of the time of possession can be attributed to Michigan’s defense being gassed because Michigan’s offense couldn’t sustain drives.
JJ Buchanan is as advertised
JJ Buchanan hauled in a crazy one-handed grab early in the game and then came up with the biggest catch of all on the Hail Mary touchdown. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham has called Buchanan unguardable, and that appeared to be a fact on Saturday night. Buchanan had six receptions for 126 yards with one touchdown and looked like Michigan’s WR1.
A wake-up call for Michigan
It wouldn’t be fair to expect excellence right out of the gate for the Whittingham era, but this game almost turned out to be a historic upset for Western Michigan.
- Michigan had nine penalties for 80 yards
- The offensive line rotated personnel often and was dysfunctional at best and doesn’t have a set starting five.
- The rushing attack was subpar
- Underwood didn’t look all that improved from last year
- Andrew Marsh fumbled a punt return
- Michigan allowed far too many yards and first downs on the ground
It was an ugly game for Michigan, bookended by a good scoring drive on their first possession and a Hail Mary touchdown on their last. Everything in between was genuinely bad for the offense. Next up for Michigan is Oklahoma, a team likely headed to the College Football Playoff again this year. Michigan will have to get better in a hurry, or it will get ugly for them against the Sooners.
Whittingham said Michigan has a lot of things to fix and address, and that sure is the truth. He also said there wasn’t a lot of hooting, hollering and celebrating after the win. He said he has to do a better job of coaching. In short, Whittingham knows this was a bad game for Michigan, but now it’s about what they do moving forward.
