Heading into its second bye week of the year, Michigan was presented with an opportunity to perhaps go for some style points by taking care of business against a Purdue team that entered Saturday at 2-6 overall and winless in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines walked out of the Big House with a win, but likely the most concerning one they’ve had all year.
Coming off a sloppy 31-20 win over a hapless Michigan State squad last week, the Wolverines needed to re-establish the momentum they’d built with the Washington
win two weeks ago. In particular, quarterback Bryce Underwood was looking to improve on his subpar performance against the Spartans in which he threw for just 86 yards. Against Purdue, it was clear from the jump Underwood and the passing game wouldn’t have their best stuff for a second straight week.
Underwood made two key misses on the first drive — overthrowing Jamar Browder over the middle of the field for what would’ve been a big gain, and then sailing the ball over the head of a wide open Zack Marshall for what would’ve been a first down. Underwood showed some poise on the next series, finding Donaven McCulley down the right sideline for what would have been a big gain, but McCulley dropped it and the series ended in a punt.
Throughout the game, Michigan’s freshman quarterback looked a bit jittery in the pocket, with his footwork being all over the place. He was also quick to tuck the ball and run which ultimately got the offense yards when it needed them, but it is a bit discouraging when there’s a chance for bigger plays to be made through the air with a bit more patience.
Turning the ball over is something we haven’t seen Underwood do much of this year, but we saw it twice in the red zone on Saturday night. His first turnover, an interception, came near the end of the first half. He attempted a sidearm throw over the middle of the field, but Purdue’s Hudauri Hines was sitting right there to pick it off. Underwood also fumbled in the third quarter, with the ball rolling out of the end zone for a touchback.
When asked about his quarterback’s performance after the game, head coach Sherrone Moore mentioned the importance of cleaning up the little things, with those around Underwood needing to make necessary improvements as well.
“He’s got multiple strengths,” Moore said of Underwood after the game. “But we’ve got to clean up all the other things, and everybody else around him has to execute at a high level, too.”
One of those players around Underwood, junior tight end Zack Marshall spoke about the passing game’s struggles after the win on Saturday, mentioning that it might not be as bad as things seem on the surface with plays narrowly missing being executed. Specifically, Marshall mentioned more precision being needed in route running while also giving Purdue and Barry Odom credit for dialing up complicated coverages the offense struggled against.
Although the plays might be almost there in the passing game, it’s rather concerning the lack of precision has popped up this late in the season. With more and more reps throughout the year, it would’ve been fair to assume Underwood would be playing his best ball right now. Instead, he’s turned in arguably his worst two performances of the season in back-to-back weeks. After the game, Underwood mentioned the need to reflect on his performances, turn back to his training and take care of the ball.
“I just gotta capitalize on points really, and turnovers in the red zone is something that we’re preaching not to get into, so we gotta go back and lie back on my training, we’ll lie back on my practice and re-establish that.” Underwood said. “We’re gonna do a lot of self reflection to see what we can do better in the pass and the run game.”
If there was a positive development to take out of Saturday night’s win, it was the fact Michigan did get Browder on the field during the first drive of the game. Browder was a player that had caught the attention of the coaching staff during spring ball and fall camp, and he is now getting the chance to make an impact on the big stage.
Following the game, Moore mentioned that Browder has been impressing on scout team and has deserved more of an opportunity. One can assume he’ll likely be more involved after the bye week with even more reps in the tank.
For now, Michigan’s bye week comes at the right time as the offense will look to re-establish a rhythm that’s been lost over the last two games. Because they’ll be needing the pass catchers and Underwood to be playing their best games of the season by the time the matchup with Ohio State rolls around.
