There are plenty of adjectives that come to mind to describe Michigan’s offensive performance against Oklahoma on Saturday night. The problem is that none of them have positive connotations.
If there’s anything good that could have come from Saturday’s game, it’s that Michigan gets the chance to learn and make adjustments early in the year. For the Wolverines in 2025, there’s no false sense of security with an early-season slate of cupcakes on the schedule. After defeating New Mexico in Week 1, it looked
like the explosiveness and efficiency of Michigan’s offense had been for the most part restored.
But then reality hit on Saturday night in Norman.
In Michigan’s matchup with the Sooners, the offense scored just 13 points and mustered 288 total yards, looking anemic at its worst and average at best. The Wolverines were even shut out in the first half, something that hadn’t happened since its loss to Wisconsin in 2020. For as much optimism that surrounded the team and its offense, Saturday was very much a flashback t0 2024.
That’s not to say Michigan’s offense will look this subpar the rest of the year. Oklahoma boasts a strong defense and is coached by one of the best minds in the business in Brent Venables after all, but some real dysfunction and deficiencies reared their ugly heads that could prove to be problematic.
This week, much was made about Bryce Underwood’s first start on the road. While he had an unspectacular showing in the box score — 9-of-24 for 142 yards — the freshman showed some moments of comfort and the ability to make plays. He completed his first pass of the game by rolling out of the pocket and hitting Semaj Morgan on the run for 19 yards. But the bright moments were few and far between after that and sprinkled between some freshman mistakes you might’ve expected to see in Saturday’s environment.
Trying to make something out of nothing, Underwood attempted a handful of passes to receivers that weren’t open. He threw a ball toward the corner of the end zone while receiver Donaven McCulley broke wide open over the middle of the field. He then appeared to be on a different page from the rest of the offense on a third down late in the second quarter, throwing a pass to McCulley who was clearly blocking for a run play.
Following the play, Underwood and running back Justice Haynes were seen having a heated discussion on the sidelines, likely in regard to miscommunication. Following the game, head coach Sherrone Moore brushed the skirmish aside.
“(Underwood and Haynes) talked it over and they were fine,” Moore said. “It’s competitive. They both want to be right.”
While it’s valid that two competitive players would want to be in the right in a potential tipping point in the game, the dysfunction and lack of precision were a theme that resonated throughout the game and ultimately spelled Michigan’s fate.
Speaking of Haynes, Michigan’s running game never got going to help out the young quarterback either. Haynes impressed a week ago with 159 yards and three touchdowns, but aside from a 75-yard run to start the second half, he was held to just 50 yards on 18 carries. Jordan Marshall was largely a non-factor for the second consecutive week as well, rushing nine times for just 28 yards.
“We didn’t get the rhythm we needed to,” Moore would add. “That’s everybody – that’s not just the calls and the execution. We’ve just gotta be better.”
Contributing to it all perhaps was an offensive line that looked to be overmatched from the get-go, as Oklahoma’s defensive front was seemingly winning every play. Haynes and Marshall were routinely getting hit behind the line of scrimmage while Underwood was pressured often and forced to quickly throw balls to receivers that weren’t yet open.
As we saw against New Mexico, Michigan clearly has the elements to make its offense work with some more creative play designs and explosive playmakers like Haynes and McCulley, the latter leading the way with 91 receiving yards. Tight end Marlin Klein can also be a big-time contributor, but his presence as the safety valve for Underwood was sorely missed against the Sooners due to injuury.
Fortunately, Michigan has the chance to get itself right with Central Michigan coming to the Big House. We’ll likely see something better than what we saw on the field against Oklahoma. The question will be if it’s real improvement or just a quick patch job.
