It was a primetime Top-25 matchup in Norman, as all eyes were on Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines this weekend at Oklahoma. Unfortunately, it was a night that highlighted the ways the true freshman quarterback still needs to improve as the season continues. In the 24-13 loss, Underwood completed 9-of-24 attempts for 142 yards. He had -1 yards on the ground and took one sack. On the bright side, he also
didn’t turn the ball over.
While Underwood is getting a lot of the attention, he was not the only true freshman to see the field against the Sooners. Here are the freshmen who have seen playing time this season. An asterisk (*) indicates they played in the game against Oklahoma.
- QB Bryce Underwood* (2 games)
- WR Andrew Marsh* (2 games)
- Edge Nate Marshall* (2 games)
- LB Chase Taylor (1 game)
- DL Benny Patterson (1 game)
- DB Elijah Dotson (1 game)
- DB Jordan Young (1 game)
- DB Jayden Sanders* (2 games)
- RB Jasper Parker* (1 game)
Once again, the Wolverines looked to Marsh on to return kicks. Marsh had two kickoff returns for 37 yards. It’s clear the staff is interested in his ability to make a big play, but we’ll have to wait and see if any of that pans out later this season. He wasn’t the only skill player to see some time on special teams, as running back Jasper Parker also got onto the field on special teams.
Meanwhile, Sanders had a few more snaps on defense in this one and accounted for four tackles on the night. Edge Nate Marshall also had a role on the defense in a big road game, racking up two tackles on just nine snaps.
Next up, the Wolverines host Central Michigan. We hope to see a few more freshmen take the field in Michigan’s final non-conference game of the season. While the Wolverines should win the game, they’ll be without head coach Sherrone Moore as he serves a two-game suspension. We’ll have a chance to see how Underwood manages without his head coach on the sideline and how Moore’s interim manages getting younger guys playing time.
Kickoff for next Saturday’s game is set for noon. You can watch on the Big Ten Network.
