NORMAN, Okla. — The No. 15 Michigan football team’s offense was under pressure from the moment it took the field. After Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer commandeered the 18th-ranked Sooners down the field on the opening drive, freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines were burdened with playing from behind.
With 42 first-half rushing yards, a missed field goal and a sideline spat, Michigan folded early under the Norman night sky. Even a one-play touchdown to open the latter half didn’t awaken the Wolverines’ offense. The Sooners (2-0) led for 55 minutes before ultimately taking the game, 24-13, over Michigan (1-1) and its dormant offense.
Outside of junior running back Justice Haynes’ 75-yard house call to start the second half, Oklahoma’s defensive line was unrelenting in disallowing holes to open up. Taking away that one outlier, the Wolverines averaged less than 3 yards per carry.
Yet, Michigan was committed to establishing its run game on early downs. Its first drive was a quintessential example. On the Wolverines’ second set of downs, Haynes’ two runs left them with third-and-4. Then Underwood was forced to throw an ill-fated screen to Haynes. All in all, they converted just three times on 14 third downs.
It was rinse and repeat as Michigan never looked capable of putting together a complete drive to march down the field and pull itself up by its bootstraps. Even the Wolverines’ best first-half drive, starting from their own 14-yard line and going 72 yards downfield, graduate kicker Dominic Zvada’s missed 32-yard field goal left them empty handed.
Meanwhile, Mateer was able to lead drives when he needed to. To tail end a mostly disappointing first half, he kept the ball for his first rushing touchdown of the game and a 14-0 halftime lead.
Then, starting near midfield on the Sooners’ second drive of the second half, he capitalized on the advantageous field position to again make it a two-score game, following Haynes’ run. He tranced into the endzone untouched on the fifth play of the drive.
Zvada did redeem himself with two third-quarter field goals, but both felt like consolation prizes for missed opportunities. The first came after the Wolverines offense moved the ball just 8 yards after being set up on their own 31-yard line by a muffled punt return. The next 3-pointer was set up by a 44-yard pass from Underwood, followed by a series of short runs, incomplete passes and another failed conversion third-and-medium.
Still, Michigan had Underwood under center in a one-score game in the fourth quarter. But the pressure — literally from the pass rush and figuratively from the moment and the environment — got to the Wolverines. Michigan’s first drive of the final quarter featured only one first down, a sack and two wasted timeouts.
Never again did the Wolverines take a snap with a chance to win or tie the game. They watched once more as Oklahoma did what they couldn’t. Starting from their own 19-yard line the Sooners methodically moved the ball and sealed the game with an eight-minute field-goal drive.
Michigan was under no pressure as it took its final snap, the game was already over.
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