SportsMonday: Michigan’s offensive scheme is limiting what Bryce Underwood can be

It feels like the No. 23 Michigan football team has used Bryce Underwood in doses.

The freshman quarterback came in as the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2025, yet he hasn’t had the opportunity to showcase his entire bag of skills. While we’ve seen some highlight plays from Underwood, the offensive gameplan — specifically against No. 13 Oklahoma — hasn’t maximized what Underwood brings to the table.

For starters, Michigan’s offense has relied heavily on the run game so far, as it has historically. But aside from junior running back Justice Haynes’ 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half, the Wolverines couldn’t get anything going against the Sooners. Besides that run, Michigan averaged less than 3 yards per carry in the contest.

“We had a couple runs early, the running game really was just okay, and we didn’t get the rhythm we needed to,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said Saturday. “We didn’t get the quarterback in the rhythm we needed to and that’s on everybody. That’s not just one person. That’s not just the calls, it’s the execution. So we just got to be better.”

Moore has a point when saying the execution wasn’t there. But when the run game didn’t work — mostly because Oklahoma stacked the box with seven or eight players on some run plays — Michigan didn’t open up the offense, even when it may have needed to. Especially when you’re looking to put more trust in a freshman quarterback to make a play, varying from the run proves the Wolverines don’t want Underwood to make mistakes — because it’s a risk worth taking.

Because Michigan decided to stick to its gameplan and identity of running the ball, the Wolverines will never know if an unleashed Underwood could have transformed their offense this early in the season.

Despite the limited opportunities, Underwood did flash some of his potential. On a third-and-9 in the second quarter, Underwood took the snap and rolled out to his right. Looking like he was going to run, the Sooner defenders started pursuing Underwood, before he launched a bullet over their heads to graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley 15 yards down the field for a 38-yard gain. 

Again in the first half, Underwood found McCulley, who made a catch over a defender’s head for a 44-yard gain and the first passing play over 40 yards for Michigan since the 2023 national championship game.

“He was rolling out, making throws way better than I was as a freshman,” Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer said. “That’s why he was rated the way he is. And you can tell he’s a confident kid. He put up a good fight and that’s not the end of his career. He’s going to be a very, very good football player.”

The problem is Underwood wasn’t given many other opportunities to sling it. Underwood showcased his ability to move outside the pocket and even move down the field with a 9-yard run on Michigan’s penultimate drive, but the options were limited due to the high volume of runs designed for Haynes and sophomore running back Jordan Marshall. 

While Underwood’s 9-for-24 passing mark is less than ideal for Michigan, he was hurried 10 times, accounting for nine incompletions. Additionally, three incompletions appeared to be the result of miscommunication between Underwood and his receiver. So yes, Underwood did make some mistakes, but much of it was due to a collapsing pocket, miscommunication and play calling that limited his opportunities to display his skillset. 

“As far as handling the crowd, noise and atmosphere and all that, he handled it fine,” Moore said. “It was just the execution. And that’s on everybody, it’s not just him. Everybody puts the pressure on him, but we all got to do our jobs and that’s on the O-line, that’s receivers, that’s running backs, whoever it is in those situations to make it easier for him.”

Michigan is in a unique position. A blue-chip freshman starting at quarterback means that rather than just sticking to the norm, the Wolverines have the liberty to play around with the playbook to mold it around the player of their future — especially with a more balanced offensive coordinator in Chip Lindsey.

When Underwood is in a big, top-25 game, the playbook should be designed for him to push the limits of his skillset, and by extension make some mistakes. Underwood made some of those freshman mistakes, but mostly on miscommunications that led to incompletions. So that risk is something that Michigan has the luxury of taking now. 
If the Wolverines want Underwood to grow, they should put more trust in him to make some of the high-level throws he’s already proved he’s capable of making. If some of those mistakes come, he’ll learn from them — then at least Michigan would be making the most of its investment. Because it’s an expensive one.

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