They’re not so different. Both the No. 15 Michigan football team and No. 18 Oklahoma head into Week 2’s headline fight in an eerily similar position — full of fresh optimism centered around a new quarterback
At this point last year, the Wolverines and Sooners were actually ranked higher than they are this year, at No. 10 and No. 15, respectively. But each team fell off a cliff thereafter, stumbling to their respective bottom-of-the-conference finishes.
This second-ever meeting between the two blue bloods is the only ranked matchup of the week. And after the disappointing seasons Michigan and Oklahoma had in 2024, they’re both looking to win the game and begin building a College Football Playoff worthy resume.
Enter quarterbacks John Mateer and freshman Bryce Underwood to make sure all is well in Norman and Ann Arbor once again.
Can Michigan pressure John Mateer?
Two Oklahoma quarterbacks have won the Heisman trophy in the last decade. Another won the award after transferring out. Yet, it is now Mateer who holds the record for most passing yards in a Sooners debut.
Granted his career day was against Illinois State, but he looked just as dominant through the air and on the ground as he was at Washington State last season. Against the Cardinals, he threw for 392 yards and scored both a passing and rushing touchdown.
If the Wolverines are able to stifle him, it’ll be using a similar blueprint to the one they used against every formidable quarterback over the past year. Michigan’s defensive line will need to contain Mateer and also get to him for a few sacks.
In the Wolverines’ Week 1 game, the front seven got home three times — and had junior linebacker Jaishawn Barham not been called for a controversial targeting penalty it would have been four.
“You’re going to see an offensive line that’s really good from Oklahoma competing against a defensive front that’s really good from the University of Michigan,” Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito said Wednesday. “The biggest thing that we have to do is we have to consistently talk about technique.”
Against New Mexico’s smaller and less highly recruited offensive lineman, the Wolverines’ defensive lineman could lean on their size and athleticism to get past the O-line with ease. But without a physical advantage against the Sooners’ four and five stars, it’ll become apparent whether the Wolverines’ technique is good enough to put pressure on Mateer.
Michigan seemingly has the talent, with senior edge rusher Derrick Moore’s name floating around early draft speculation. Likewise, Moore and company proved capable in last year’s ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama.
Now it’s just time for the Wolverines’ D-line to prove it’s as elite as it claims to be. If they aren’t, Mateer may pick apart the back half of the defense with more than enough time to throw.
Which skill players step up for Michigan?
In the first week, the Wolverines wanted to acclimate Underwood to the college game. Junior running back Justice Haynes made that much easier by breaking off for a 56-yard touchdown run to give Michigan a lead it didn’t relinquish.
The Wolverines also got a career game from senior tight end Marlin Klein, who caught his first career touchdown and put up 93 yards. They also saw sophomore wide receiver Channing Goodwin step into the third receiver slot and make a big first down catch.
That was exactly the kind of help Underwood needed to not only look comfortable, but confident in his first game. Norman, however, is another beast. It’ll be an atmosphere unlike any that Underwood has ever played in.
“We’re deeper, we’re older,” Michigan wide receiver coach Ron Bellamy said Wednesday. “The guys are more confident, you know, obviously. So last game, this past game, having the ability to throw the ball down … we’ve been blessed and fortunate with that. But the guys are super locked in, super engaged. Obviously you see the ball could go to anyone, anyone could get hot.”
The Wolverines need anyone, and ideally multiple people, to get hot. For as impressive as Underwood was last week, they can’t predict how he’ll react to the environment and the stakes of the game. Haynes, Klein and others who’ve played on big stages can be counted on to be composed. Whether that translates into a big performance from one or many of them is another story, but it’s something that Michigan would relish – if not rely on.
Will Bryce Underwood have to lead a game-winning drive?
The Wolverines hope Haynes breaks off for a touchdown or two early again, or Marshall rebounds from Week 1, or junior wide receiver Semaj Morgan takes a crossing route to the house. Then, they want the defense to pick up big stop after big stop. In short, Michigan probably hopes the game is won by someone other than Underwood.
Alas, some day in his career, Underwood will have to lead a game winning drive. Why not Saturday?
Down the line this season, Underwood will determine the ceiling of the Wolverines. A large part of that will be his ability to spearhead drives in crunch time, when it’s do or die in a big game. He showed a glimpse of that to end the first half against New Mexico. But Oklahoma is Michigan’s first real test, and there aren’t many tests bigger than a night environment in SEC country.
“It’s noisy, but those fans aren’t playing,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said Monday. “It’s the team that you’re playing across. So they can be as loud as they want. If you’re focused on the 10 guys that are with you and your job and what you have to do on that play. That’s all that matters.”
Underwood wouldn’t have an eight-figure NIL contract if Moore didn’t expect him to win games on his own. The expectation is for Underwood to develop into that guy, though, not necessarily be him right away. But life comes at you fast, and in his second ever start, he might be thrown into a situation where he decides who wins and who is sent packing.
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After only one week, Oklahoma and Michigan seem to have found new life around their respective quarterbacks. But a slip up in this week’s premier matchup could send either reeling, and possibly out of the top 25 entirely.
Two blue bloods playing on Saturday makes for a captivating show all around, but there has to be a headline fight and that’s between Mateer and Underwood.
The post What to watch for: Oklahoma appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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