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ποΈ Join @pcallihan and @Clint_Derringer on the Michigan bouncing back strong versus Oklahoma after barely escaping a huge upset the week before.
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Final Score: 17-10, Michigan by 7 over Oklahoma
SP+ Projection: Oklahoma by 7.0 (+14.0)
CD Projection: Oklahoma by 6 (+13)
The Michigan offense is still sputtering, but we saw a commitment to the QB run game that has been absent since the days of Shoelace. Bryce Underwood’s 38-yard touchdown run was the most explosive play for the Wolverines in a game pitting two great defenses against one another. Michigan’s 28% success rate is not good enough to win most games, but this team has proven they can find a path to victory even in the darkest hours. I was especially encouraged to see Jason Beck find ways to get Andrew Marsh the ball, as well as integrating Savion Hiter into the pass game. This offense will continue to improve game after game.
The Michigan defense is start of the show for the 2nd consecutive week. Holding Oklahoma’s offense to 10 points, and 35% success rate is a huge accomplishment. John Mateer created all kinds of trouble for the Wolverines last season, and this coaching staff learned some valuable lessons from that film. Most critically, Jay Hill’s defense was able to create 2 huge turnovers: 1 fumble recovery on the Sooners’ only first half scoring opportunity and a clutch fourth quarter interception by Jayaire Hill to set up the winning touchdown.
This was another absolutely solid performance for the kicking game. Trey Butkowski made his only FG attempt, and both extra points. Cam Brown pinned Oklahoma inside the 1-yard line twice! In the return game, Bryson Kudzal had one return that would have been better left a touchback. Also, Andrew Marsh was tentative on a first half punt that bounced, and then did not fair catch a critical fourth quarter punt that ended up downed at the 1-yard line also. If the return game can match the kicking game, the Wolverines will continue to set up their offense and defense with a field position advantage.
This will make for a fascinating week in the media. Bryce still showed a few struggles, but also showed what he can add to the offense with his legs. The biggest take away must be that penalties and alignment issues must be cleaned up before Big Ten play starts. At the end of this day, Michigan is 2-0 and likely to climb back up into the middle of the top 25 as they head into Week 3. GO BLUE!
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ποΈ Join @pcallihan and @Clint_Derringer as they preview Michigan’s game with Oklahoma.
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ποΈ Join @pcallihan and @Clint_Derringer
Michigan survived. Barely. π³γ½οΈ
Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12.
A 47-yard Hail Mary. One extra second. A spectacular JJ Buchanan catch. And a game that went from season opener to near-disaster in a hurry. Michigan is 1β0, but there are warning lights everywhere.
ποΈ NEW UMGoBlue.com Podcast β βFlirting with Disasterβ
Phil & Clint break down:
π What went wrong after Michigan’s opening TD drive
β οΈ The concerns surrounding Bryce Underwood
π¬ Western’s stunning domination of time of possession
πͺ What the defense did right β and where it struggled
π₯ Whether Michigan can fix these problems before Oklahoma
π€ And the question already being asked around Ann Arbor: How concerned should we be?
As Clint summed it up:
β47-yard Hail Maryβ¦ Other than that, burn the tape. Move on.β
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Final Score: 13-12, Michigan by 1 over WMU
SP+ Projection: Michigan by 25.5 (-24.5)
CD Projection: Michigan by 32 (-31)
The offense was abysmal for the entirety of the game, save the first drive and the last four plays. The Wolverines held onto a 44% success rate after starting with 60% success in the first quarter. The lack of run game is the headline that will be buried by JJ Buchanan’s heroics on the final drive. Michigan has to go back to the drawing board with the offensive line and figure out how to get some push inside. Bryce Underwood still struggles to make decisions quickly and accurately in games, but he will be a different player if the Wolverines add some run game success through the season.
The defense flat out ran out of gas. After the Broncos took the ball with 9:00+ on the clock in the third quarter, they didn’t give it back until nearly 14:00 later on the game clock. The Michigan LBs were mixed up too frequently by RPOs, and the interior of the line started to march backward. I still give the defense credit for standing up in the biggest moments. If Western finds the end zone once in this game, they would have been out of reach for Michigan at the end.
Special teams is still not solved, but the punter Cam Brown may have been the MVP before Buchanan put his cape on for the last drive. Brown had 6 punts and averaged 46.7 per kick, with 0 returns. The Broncos still managed to dominate field position, but without Brown, it would have been insurmountable.
There is a lot to learn in this film for a young team. As fans, we will have to let go of this narrative as soon as possible, and some day we can all laugh about Michigan students storming the field after a Hail Mary win over the MAC champs. Kyle Whittingham will remember this night forever, but he has a lot of work to do with his staff to avoid a 2026 nightmare. The schedule is far too tough to have any similar performance by the Wolverines. Go Blue!