A win that felt like a loss
Bryce Underwood threw a 47-yard touchdown as the clock hit zero on Saturday and Michigan still walked off feeling uneasy. Kyle Whittingham said today that his quarterback’s grip on the starting job is “absolutely not set in concrete.”
The Wolverines beat Western Michigan 13-12. The Broncos were four-touchdown underdogs at the Big House. Michigan had not scored since its opening drive, went three-and-out four times, punted six times and turned the ball over twice. The winning pass to JJ Buchanan only existed because replay officials put one second back on the clock.
“He’s our QB right now,” Whittingham said. Those last two words carry the weight.
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Underwood finished 12 of 22 for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also led Michigan in rushing with 47 yards and punched in a one-yard score on the opening possession, which says as much about the running game as it does about him.
Whittingham was careful to spread the blame around. “It’s not just on Bryce, and it’s not just Bryce’s job that is not absolutely set in concrete. Nobody’s is,” he said. “We’ve got to see improvement out of the coaches.”
The coach admitted he had no clean explanation for it. Underwood had been sharp through fall camp, then looked nothing like it for three hours against a MAC opponent. “It’s unfortunate, disappointing, because we see him every day,” Whittingham said. “There’s nobody who wants to be great more so than Bryce.”
Oklahoma arrive on Saturday
As a freshman in 2025, Underwood completed 60.3% of his throws for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions across 13 games, adding 392 rushing yards and six scores. The raw material is real. The nine picks hint at why the job now comes with conditions attached.
Behind him sits freshman Tommy Carr, grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. The name alone will keep the conversation alive in Ann Arbor if the offense stalls again.
No. 16 Michigan host No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday. Both sides are 1-0. Only one of them needed a second that had already run out.
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