Michigan football is staring down a brutal Saturday showdown with Oklahoma, and honestly, after that Week 1 mess against Group of Six team Western Michigan, confidence is nowhere to be found. Quarterback Bryce Underwood, the guy everyone was hyping up during late fall camp saying he’d “turned the corner?” Yeah, that corner went straight downhill in Week 1. It’s a rough scene.
The Camp Hype Died Fast When the Real Games Started
Remember all that talk just weeks ago? Camp observers were telling insiders that Underwood, the sophomore, looked like a different player. Everyone was ready for him to light it up. But the truth is, the problems we’re seeing now are the same ones experts warned about. Bruce Feldman from The Athletic got the lowdown from three anonymous defensive backs coaches who played against Underwood last year, and what they said is hitting hard right now.
One coach straight up said Underwood has all the raw tools you could ever want in a QB, but his decision-making? Still suspect. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck needs to get him moving more, but that only helps so much when he’s still struggling to find open receivers downfield. It’s a huge hurdle that just isn’t getting cleared.
Oklahoma’s Defense Is the Absolute Worst Matchup
Now, a Big Ten defensive coach who faced Underwood last year is not mincing words about Saturday’s game. If Western Michigan was too much for the kid, imagine what Brent Venables and that Oklahoma defense are gonna do. This coach thinks Venables totally exposed Underwood last year, putting “a lot of stuff on tape” for the playbook. OU brings “so much volume of stuff,” with guys getting calls late, and it just rattles Underwood.
“It looks like he’s seeing ghosts,” the coach said. Seriously, even if OU somehow “cut a Michigan receiver loose,” this coach doesn’t know if Underwood could even find him. This is absolutely not a good matchup for him. It’s gonna be a long day. But, to be fair, that same coach also pointed out the pure talent. He’s “so twitched up” in warmups, with “arm talent” that’s “crazy.” The ball “jumps out of his hand,” he can throw “over a post safety,” and “rip tight throws between guys.” The catch? He struggles big time with throws “inside the hashes.” They need to move the pocket, get him on the perimeter. If he gets loose downfield, he’s a nightmare to tackle.
Is He Pressing Or Just Lost In The System?
Another coach added that a scheme change might have messed with Underwood’s head. He’s “too in his own head” and “trying too hard,” with processing speed issues that Urban Meyer even noticed. He locks onto one target and just can’t move off them. “Is he pressing? I’m sure he is,” the coach said. “He doesn’t play quarterback, if that makes sense.” He just doesn’t have a “feel for things,” maybe because this is his “second system,” and it’s put him in “a deeper hole.” He looks “rattled and lost,” stares down receivers, and makes “bad decision-making” after bad decision-making.
So, yeah. Saturday at noon. That’s when we’ll find out if all that “offseason improvement” was real, or if it was just hype that came crashing down. The stakes are massive for this Michigan squad, and for their QB, it feels like everything is on the line already.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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