That 38-Yard Touchdown Was Nuts, But Bryce Underwood Still Has SO Much Left to Prove

Michigan, after getting knocked out of the AP Top 25 and written off by pretty much everyone, went and upset No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 at The Big House Saturday. That’s a 2-0 start now for the Wolverines, but QB Bryce Underwood, the former five-star talent, is still a major work in progress even after this signature win. His first game this season, a 13-12 “miracle win” over Western Michigan, had coach Kyle Whittingham publicly saying Underwood’s time as the starter wasn’t “infinite.” Yeah, the pressure was absolutely on heading into the Oklahoma game.

New Playbook, New Bryce?

Something changed against the Sooners, big time. Michigan, which looked largely written off, reminded us all not to overreact after Week 1. Underwood himself looked way more comfortable as a passer and had better command of the offense, even with his footwork looking solid. But let’s be real, he only completed 9 of 17 passes for 111 yards. The real game-changer was how Coach Whittingham and new offensive coordinator Jason Beck used their young QB. Underwood had 9 carries for 47 yards against Western Michigan, but most of those weren’t planned runs. Against Oklahoma? They doubled his career-high with 18 carries, and a ton of them were designed. He led Michigan with 87 yards rushing, a number one in the Wolverines offense that day, and almost half of those came on a sick 38-yard touchdown run to open the scoring in the first quarter. That was ELECTRIC.

The Problem? Oklahoma Caught On

Here’s the kicker: as promising as that first half was, Oklahoma caught on fast. Underwood completed 7 of his 13 pass attempts for 96 yards in the first half, which is decent enough. But the second half? Oof. He went just 2-for-4 for 15 yards passing. His rushing cooled off too, picking up only 33 yards on 11 carries. Once Oklahoma figured out the new game plan, the Wolverines offense just stalled. The only points Michigan scored in the entire second half came after a Jyaire Hill interception set them up on Oklahoma’s 6-yard line. It’s a huge win, don’t get me wrong, but it shows how much growth is still needed.

Bryce Underwood did become the first Michigan QB to rush for at least 75 yards and a touchdown in multiple games since Devin Gardner back in 2013-14, which is a cool stat. But for Michigan fans, the real challenge for Underwood is putting a full game together. Can he keep that offensive spark alive when defenses adjust? That’s what we’ll all be watching for as the season keeps rolling.

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Originally reported by CBS Sports.