The Michigan Wolverines had an up-and-down Week 1 against the New Mexico Lobos in the 34-17 victory. The positive was the game was never really in any doubt. The end of the first half was the one moment when it could have entered into a troublesome spot. Instead, Michigan’s offense executed a perfect two-minute drive and regained a two-possession lead before the break.
Simultaneously, I think almost everyone attached to this program would tell you they could have, and should have, dominated more. The team played with their food, particularly in a near-disastrous second quarter, when they had opportunities to bury New Mexico early. Dropped passes, penalties and special teams miscues put this game in jeopardy.
Today, we’ll focus on some of the items we learned from this contest, while also not overreacting to just one game.
Bryce Underwood has “it”
There are times in life when you watch some do what they are meant to do in life, and they are among the best in the world at it. Think Tom Cruise with acting (and aging), LeBron James with basketball, and Whitney Houston with singing. Watching them perform is mesmerizing because they are just so effortlessly talented at what they do. It’s like they were placed on this earth specifically for their profession.
Even though it’s early, true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood showed he has a similar “it” factor in his first start. Just watching the ball zip out of his hands makes you stop and think about what his potential could be.
His timing on Saturday was far from perfect; he threw a couple balls behind receivers and missed windows by just a second. At the same time, it seemed like every pass he made hit a receiver square on the hands and in a place that only someone wearing a winged helmet could catch it. Some of those just weren’t caught, as Pro Football Focus counted four drops from Michigan receivers.
When the pressure was on at the end of the first half, Underwood went 5-for-5 for 68 yards and a touchdown. Any time the game called for him to step up, he did it at an elite level. There’s a strong argument to be made he was the best player on the field, and he just turned 18 years old 11 days beforehand.
There is still so much to learn about his game, particularly how he will perform on the road, how much the offense will call for him to use his legs, and the different kinds of passes he’ll need to throw (particularly ones that need a little more touch). But for all intents and purposes, Michigan fans got an A+ first glance of what could be a truly special talent at the quarterback position for the next three years, and that should make everyone giddy.
Chip Lindsey’s schematic impact is evident
Michigan was desperate for a change on offense. The offense’s success in 2024 was strictly one-dimensional, with close to zero threat coming from the air. They ranked among the bottom four teams in the country in passing yards per game, and the other three teams were service academies. Smash-mouth football is the name of the game at Michigan, but the Wolverines needed noticeable improvement and better play calling to help make that easier.
Enter: Chip Lindsey. We have already discussed Underwood’s impact, but Linsey most certainly gets some credit for how good he looked and for the potential we saw from this team offensively. Michigan had 452 yards against New Mexico, 251 passing on 31 passes, and 201 rushing on 32 rushes. Here is how those stats break down compared to last year:
They also had a 39-yard pass play, which was longer than any completion they had in 2024. Not only that, but a few drops and a special teams turnover in the second quarter took away two opportunities where they easily could have surpassed 500 yards on the night.
Lindsey switched personnel, played to the strengths of his weapons and drew up multiple formations that gave New Mexico different looks. When things were cooking, the team moved with some tempo, pinning positional advantages on the field for the Wolverines, leading to big plays.
There’s a lot of creativity I am sure is still left in the bag, and the training wheels were on for Underwood early, where he didn’t have many opportunities to air out the ball. But the foundation of what Michigan showed was a breath of fresh air.
We still don’t know what targeting is…
I mean, this call was ridiculous.
Michigan will appeal to see if it can get its star linebacker back for the first half against the Sooners.
- Justice Haynes seems to be RB1 and shined with 16 carries for 159 yards and three touchdowns in his Michigan debut.
- Question marks at cornerback persist with Jyaire Hill not claiming all the CB1 snaps. Zeke Berry and Jo’Ziah Edmond saw significant opportunities on the outside.
- The hype around Cole Sullivan out of camp was on display in Week 1, with the sophomore having several standout moments, including a sack and an interception.
- True freshman edge rusher Nate Marshall had three quarterback hurries while also forcing an interception in limited playing time. He likely earned himself some more opportunities.
- Michigan’s defense will be fine. New Mexico ran for 50 yards and Jack Layne was pressured on 25 percent of his 47 drop-backs. The Wolverines played 31 players on defense, and New Mexico had to empty the bag of trick plays to score.
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