The Michigan Wolverines edged past a scare at Wrigley Field in Week 12. The game against the Northwestern Wildcats was too close for comfort for HC Sherrone Moore, who surely did not expect a fightback. QB Bryce Underwood had a mixed performance, which has drawn some criticism from analysts.

The Wolverines had a comfortable 21-9 lead going into the fourth quarter. It looked like another embarrassing defeat was coming in HC David Braun’s way, much like the USC one a week before. But much to everyone’s surprise, the Wildcats fought back and ended the game with just a two-point deficit. The negative spotlight instead fell on Bryce Underwood, whose two interceptions could’ve cost them the game. This led analyst David Pollack to give a verdict on Underwood this season on his show.

“Michigan had five turnovers, two missed field goals, and it still won. Like I love Bryce Underwood. I love his potential for the future, but it’s not now. It’s really not, like, he’s just thrown a couple of picks over the middle of the field that were really bad picks.” Pollack said on the November 15th episode of the show.

Bryce Underwood also threw an interception against Purdue last weekend, hinting at a recurring issue in his game. However, aside from that flaw, no one can deny the potential he carries. As a true freshman, he has completed 61.5% of his passes for 1,951 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Even against the Wildcats, he completed 21 of 32 passes for 280 yards, his highest yardage total of the season. His 6’4″, 228-pound frame gives him the ideal quarterback build, and he’s known for a big arm and the pace he generates, whether he’s in the pocket or rolling out. Still, he must cut down his interceptions, as that issue continues to hurt him.

His fourth-quarter interception could have cost Michigan the game, but the Wolverines managed to withstand Northwestern’s pressure and seal the win with a calm, walk-off field goal from Dominic Zvada at Wrigley Field.

Sherrone Moore admits his team narrowly escaped defeat in Week 12

Turnovers were a major concern for Sherrone Moore’s side on Saturday. Michigan committed five turnovers in the game, including the two interceptions by Underwood and a fumbled hand-off in the fourth quarter. That level of sloppiness nearly cost them the win. On special teams, they missed two field goals earlier, which made the game far closer than it should have been.

“You don’t win games with five turnovers. You’re not going to win a lot of those. The fight from our team, the resiliency of our team, even this guy, he had some plays that he wants to take back. But just the heart, man, just going to the last second. Really proud of this group and how they fought and finished. They know that they’ve got to clean a lot of stuff up. But winning the Big Ten is hard, so really glad for him,” Sherrone Moore said to Jenny Taft in the post-game sideline interview.

With Maryland and Ohio State coming up, Moore has to fix these issues. If he doesn’t, then Michigan could end up on the wrong side of an embarrassing defeat.