Bryce Underwood Makes Mockery of Sherrone Moore’s Former QB Room After Turning Self-Critic

“I couldn’t do that as a freshman. That was impressive.” After investing more than $12 million in Bryce Underwood, the statement by Sherrone Moore after the win over the New Mexico Lobos is a sigh of relief. For one, the uncertainty around Michigan’s passing game as they experimented with 3 QBs seems to be going away. Michigan’s 2024 offense saw one of the weakest passing attacks in the nation, ranking 128th, even behind Navy. And with that, the offense looks more dynamic, utilizing the receiving game, something Michigan hasn’t done in recent years. But that’s not all, because Underwood, “an awesome, awesome teammate, awesome player,” in Moore’s words, in just one game, has shown something that wasn’t possible in Sherrone Moore’s whole 2024 season!

The New Mexico game was always going to be heavily favored toward Michigan. But that doesn’t matter, because when Justice Haynes took the rushing game to its zenith, rushing for 159 yards for three touchdowns. And Bryce Underwood, being just a freshman, passed for 251 yards, completing 21 of the 31 passes. Michigan’s offense showed drastic improvements, which were just some anomalies a year back. No wonder Moore breathed a sigh of relief after revamping the roster. “I feel like we’re in a really good place with the quarterbacks.” One such other feat by young Bryce didn’t go unnoticed in that 34-17 win over New Mexico.

The Michigan WR room, which has Semaj Morgan, Fredrick Moore, and Donovan McCulley as the potential standout players, showed its receiving prowess when needed. Although tight end Marlin Klein’s brilliance offered 93 receiving yards for a touchdown, and didn’t let the need felt for the WRs. Still, when the situation came for the WRs to perform, all receivers like Semaj Morgan (33 yards), McCulley (31 yards), and even Kendrick Bell (30 yards) were reliable. What stood out the most was the 39-yard screamer from Bryce to Channing Goodwin, just before halftime. The reception led to a touchdown pass for Bryce and also sealed a special record for him. “Bryce Underwood’s 39-yard pass to Channing Goodwin is longer than any passing play Michigan had last season,” wrote Brick Heilig of On3.

That 39-yard pass is the longest since that 2023 natty final, until now, for a Michigan QB. That just goes to show what Bryce Underwood has brought to the Michigan offense: potential stability in the QB room. Of course, passing against New Mexico would have been relatively easy, but given the quality that Bryce showed in the last game, the regression won’t be much, even against elite defenses, although his rushing prowess must improve (-5 rushing yards on 2 carries). And not just that, Bryce is the fourth true freshman QB ever to start a game for Michigan.

“Surreal feeling,” said Underwood on his start, and what it means for the 18-year-old QB. Last year, Michigan, under Sherrone Moore’s first season, experimented with Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle, and Alex Orji, and no one could pass for what Bryce Underwood has done in just his first game. For context, Tuttle had the highest passing yardage (208 yards) against Illinois among the three QBs. That is still low compared to the 251 yards passed by Underwood against New Mexico. As for Underwood grading his own performance, he isn’t satisfied at all.

Bryce Underwood refuses to take credit for his performance against New Mexico

Apart from Underwood, there were other QBs too, like Julian Sayin for OSU, Arch Manning for Texas, and Ty Simpson for Alabama, as first-time starters. However, none of the QBs had the performance that Underwood had in his first game. For argument’s sake, one can still make a case for OSU’s Julian Sayin, but truly, that win over Texas was the work of defensive brilliance by Matt Patricia. Of course, the quality of opponents also matters, which landed in Bryce Underwood’s favor. Still, performing as a true freshman isn’t easy either. That said, Bryce Underwood called for massive improvements, nevertheless, in his performances.

“A C-plus today,” said Underwood, when asked to grade his own performance. Moreover, he also outlined some things that need “work.” “There are a lot of things I need to work on, and also as a team as well. We’re going to go back to the drawing board and come back better next week,” declared Bryce Underwood after the game. Bryce is right, the next challenge isn’t going to be easy by any means.

Michigan goes on the road to face a defiant Oklahoma team that already has John Mateer and Ben Arbuckle as the most anticipated additions. Apart from that, the team has also revamped its receiver room with Lewis Keontez from Wisconsin and Isaiah Sategna from Arkansas. Moreover, the team is coming after beating Illinois State 35-3 in Week 1, giving it some boost. So yes, Bryce Underwood would have to be on his toes in that game, and going by his statement, it seems he is ready to take that leap!