Burning the midnight oil. Literally, that’s what Bryce Underwood is doing. Sherrone Moore hasn’t been able to fully utilize Underwood’s skills, despite having an explosive arm in his prized freshman QB. While the running game has shown glimpses, the passing offense has lacked a cutting edge. On his part, the QB1 went a little extra to overcome it during Michigan’s bye week.

A 13-31 loss against the USC Trojans had Michigan’s locker room on high alert, with third-down conversion failures sticking out as a sore thumb. Already trailing, 24-7 in the third quarter, Underwood led his offense to a 67-yard drive in 10 plays. Starting from their four-yard line, they reached the 29-yard line. On the next play, they faced third down for the first time over the drive, which ended with an interception.

On the first down, the ball was aimed at WR Andrew Marsh, resulting in an incomplete pass, with the next play fizzling out in a 0-yard gain. It was the third down. Targeting WR Donaven McCulley, Underwood threw the ball into the arms of the Trojans’ DB Bishop Fitzgerald. Post-game, Moore admitted. “It’s about third down conversions, and we got to attack third down. We have to continue to get better at it.”

To improve those third-down conversions, Underwood is doing the homework. Michigan Insider Brice Marich, after a conversation with OC Chip Lindsey, shared, “(Underwood was) in the building last night watching film of third-down plays and how to improve in that area.”

At 7-2, the Wolverines have a realistic chance to go to the playoffs. They play Northwestern this week, followed by Maryland and then ‘those guys.’ It is possible that when Ohio State visits Ann Arbor at the end of this month, Michigan will be 9-2. A win against the Buckeyes, and they should be through.

For that to happen, the offense needs to get its act together. In both their losses, third-down conversions played a significant role. Against Oklahoma, which ended in a 13-24 loss, the Wolverines could only complete 3 of 14 third-down attempts. “You have to be good on third downs, and we weren’t (against Oklahoma) — that’s the story of the game,” Coach Lindsey had said.

This is not an issue regarding a freshman QB behind the center. Last year, the Wolverines played 91 third-down snaps but converted only 40.7 percent of them, ranking 84th across college football.

The only positive is that Michigan’s run game has been going strong, with 25 scores so far. But the aerial attack is limited to seven touchdowns. A team like Ohio State can really pack the box and challenge Underwood to do it with his arm. That is a worst-case scenario for Sherrone Moore.

Sherrone Moore on Pistol formation

Recently, in a press conference, Sherrone Moore revealed that Bryce Underwood and the coaching staff are working on the pistol and under-center formations, aiming for a good balance of both in the offensive unit. “I mean, it’s, you know, the gun, the under center and pistol are the same, except it’s three yards of difference, right, because you’re going to turn your back to the defense on a play-action pass or a naked on both of those. We’re working on both. We’re working all of them.”

Working on these aspects is crucial to building more confidence in the offensive unit. Presently, along with third-down conversions, dropped catches and pass protection are another challenge. Over the initial five games, WR targets dropped by 14 catches, leading to stalled drives and affecting Underwood’s completion percentage. Presently, his completion metric sits at 60.9%. Moreover, he has been sacked 11 times so far.

Moore stressed that the passing game is a collective thing. “It’s not just the quarterback and his feet and what he’s doing, but it’s also the receivers, the tight ends, the skill players, and the protection.” Let’s see how the Wolverines’ offense pans out against Northwestern.