Michigan didn’t need a dramatic season opener. It needed to look like a team that knew what it was doing. Instead, the Wolverines spent Saturday night getting pushed around by Western Michigan. Although they came back to win the game narrowly, Bryce Underwood ended up taking a lot of the heat from the fans. After all, with big contracts come bigger expectations and pressure. 

On paper, this game was supposed to be a warm-up cruise for Michigan. Western Michigan came into Ann Arbor as a heavy underdog from the Mid-American Conference, the kind of opponent a top-tier Big Ten program usually puts away by halftime. A standard opener for head coach Kyle Whittingham meant dropping 40 points, giving backup reps to the squad, and cruising into Week 2 with zero stress.

Instead, Western Michigan brought a disciplined defensive scheme that exposed every crack in Michigan’s new-look offense, turning what should have been a comfortable victory into a night of sheer survival.

Former Texas Tech Red Raiders and LSU Tigers alum Breiden Fehoko didn’t mince words as he joined Michigan fans in their collective frustration over Bryce Underwood’s poor showing. “Bryce Underwood stole a lot of booster money from Michigan,” he said. “Heist of the century. He’s unplayable.”

Again, that’s one man’s reaction, not an objective verdict on the QB. But the post captured the mood around Michigan as the offense continued to sputter.

The game actually started with a touch of promise. Underwood hit his first five passes and capped off the opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run. But as the quarters rolled on, the offense lost its rhythm completely. By the time Michigan fell behind in the fourth quarter, the stadium tension boiled over into online rage, with fans calling his performance an absolute robbery of the program’s resources.

“Bryce Underwood absolutely robbed Michigan…. He is dog s–t,” another commented. 

The criticism in the field was backed up by plain numbers. Once Western Michigan dialed up blitzes, Underwood looked rattled. He held onto the ball too long, took bad sacks, and threw a painful interception right near his own end zone with seconds left before halftime.

The Broncos nearly returned it for a touchdown, settling for a field goal to cut Michigan’s lead to 7-6. For a quarterback reportedly commanding an NIL package worth over ten million dollars, those rookie mistakes look like high-stakes errors to an impatient fanbase.

Bryce Underwood finished the first half with 95 passing yards and an interception. He also contributed 34 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Through three quarters, Michigan had just 95 passing yards from their QB, while the offense averaged 4.6 yards per play and converted only one of seven third downs. That’s how the fanbase turned sour. 

“Time to pull the plug on the Brice Underwhelmed experiment,” one fan posted, urging Kyle Whittingham to cut him off the roster.

“Unfortunately, Bryce Underwood might be garbage,” another added. 

Others were even less patient. “Bryce Underwood is f—ing trash! Please hit the transfer portal or fake an injury so Tommy Carr can step in!” they posted. 

Another asked, “Is there a single QB in the world worse than Bryce Underwood?”

One fan took a jab at him for not living up to his market value. “Bryce Underwood should be in prison for fraud,” they commented. 

Western Michigan eventually grabbed the lead on a 20-play, 71-yard drive that ate 13:36 off the clock. Suddenly, Michigan was staring at an upset.

“This is the worst Michigan running game in recent memory. Western Michigan gets the lead in the 4th qtr., major upset alert,” another wrote. 

And then, somehow, Michigan escaped. Western Michigan appeared to have won when a midfield Hail Mary fell incomplete at the buzzer. Replay put one second back on the clock, and Bryce Underwood made it count, finding J.J. Buchanan in the end zone for a dramatic 13-12 victory. It was a wild escape for head coach Sherrone Moore, but the narrow win did very little to quiet the growing doubts about his starting quarterback.