Bryce Underwood went from career night to a frustrating afternoon in the blink of an eye. After leading Michigan with the best performance of his young career last week, the freshman quarterback struggled badly against Minnesota in the 20-14 loss. The defeat pushed Michigan to 0-2 in Big Ten play for just the second time since 1967, and Underwood’s struggles were enough to catch Michigan booster Dave Portnoy’s attention.
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“You can’t win if you’re never on the field on offense. And when you are on the field, you just give the ball back, and every drive the other team starts inside your 20-yard line. You can’t win that way,” said a disappointed Portnoy after the game.
The last two Michigan drives perfectly showed how the game went for Kyle Whittingham’s team. Around five minutes left in the game, the Wolverines had a chance to score a touchdown and take the lead. But the drive couldn’t get going, and they had to punt. The defense did its part and forced a three-and-out.
The last drive started with around two minutes on the clock. Again, a chance to do what Iowa did to them last week. Underwood started with a completion to JJ Buchanan. Two runs further moved the chains, but then the same issues reoccurred. Underwood tried to find Andrew Marsh on 3rd and 5, but couldn’t. On 4th and 5, he threw towards Buchanan, but the ball sailed over his head, and that was it.
Underwood’s nightmare against Minnesota only got worse as the afternoon unfolded. The Gophers’ pass rush kept the Wolverines quarterback under constant pressure, limiting him to 10-of-21 passing for 101 yards. He was also sacked three times during the game and threw two costly interceptions, further compounding Michigan’s offensive struggles.
The Bryce Underwood–Andrew Marsh connection was expected to make an impact, but it quickly went the other way. Underwood initially found Marsh for a 12-yard gain on Michigan’s opening drive, but the receiver later dropped a pass that would have moved the chains. The possession eventually stalled after a false start and a delay-of-game penalty.
With Michigan holding a 14-7 lead, Underwood dropped back and locked onto JJ Buchanan near the sideline. Andrew Marsh had space, but the quarterback went for Buchanan instead. The decision backfired as the errant throw landed in the hands of Minnesota defensive back Ayden West, setting up a field goal that trimmed Michigan’s advantage to 14-10.
Michigan appeared to have control with a 14-10 advantage, but everything unraveled after Underwood threw his first interception. Following his second pick, the Wolverines’ lead had completely vanished, leaving them on the wrong end of a 20-14 scoreline.
Dave Portnoy was visibly rattled by the costly play, as the $250 million Barstool Sports founder called out the QB for making a disastrous decision.
“Listen, a lot of people say I’m a Michigan homer and that I don’t tell the truth, but here I am. Bryce Underwood—I think this may have been a bad read. I think maybe you go to Andrew Marsh. I can admit it. Bad read,” said Portnoy.
This was their 100th meeting since the rivalry began in 1892. Michigan had dominated the matchup in recent years, winning 35 of the previous 38 games, while Minnesota’s three victories during that stretch all came in Ann Arbor.
“We had a great week of practice. Note that it’s been the case all year and that there’s a “disconnect” between practice and games. We have to figure out what is going haywire on offense,” said the head coach after the game.
When asked about Bryce Underwood’s performance, Whittingham looked rather disappointed, suggesting that things could have been much better.
“Statistically, the numbers weren’t good. But it’s not all numbers. We have to look at the protection. We gave up way too many sacks, so we have to figure that out,” said the head coach.
While blaming the entire collapse on Bryce Underwood would be a bit far-fetched, he certainly wasn’t the only player who struggled. The entire Michigan team appeared to collapse under pressure.
Now sitting at 0-2 over their last two games, the Wolverines have plenty of questions to answer and very little time to find solutions. If they continue playing this way, even a bowl appearance could quickly become a distant dream.