Michigan barely survived an absolute shocker against Western Michigan, escaping with a narrow 13-12 win. While fans in Ann Arbor take a breath, former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy is dropping a heavy reality check. He issued a sharp warning to new head coach Kyle Whittingham: fix how sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood is being used immediately, or Oklahoma will turn Ann Arbor into a funeral home this weekend.

“I think we need to evolve Michigan’s offense to the point where it’s really more about Bryce Underwood’s athleticism. His athletic profile is where this might need to go, as opposed to trying to force him to be someone he’s not at this point of his development,” McElroy said on his podcast.

Whittingham has built his entire coaching legacy on old-school, disciplined football that traditionally relies on a hard-nosed defense and a physical running game. Underwood came in as the top recruit in the country because of his elite arm strength and dynamic, dual-threat mobility.

But behind a rebuilding Michigan offensive line that is still trying to establish its interior chemistry, relying on a quick-hitting RPO system to mask protection flaws rather than letting him utilize his deep-shot capabilities is presenting a steep learning curve for the sophomore quarterback.

The issue is that the Wolverines’ offensive line simply isn’t providing a clean environment to do so. To fix this, McElroy points directly across the college football landscape to how powerhouse programs like Alabama and Tennessee set up their young guns for success.

Across the Power Four, several coaches who built their offenses around highly touted young quarterbacks saw those players thrive in Week 1. McElroy specifically pointed to Faizon Brandon (Vols) and Keelon Russell ( Bama), whose offensive systems actively encourage them to use their legs, extend plays, and make throws from unconventional platforms.

Whittingham’s current system, however, appears to cannot make use of the elite physical traits that made Underwood a highly touted recruit in the first place.

The urgency for change shows up clearly on film. Outside of a game-saving 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan, Underwood was completely handcuffed by a standard MAC defense for almost the entire night.

The sophomore completed just 11 of 21 passes for 123 yards with a costly interception. A 52% completion rate and barely 100 yards through three quarters is a clear alarm bell for an elite quarterback prospect. Underwood looked uncomfortable and static behind a line that offered little help.

And apparently, they don’t have time to figure it out because Oklahoma’s coming to Ann Arbor this week. Best believe, the Sooners aren’t going to hand out any participation trophies.

“They get a second chance on Saturday night because magically a Western Michigan safety was out of the end zone before he touched it. That’s not going to happen with Brent Venables coming to town,” McElroy said.

Head coach Brent Venables is bringing a ferocious, universally recognized top-10 defensive unit to Ann Arbor. This is the exact same Sooners team that completely throttled Michigan 24-13 just last season, holding Underwood to zero touchdowns and frustrating the Wolverines’ offense all night long. Not to mention, the Sooners’ just shut out their season opener opponents.

Brent Venables’ defense will not afford Michigan the luxury of making sloppy mistakes or surviving a vanilla game plan.

To even stand a chance against the Sooners, McElroy insists that the Wolverines must throw out the conservative playbook and start manufacturing offense through raw creativity.

That could mean heavy misdirection, designed quarterback runs, movement-based concepts, or even explosive gadget plays. The goal should be to get Underwood comfortable, put him in space, and allow him to play to his strengths.

“And I don’t care if it’s quarterback runs, I don’t care if it’s dedicated movement plays, I don’t care if it’s more misdirection, I don’t care if it’s trick plays—I could care less. Manufacturing offense and getting their quarterback comfortable… what they put out there last night will not be competitive against Oklahoma if they don’t do more offensively,” McElroy said.

McElroy is clearly impressed by Underwood’s arm talent, admitting that he would love to have that kind of arm strength.

But right now, the Wolverines should emphasize whatever it takes for Bryce to get the best shot at winning.