Harsh Brent Venables Reality Hits Bryce Underwood as Sherrone Moore Blamed for Michigan QB’s Misery

Just hours before Michigan entered the Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma, Michigan loyal Dave Portnoy called Bryce Underwood the “single best freshman player ever” in college football. But when the Oklahoma game actually rolled in yesterday, Michigan and Underwood played catch-up the whole game as Brent Venables came out with a statement 24-13 win against Sherrone Moore, an Oklahoma alum himself. Now, Shannon Sharpe, one of the greatest tight ends ever to play the game, also called Underwood’s criticism unfair. He reminded everyone that it was Oklahoma’s defense that took control. And also noted that a team led by the defensive mastermind HC, can be a nightmare for quarterbacks.

The environment in Memorial Stadium was as intimidating as it could be. 84,107 Sooners, having jam-packed the stadium, were watching the resurgence of their team with a new leader in John Mateer, and the passion showed. Right from thundering boos to outright intimidating chants, Michigan’s every play became a whole new battle for the 18-year-old QB, coming straight out of high school. On top of that, the Sooners’ extremely dominant D line, coupled with an imposing secondary, meant no second chances. It was obvious then that Bryce Underwood would feel the nerves, as he managed to complete just 9 out of the 24 passes.

Sharpe, in his podcast Nightcap’s September 7th episode with Johnny Manziel and Chad Johnson, looked optimistic about Underwood’s future. “He’s 18 years of age. He looked 18 years of age. He looked like a guy who’s just out of high school, starting for a top-ranked team on the road in a hostile environment. And Brett Venables has made many more accomplished quarterbacks, juniors, and seniors look bad. So, I’m not surprised that he did this to Bryce Underwood,” said Shannon Sharpe. And in truth, it wasn’t all on Bryce Underwood.

Michigan’s defense, led by Wink Martindale, wasn’t bad in the game, as even Mateer, despite a solid showing, threw an interception and several obvious passes. The offense, in truth, was the unit that regressed, with the receiving unit missing tight end Marlin Klein, who didn’t make the game due to injury issues. So, Justice Haynes, in truth, was the only one then running the offense as he scored an incredible 75-yard touchdown at the start of the second half and finished with 125 rushing yards. That said, Bryce Underwood has a massive advantage in the upcoming games, according to Sharpe.

Sharpe, after calling for patience in judging the 18-year-old QB’s ability, pointed to Michigan’s relatively easy schedule compared to teams like Oklahoma, making it favorable for Underwood to develop. “Michigan has a very favorable schedule,” said Sharpe. All in all, Bryce Underwood, of course, didn’t play, underthrowing and overthrowing several passes and failing to dictate the tempo of the passing, something Mateer perfectly did. The score could have been a lot wider if not for Oklahoma’s special teams’ woes, so Sherrone Moore needs a compatible offensive strategy for Underwood to succeed. And this is something Shannon Sharpe also highlighted.

Shannon Sharpe points out glaring flaws in Michigan’s offensive plays for Underwood

Michigan failed to convert on crucial third-down situations and was 3-for-14 on third-down attempts. Take, for instance, the 3rd and 2 play in the red zone at OU’s 14-yard line, where Bryce Underwood threw to receiver Donaven McCulley, who was still blocking and not open for a pass. On the contrary, the running unit led by Justice Haynes was instead expecting a rushing play, which ultimately led to Underwood and Haynes’ heated argument we saw on the sidelines. Even the plays were developing quite slowly, as Sharpe pointed.

“They’re running them slow, developing a— pulling plays in the backside in chasing it down. I’m like, bro, you cannot run that against this team because they’re going to chase it. They’re going to chase it down every time. I mean, they were stopping the guy in the backfield for two to three-yard losses every time,” said Shannon Sharpe.

Michigan’s play-action passes were too predictable for the D line to counter as Michigan looked to counter OU’s rushing-focused defense. One such stance we saw was when the Wolverines were 3rd and 8 in the second quarter, as Bryce Underwood faked a handoff, which took too long, making OU’s D line close the lanes quickly. Not just that, the redzone miscommunication was apparent as they showed a lack of coordination, coupled with delayed screen passes. It’s of course, a lot to improve for Bryce Underwood and the Michigan offense. But considering they have opponents like Central Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue, among others, making it a relatively easy schedule, it can surely come with some initiative from Chip Lindsey.