The atmosphere at kickoff on Saturday night at Michigan Stadium was one of optimism and excitement. An offseason of hype surrounding an improved Bryce Underwood, a dominant running game, high-level wide receivers, and an elevated offensive line fell almost immediately flat. An opening-drive touchdown proved to be a mirage as the offense punted or turned the football over on its next eight possessions, gaining only 111 yards in the process.
Despite a stunning, game-winning touchdown catch from JJ Buchanan on a hail mary, the atmosphere leaving Michigan Stadium could not have been any different than it was entering it. Angst, frustration, and utter shock at what transpired leave fans with plenty of questions and concerns about what comes next in the 2026 season. Yes, Michigan survived to win the game, but there are very few positives to cling to. Here are five of my biggest takeaways from Michigan’s 13-12 win over Western Michigan.
No improvement from Bryce Underwood
All throughout fall camp, Michigan coaches and media members raved about Bryce Underwood’s progress. OC Jason Beck said Underwood “made a really nice jump” in fall camp, a sentiment echoed by Kyle Whittingham, numerous players, and the Michigan media. So, naturally, expectations were high entering the season.
What we saw unfold with Bryce Underwood on Saturday night was immensely disappointing. His weaknesses from a season ago were just as present: poor decision-making, awful footwork, and bad timing. Even on the opening touchdown drive, he made several wrong reads. The interception before halftime was an inexcusable throw given the situation. He routinely threw into double coverage while staring down his receiver the whole way. He missed a wide-open Andrew Marsh several times in favor of throwing contested balls elsewhere. Underwood’s footwork remains a mess, as does his overall comfort level in the pocket.
His final stat line of 17/27 for 171 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 47 rush yards, and a fumble is not even indicative of how poorly he played. He had five turnover-worthy plays, any one of which could have been the dagger had Western’s offense executed better. Despite being Michigan’s leading rusher on the night, he coughed up a fumble late in the fourth quarter. After an offseason working with the new coaching staff, it is unbelievable how poorly Underwood played in the opener. Last season, it was easy to make excuses for poor play. This season, that will not be the case. Underwood does not look the part of a starting-caliber quarterback at the highest level of college football. He now has 14 college starts under his belt. If things don’t improve, and improve quickly, he might be out of a job in favor of Tommy Carr.
The running game struggled mightily
Another big surprise, and disappointment, coming out of Saturday night was Michigan’s inability to run the football. Even at its worst over the last two seasons under Sherrone Moore, the offense was always a threat in the ground game. On Saturday, Jordan Marshall ran for only 44 yards on 11 carries while freshman Savion Hiter carried the ball five times for a meager 15 yards. Bryce Underwood led Michigan with 47 yards on nine attempts.
The lack of production on the ground falls on the shoulders of the offensive line and Jason Beck as the playcaller. The coaching staff played around with numerous combinations up front and the result was a line that looked like it belonged in the MAC, not a unit that expects to be in contention for the Joe Moore Award. Blake Frazier, Andrew Sprague, and Jake Guarnera played all 51 offensive snaps, but the shuffling around at guard and heavy usage of a sixth lineman did not yield positive results. Western Michigan played a disciplined game defensively, but Michigan did not dominate in the trenches the way it should have given the talent disparity. The o-line and running game should improve as the season progresses, but a concerning start, to say the least.
JJ Buchanan is the real deal
On the bright side, JJ Buchanan burst onto the scene in his Michigan debut. He played the hero, catching the game-winning Hail Mary from 47 yards out. Buchanan finished the game with six receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown and was the only Michigan wideout with more than two catches. His one-handed catch on the opening drive off of a broken play was another standout highlight. Between Buchanan and Andrew Marsh, Michigan has a legit duo of difference-makers at wide receiver for the first time in years. If the quarterback play can improve even moderately, Buchanan is in for a monster season.
A mixed bag on defense
On the one hand, the Michigan defense did not allow a touchdown and held Western to only 12 points. Digging in deeper, the Broncos only had one drive of over 50 yards for the game. One of the field goals was a result of Underwood’s interception before the half: the other after his fumble in the fourth. The defense did its job on those two possessions, as it did in forcing Western to punt or turn the ball over on downs on eight possessions.
However, a 20-play, 71-yard drive that took 13:40 in the second half took everyone by surprise. While the defense eventually forced a field goal, it was startling to see Western drive down the field so meticulously and establish control over the Michigan front. That drive, mixed with the offense’s inability to do anything, resulted in WMU winning the time of possession battle 40:08 to 19:52. Michigan lost the rushing battle 132-105 despite allowing only 2.9 yards per carry.
Many of the issues on defense should be easily fixable. The pass defense seemed mostly positive the few times the Broncos aired it out. Broc Lowry finished 15/21 for only 89 yards. Dominic Nichols finished with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Nichols looked the part of an excellent defensive end. Troy Bowles led the defense with 12 tackles while Chris Bracy, Nathaniel Staehling, and Nichols notched nine apiece. Bowles and Staehling appear to be the top two linebackers going forward. Overall, the defense played well with a few areas of improvement to work on ahead of Oklahoma.
A complete lack of discipline
Sherrone Moore’s Michigan teams were notoriously undisciplined. Stupid penalties, poor special teams, and lackluster execution of the little things it takes to win games were all issues. Kyle Whittingham was supposed to come in and rectify those issues. Instead, Michigan committed nine penalties for 80 yards, muffed a punt, and did not come out ready to dominate a football game. The offense committed two illegal formation penalties in the first quarter and two holding penalties on a drive in the third that resulted in a punt in Bronco territory. The decision to punt, as an aside, on 4th and four at the Western 44 was wholly uninspiring. The penalties can be cleaned up as the season goes on. Many teams struggle with execution in week one and are able to clean up those issues quickly.
Overall thoughts
Western Michigan was the better team on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. A miracle Hail Mary does not change the fact that Michigan’s offense was unprepared to play and did not adapt as the game went on. The schedule only gets harder from here. Oklahoma should be one of the best defensive teams in the country this season. If the offense does not make radical improvements during practice this week, which seems unlikely, it will take an outstanding defensive performance to have a shot at a victory. It is hard to believe an entire offseason of work went into the output we saw in week one. It’s generally smart, but hard, not to overreact to week one performances. In this case, however, nothing we saw from the offense inspired confidence going forward. An immensely disappointing start to the Kyle Whittingham era in Ann Arbor.
Photo via MGoBlog
