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Michigan football bounced-back in a big way with a 17-10 upset Saturday against Oklahoma at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Bryce Underwood raced down the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Jyaire Hill’s interception deep in Oklahoma territory set up the tiebreaking 1-yard touchdown from Jordan Marshall with 7:53 to play in the fourth quarter.
Underwood rushed 18 times for 87 yards and was 9-for-17 passing for 111 yards and no turnovers. JJ Buchanan, the Hail Mary hero a week ago, had two catches for 48 yards to lead Michigan. Andrew Marsh was limited to 13 yards on three receptions.
The No. 10 Sooners tied the game in the fourth quarter after trailing 10-0 to the No. 24 Wolverines at halftime.
The teams combined for 20 accepted penalties (Michigan had 11 for 90 yards) in an ugly game that eventually went the Wolverines’ way.
Sooners senior John Mateer was just 17-for-33 passing for 189 yards with a touchdown and a pick, a year after he diced up Michigan (21-for-34, 270 yards, 19 carries for 74 yards) in a 24-13 win in Norman, Oklahoma.
He missed high on a fourth-and-7 throw from the Michigan 47-yard line with 2:12 to play.
Nate Marshall sacked Mateer at the Sooners’ 25-yard line on the final play of the game.
Rocky Beers led the Sooners with six catches for 94 yards.
Michigan hosts UTEP next Saturday.
It was over when …
Oklahoma had fourth-and-7 from the U-M 47 yard line and Mateer had Rocky Beers open on a crossing route on fourth down, but air-mailed him, allowing the Wolverines to get the ball back. While the game didn’t end (the Sooners defense got a stop) it had just more than a minute to go more than 80 yards and never truly threatened.
Player of the Game: Bryce Underwood
Michigan still struggled to get much going in the run game with its tailbacks, but Underwood proved to be the difference on the ground. Underwood had more yards than three running backs combined, carrying the ball 18-times for 87 yards. The highlight, of course, came in the first quarter, when he ran a speed option left, knifed up the defense, then juked left for a career-long 38-yard touchdown run. He didn’t throw any truly bad passes and all afternoon as he completed 9 of 17 passes for 111 yards with no turnovers.
Trending up: Savion Hiter
The Wolverines didn’t get the freshman phenom involved enough in Week 1 and made it a point to do so against Oklahoma. He didn’t do much of anything on the ground, running eight times for six yards, but showed his ability in the passing game. On U-M’s first touchdown drive, he caught a seven-yard screen to get into third-and-manageable. Later, again on second-and-14, he caught a screen, made a tackler miss and fumbled up field for 15 yards to move the sticks. Then, on second-and-15, he ran a wheel route up the left sideline and hauled in a 19-yard grab as Michigan extended its lead to 10-0. He finished as U-M’s leading receiver, catching three passes for 41 yards and picking up a pair of first downs on scoring drives.
Trending down: Jordan Marshall
For the second consecutive season, Marshall has gotten off to a slow start. The expected lead running back for the Wolverines was bottled up against the Sooners, rushing 11 times for just 32 yards and a score. Five of his first six rushes went for three yards or fewer and he didn’t have a single carry for more than eight yards on the day. It should be noted he ran the ball in for the game-winning touchdown from 1 yard out with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t exactly a standout highlight. For what was expected of him coming into the year, the first two weeks haven’t lived up to the hype.
Michigan football schedule: UTEP up next
Week 3 brings what should be a cupcake in University of Texas El-Paso (a team Oklahoma beat 51-0 in Week 1). It should serve as a final tune-up game before the Wolverines enter Big Ten play the following week against Iowa and should provide a chance for some of the deep reserve players to get into the game. This will likely be the first time Tommy Carr takes the field — and not for the reasons people were speculating about just a few days ago.
Week 3: vs UTEP, Saturday, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network).
Week 4: vs Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 26 (time and TV TBA).
Week 5: at Minnesota, Saturday, Oct. 3 (time and TV TBA).
Week 6: Bye week.
Week 7: vs Penn State, Saturday, Oct. 17 (time and TV TBA).
Week 8: vs Indiana, Saturday, Oct. 24 (time and TV TBA).
Week 9: at Rutgers, Saturday, Oct. 31 (time and TV TBA).
Week 10: vs Michigan State, Saturday, Nov. 7 (time and TV TBA).
Week 11: at Oregon, Saturday, Nov. 14 (time and TV TBA).
Week 12: vs UCLA, Saturday, Nov. 21 (time and TV TBA).
Week 13: at Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 28 (Noon ET, Fox).
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia. Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football upsets Oklahoma in huge bounce-back from everyone
Reporting by Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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