The Michigan Wolverines nearly suffered a disastrous loss against Western Michigan this weekend, but managed to escape with a narrow, controversial 13-12 win to start their season. Underwood completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, including his game-winning touchdown heave to teammate JJ Buchanan with one second remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Underwood also threw an interception and got sacked once, finishing the game with a dismal 52.9 QBR.
With that sort of performance, Underwood drew plenty of criticism for not leading his team to a much more convincing win over a Western Michigan Broncos squad they were favored to beat by at least four touchdowns. After the narrow win, Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham addressed the situation, including a telling remark regarding the team's starting quarterback. It's not something that's infinite.
At some point, we've got to turn a corner, and we've got to see improvement, as we've got to do with a bunch of stuff," Whittingham said. More news: Kyle Whittingham Calls Out Michigan’s Problems After Controversial Win Underwood, who started the 2025 season as a true freshman, threw for 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns but also nine interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound QB remains the starter, but Whittingham's "not something that's infinite" remark clearly stands out the most.
The Wolverines head coach has certainly left room for someone else to take over should Underwood continue to underwhelm and falter in his performances for the Wolverines. "I don't have a great explanation right now, other than we hope to see improvement between Game 1 and Game 2 in the live action. There's nobody who wants to be great more so than Bryce," Underwood said, per ESPN.
Michigan entered its game against Western Michigan, ranked No. 16 in the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls. However, a significant drop is expected after being unable to handle its MAC opponent. They're also heading into a game against a ranked opponent, as they next host No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Oklahoma defeated Michigan last season, 24-13, with Underwood completing 9 of 14 passes for 142 yards and no touchdowns. The Wolverines have a backup waiting in the wings with Tommy Carr. He is the younger brother of CJ Carr, who is Notre Dame's starter this season and a potential Heisman Trophy contender.
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