Urban Meyer reacts to Bryce Underwood struggles at Oklahoma: 'What did you think was gonna happen?'

Following a loss to Oklahoma over the weekend, the hype has cooled a bit around five-star Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood. But for former coach Urban Meyer, the result was hardly surprising.

Meyer fully expected the young guy to struggle in his first major road start. That’s just college football.

“We have Dave Portnoy on our Big Noon (Kickoff show) and he made the comment ‘the best freshman ever,’” Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast. “And I just think after beating New Mexico, and that happens, everybody gets excited. I did. I mean I see an incredible talent. You know what I still see? An incredible talent.

“What did you think was going to happen? He’s facing Brent Venables, one of the best defensive coordinators in modern history. I coached against him.”

Urban Meyer outlined how difficult Oklahoma made life on Bryce Underwood in the game. The sheer number of looks he faced defensively would be enough to make most quarterbacks’ heads spin.

“It’s not just fundamentals, they play one-third Bear, one-third Odd and one-third Four-Down,” Meyer said. “And if you were a listener, I mean for a quarterback and offensive line, I’ve coached it. That’s almost impossible to prepare for. And then his blitz package is unbelievable.

“So they played Brent Venables, the defensive coordinator. They have great players, I watched that game. And then No. 3, it’s on the road in Norman, Okla. What do you think is going to happen with a true freshman?”

What happened was Bryce Underwood went 9-of-24 passing for 142 yards. He did not throw a touchdown or an interception, and Underwood was limited to -1 yard rushing.

The way Urban Meyer sees it, Michigan lost because it couldn’t support Bryce Underwood well enough. Not the other way around.

“My point is this: It’s not the true freshman’s job to win that game,” Meyer said. “It’s the players around him. True freshmen don’t win that game. They might manage it like a Julian Sayin, who’s not a true (freshman), he’s a sophomore because he played a little bit last year. But the way you manage the game is you don’t put it on his shoulders.

“Mark (Ingram), you’ve been in those games. If Mark was playing for me and I was playing a true freshman or first-time starter, I’d have my arm around Mark Ingram and say, ‘I’m going to blow you out today, pal. We’ll help you get off the field after the game, but you have to carry the load.’ This kid can’t do that. Does that mean he’s not? Now everybody pump the brakes…

“He’s going to be fine. I still think he’s going to be a great player.”