Will Michigan run Bryce Underwood more? Chip Lindsey weighs in

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood is known as a dual-threat type who can make things happen with his feet, but we haven’t gotten to see much of it through two games. Head coach Sherrone Moore said there would be more of it in the future, and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey explained how Wednesday.

Through two games, Underwood has basically been a non-factor in the run game. Oklahoma, especially, had him under wraps for most of the game, both running and passing. The hope from the fan base is that it will open up a bit more in the weeks to come, and Lindsey provided some optimism.

“I think quarterback runs are in our game plan every week,” the Michigan O.C. said. “In fact, last week, I think three that I know of, but we had to give the ball just based on what the defense was doing. Another was a design keep run that we didn’t block correctly, but we’ll continue to have that opportunity.

“It’s definitely something we want to showcase when possible and when it makes sense, and Bryce is very capable of doing a great job with that.”

All you had to do was watch a Sunday night game between Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson and Buffalo’s Josh Allen to know what a weapon it can be, he added. But not all of it is scripted either when it comes to running the quarterback. Lindsey watched film of Underwood when the quarterback was at Belleville High to get an idea what he could do, and he promised to continue to build around his skill set.

“I think anytime you’re recruiting guy, which I wasn’t here during that process, but you’re saying, ‘okay, he’s really good at these things. He can scramble and make plays,'” Lindsey said. “When you watch football, like the Sunday night game those guys, those two quarterbacks are obviously probably the best in the world right now with Buffalo and the Ravens. What you see is they make a lot of plays off schedule.

“Bryce is very capable of doing that. It’s something I think he did the other night a couple of times. You saw that, I think the one throw to [Michigan receiver Donaven] McCulley and then one of the balls to the back. We probably lean more on what we’ve seen him do here than there, but it’s definitely a starting point for us, for sure.”

As for Moore’s comment that “you’d better have two quarterbacks” if you’re going to run one for fear of injury, Lindsey was careful in his response. It’s clear, though, that there’s a huge drop-off between No. 1 and No. 2, especially with Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene not yet back to full strength. The Michigan quarterback room isn’t deep behind Underwood.

“You’ve got to coach the game and play,” Moore said. “There are opportunities for [Underwood] to run that haven’t come up because I think teams expect him to run some. If you’re reading the defensive end and he stays in his spot, you’re not going to pull it and take the risk. You’re going to hand the ball off.

“But I’m very confident in the guys we have. I think Jaydn Davis has made a lot of progress. Jake Garcia and Mikey are capable. Mikey’s still working through his trying to get healthy, but no, I don’t think that’s a factor at all. I think the hardest thing coming from high school is learning in the game that guys are bigger … they’re faster. You’ve got to learn to take care of yourself, understand when the play is over, go down or go out of bounds.

“Bryce is making a lot of strides in that area. You saw him scramble the other night and, get down on the ground, which was really good … scramble, make a good throw to Donoven. But I think it’s just a matter of playing, getting him some reps, and again, getting in the rhythm of the game.”