Scouting Report: Michigan
The Sooners were able to mostly take things easy last Saturday, coasting to a 35-3 win over Illinois State.
It’ll be a completely different story this weekend. No. 14 Michigan comes to town for a primetime matchup at Owen Field, marking a significant step up in competition.
The OU-Michigan game will be the marque matchup of the weekend. ESPN’s College Gameday will be on campus that morning, and the game will be broadcast in primetime on ABC.
Both teams are coming off of disappointing 2024 campaigns and both took care of business in their season openers. Most importantly, both teams could really use a marque early-season win.
Here’s an early scouting report on what the Sooners will face this weekend:
GAME INFO
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC
LAST WEEK?
The Wolverines beat New Mexico, 34-17, on Saturday.
Michigan running back Justice Haynes scored a pair of touchdowns, including one from 56 yards out, in the first quarter to give the Wolverines an early 14-0 lead. It looked like the Wolverines were going to run away with the game, but went into halftime with a 24-10 halftime lead.
New Mexico made things a little interesting late in the third quarter when they cut the lead to 27-17. But Haynes added his third touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
KEY PLAYERS
Bryce Underwood, QB
Last week: 251 passing yards, 21/31 completions, 1 TD
Justice Haynes, RB
Last week: 16 carries, 159 rushing yards, 3 TD
Martin Klein, TE
Last week: 6 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD
Troy Bowles, LB
Last week: 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
Cole Sullivan, LB
Last week: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
BIG QUESTIONS
— Can OU run the ball effectively?
That was the most glaring issue in the season opener. The Sooners finished with 102 yards on 33 carries, and the running backs combined to average just 2.58 yards per carry. The longest run of the day came on a 12-yard carry from wide receiver Deion Burks on a jet sweep.
Michigan, on the other hand, limited New Mexico to just 50 yards on 28 carries (1.8 yards per carry).
The Sooners’ running back rotation was confusing last weekend, and it’ll be the focus again this weekend. Jovantae Barnes got the start and totaled nine yards on seven carries. Tory Blaylock was electric before leaving the game with an injury, and his status for Saturday is unclear. Jaydn Ott was one of the biggest additions of the offseason and logged just one carry.
John Mateer proved he can be explosive through the air, but the Sooners are going to need to run the ball much more effectively against Michigan.
— Can the Sooners get pressure on Bryce Underwood?
Underwood was a five-star prospect in the 2025 class, and one key reason was his dual-threat ability. But New Mexico was able to sack him twice and limit him to -5 yards on two carries.
Illinois State’s game plan was to run the ball and throw quick passes against OU’s defense. The Redbirds ran just 47 offensive plays, and the Sooners still managed two team sacks while keeping things pretty simple defensively.
Expect Brent Venables to dial up a ton of disguises and blitzes to amp up the pressure on Underwood. If the Sooners can live in the backfield, it’ll be a long night for the true freshman in his first career road start.