Game balls from Michigan football's 24-13 loss at Oklahoma

The Michigan Wolverines moved to 1-1 on the young season with a 24-13 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday night in Norman. This time around, standout performances were few and far between, with several position groups underwhelming in their effort.

But there were still a handful of players who swung the game, good or bad.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer

This is a Michigan-centric piece for a site that covers the Maize and Blue, but you have to tip your hat to Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer. He is a gunslinger and a dual-threat guy who flashed all aspects of his game on Saturday night, going 21-of-34 for 270 yards with a touchdown and an interception, along with 19 runs for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns. As one of our posters on The Fort said, tackling him is like tackling a fire hydrant.

When push came to shove, Oklahoma empowered its quarterback to make plays and salt this one away. Michigan did its part to slow him down and force some errant throws, but he led the Sooners to almost every “gotta have it” play there was to be made. If he continues to grow within the Oklahoma offense, it is not crazy to suggest that he will be in New York this December.

Michigan running back Justice Haynes

Make no mistake about it, Michigan’s offensive line and run game were awful on Saturday night. However, Justice Haynes provided an explosive run in the form of a 75-yard touchdown on the first snap of the second half. He finished the night with 19 carries for 125 yards and U-M’s only touchdown on the evening.

Haynes and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood were caught on camera in a verbal spat on the sideline late in the first half, but the two put the passionate exchange behind them. In fact, Underwood ran down the field after Haynes and was one of the first to celebrate the score.

It’s easy to see why Michigan prioritized Haynes in the transfer portal. Now, it just needs to find a way to give him more room to run.

Michigan defenders TJ Metcalf and Cole Sullivan

In a game light on bona fide game ball choices, we had to give it up for a pair of Michigan X-factors coming into the contest. Defensive back TJ Metcalf and linebacker Cole Sullivan came up with a pair of Oklahoma turnovers, one on a Mateer interception in the first half and another on a botched punt fumble recovery. Those two have flashed in the first two weeks and should only get better as the season goes on.

Sullivan finished the game with the fumble recovery, 3 tackles and a sack. Metcalf had 4 tackles and the interception.

Honorable mentions

Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood: It was a bad night at the office for Underwood, who went 9-for-24 for 142 yards and had 3 rushes for -1 yard. Tacking sack-adjusted yards out, he had a 9-yard rush late. It’s clear Michigan still has some training wheels on him, but his infrastructure did not do him any favors. He gets an honorable mention by virtue of simply not self-destructing. There are some throws he would like to have back, but time was fleeting.

Graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley: Michigan finally had a 40-plus-yard pass play on Saturday, something it never achieved last season. McCulley grabbed a 44-yard jump ball in the second half and finished with 3 catches for 91 yards on 9 targets. Unfortunately, some communication breakdowns prevented even greater production. He and Underwood are going to need to improve their connection.

Senior linebacker Jaishawn Barham: He did not exactly “f––– s––– up” as TJ Guy predicted this week, but Barham returned from his first-half suspension due to last week’s targeting penalty and finished with 6 tackles and a shared tackle for loss.