Skip to main content
Michigan

Michigan football podcast: Balas and Skene on offensive line, offense woes at Oklahoma, more

Chris Balasby: Chris Balas09/09/25Balas_Wolverine
Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman R Mason Thomas (32) chases after Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Michigan Wolverines at Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Oklahoma won 24-13. © BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman R Mason Thomas (32) chases after Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Michigan Wolverines at Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Oklahoma won 24-13. © BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan lost at Oklahoma, 24-13, and looked bad offensively in the process. Third down was a debacle, the passing game wasn’t better, and other than a 75-yard touchdown run from Justice Haynes, there wasn’t much to celebrate.

RELATED: Michigan football News and Views: Running Underwood, O-line woes, Rod Moore’s return, more

The offensive line, especially, looked out of sorts.

“It was consistency, because there are times where there are huge holes. There are times where there’s movement, the line of scrimmage, and there are times where there are things that are leaky and loose,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said. “And it’s got to be consistent.

“When you play five or you play seven offensive linemen, you’ve got to have consistency. And there are some things that I thought we could have done, and we’ve talked about as a staff, to come back to what could have combated their defense, and it’s a collective thing. It’s not just the players; it’s not just the coaches. It’s everybody together. We’ll continue to work forward to make sure we clean all that stuff up.”

They also need to find the balance between being aggressive and protecting the freshman quarterback, the Michigan coach added.

“I don’t think we ever figured [it out] or think you find the right balance all the time,” Moore said. “You’ve got to continue to work to be perfect at that. And we look at everything, every single game to see — whether you win a game by 30, or you lose a game by eight or nine, whatever it is — you’re always looking to get better.

“So, I think there’s a piece where we’ll be more aggressive in every phase to help ourselves, but we’re not really going to be protecting anybody. We want to protect the quarterback, but as far as the guys in our field, when we put them on the field, we trust them to do their job. We’ve got to continue to just put them in great positions to do that.”

Former Michigan All-Big Ten offensive lineman Doug Skene and TheWolverine.com’s Chris Balas break it down in today’s podcast.