The 'he is just a freshman' moment hasn't happened for Michigan QB Bryce Underwood

It didn’t happen in his first college game, nor when he played in hostile environments at Oklahoma and Nebraska. Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood hasn’t been perfect, but he hasn’t made the big freshman errors that a player in his position would typically make.

“Personally, to be candid, I’ve been waiting for this moment to kind of look around and say, ‘Yeah, well, he is just a freshman.’ And it really hasn’t happened,” Michigan co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Steve Casula said.

The stats don’t jump off the page, but Underwood has been productive, completing 56.9 percent of his passes for 733 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception. He also lost a fumble but has been solid as a runner, too, rushing 22 times for 169 yards and 3 scores.

Michigan lost 24-13 at Oklahoma but won 30-27 at Nebraska, in two raucous environments.

“He’s handled the emotion of the game well, in my opinion,” Casula said. “He’s handled two really great environments but tough road environments, both in Norman and Lincoln. He’s handled them well. We do a lot on offense. He’s got control at times at the line of scrimmage. [Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach] Coach [Chip] Lindsey and [assistant quarterbacks coach] Josh Sinagoga have done a great job getting him ready to play. 

“I’m kind of waiting for this moment, ‘Well, he’s just 18 years old,’ but it really hasn’t happened. So, in terms of growth — I don’t know if ‘growth’ is the right word, but he’s revealed to us and shown us he’s willing to win in any which way possible, he’s all in, he’s a team guy but he’s really, really good, man.

“I would imagine if you were to ask him, the game is probably slowing down for him in some respect. You get four games under your belt against some pretty darn good teams. He’s been great. He really has.”

Michigan made a conscious decision to trust Underwood more following the loss at Oklahoma, according to associate head coach Biff Poggi, allowing him to throw more down the field and run.

“Much has been made about our Oklahoma game and our games thereafter,” Casula said. “I think, first of all, we go into every game aligned and unified about how we see the game, and then not every game is the same, and not every game plays out exactly how you think it’s going to.

“So, I don’t know that there’s been this complete pivot or shift in mindset or mentality, but we do know he’s one of our best players, and he’s a really good player, and he can get the ball to other really good ones too.

“Hindsight is 20/20, in terms of how a game went — but this thing has been built pretty solid here where we’re not overreactive with success or failure, just because one game went like this and we scored X amount of points or had X amount of yards.”

The quarterback run game was a game-changer in Michigan’s win over Nebraska. With the Cornhuskers in man coverage, the Wolverines ran a QB draw that Underwood used to run 37 yards for a touchdown to put U-M up 10-0 late in the first quarter.

After having just 2 non-sack rush attempts in the first two games, Underwood has 16 over the last two, rushing for 3 scores. Those have created a big advantage for Michigan.

“We’ve carried quarterback runs in some fashion every game, and it does change how you look at the run game, because it completely changes the numbers,” Casula explained “There’s an old saying, when you run the quarterback, it’s like having a 12th guy on the field. There’s an extra gap for the defense to fit. There’s an extra ball-carrier they have to account for, so it can change and affect how the edge of the defense has to play. It can change and alter when you’re in certain formations, how many people they stand or have in or out of the box.

“So, I think it’s another layer that the defense has to be concerned about in every down, because it’s not just a first and second down thing, it’s not just a red-zone thing. When you start to run the quarterback — and Coach Lindsey has done that in his past — and then also the quarterback is creating some of his own plays with his legs, both throwing the ball and escaping the pocket to run, that changes the type of coverages you want to play, that changes if you want to have another person account for the quarterback in passing situations.”

Underwood continues to climb, and so does Michigan.