Michigan WRs coach Ron Bellamy on early miscues, what Sooners showdown will reveal

Michigan Wolverines wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy and his position group are the beneficiaries of a new offense coordinated by Chip Lindsey and a potential star at quarterback in freshman Bryce Underwood.

Still, the group has to pull its weight as part of the infrastructure of the Michigan offense. Despite the air attack looking much better in the Week 1 opener vs. New Mexico, the group still had four drops that could have made the day even more of a position.

That has been an emphasis this week ahead of the showdown at Oklahoma (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ET, ABC).

“I think the big thing is you continue to stay on the jugs and emphasize it,” Bellamy told the media on Wednesday afternoon. “Drops are teachable moments. Why did you drop the ball? Balls, whether it’s low, it’s high, whatever… the ball touched your hand and you make the catch. We’re just detailing that out, putting it on film, and the guys understand it.”

Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh was a young guy going through those growing pains on Saturday, fumbling on a kick return and not turning around on a pass that would have been either a touchdown or a long gain.

There’s no lamenting on it, though. Michigan wants him to stay confident and will keep giving him opportunities.

“I think you always show guys you’re confident in them,” Bellamy said. “Obviously, from an offensive standpoint and special teams, he went back out there, just showed that we believe in him. The one thing is, you just gotta be very critical about ball security. The ball is our program, and guys understand that. And something that he’s worked on, he’s working on it constantly every day.

“Not just him, everyone on our team. We emphasize ball security every day. It’s important because the defense, whether it’s our defense or any defense in America, prides itself on creating turnovers. So that’s something that we’ve taken a huge emphasis on.”

As far as the missed pass from Underwood, Bellmany said, “I’m always gonna put it on a receiver. Yeah, he’s got to get his eyes back a little quicker, for sure.”

With a new week comes a new opportunity to show how far you have come. Michigan’s wide receivers will be looked at as a potential driving force in a potential winning effort on Saturday. It will be a good litmus test for a team still looking on guys it can lean on.

“This is a top 25 matchup on the road against a big-time program,” Bellamy said. “What are you going to be when adversity hits? What kind of team are we going to be? Individually, as a player, they’re going to make plays. What are you gonna do? I think you find a lot about your team in that regard, especially early in the season. So we understand that, one play at a time, one snap at a time.Lloyd Carr used to always tell us, selective amnesia. Understand what happened, but move on to the next play.

“…This is going to Norman, it’s an iconic stadium, a huge brand. OU is a huge brand. And I’m super excited about the opportunity. I’ve never been, it’s going to be loud. And obviously, we have Justice [Haynes], when he was at Alabama last year. “He played there and was telling us how loud it was going to be. So I’m excited for the challenge.”