Michigan 63, CMU 3: Checking boxes
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Saturday’s 63-3 drubbing of Central Michigan was a gift and a curse. On the bright side, it appears the Michigan coaching staff heard all the cries from Michigan fans and pundits alike in the aftermath of the team’s Week 2 loss in Norman to Oklahoma. The offense was opened up, and Bryce Underwood got the opportunity to show people why he was such a highly coveted prospect out of high school, showing his unicorn-like traits both in the passing and running game. On the flip side, it created a whole new wave of “what if?” questions when fans’ minds inevitably shift back a week to that Week 2 loss to the Sooners, one that made Michigan’s mission to return back to the College Football Playoff all the more difficult.
Per usual, my job in this space isn’t to tell you what to feel or how to feel about something. Even if I wanted to, I’d be ill-equipped because I’m navigating myself through that in real time. Was it cool seeing Michigan’s offense open up on Saturday — to see Bryce Underwood get his training wheels taken off in real time and for him to excel on that two-wheel bike? Of course. But was there a part of me that just felt worse about the week before, wondering why Michigan decided to bring a tack hammer to a gun fight when it had a fully loaded bazooka at its disposal? That’s also a definite yes.
The Oklahoma game is a sunk cost, though. I don’t know if I’m preaching to readers or myself. But it’s something we all need to drill into our heads. All of Michigan’s goals that it had leading into the season are technically still in front of the team — there’s just a much smaller margin for error.
But if the Bryce Underwood that showed up on Saturday is the Bryce Underwood we get for the rest of the year, and probably more importantly, if the game plan Bryce Underwood was given on Saturday is what he gets for the rest of the year, then all goals heading into the season are still very much in play.
And when it comes to that last “if,” things seem to be trending quite positively.
Here’s what interim head coach Biff Poggi had this to say after the game when it comes to the how the program will be approaching Underwood and his usage going forward:
"We're never taking the air out of the ball again."
For all the highlight reel plays Michigan put together against the woefully overmatched Chippewas over the week, it’s those 10 words that stand as the most promising development of the weekend in my book.
Sure, in his final nine regular season games of the year, Bryce Underwood will likely face nine defenses that are better than what he faced on Saturday. But at the same time, when those nine remaining opponents take on Michigan, they’ll be facing a player who is far more dynamic than anyone else they’ll see this season.
So let’s talk about it all after the paywall jump: Bryce Underwood’s explosive coming-out party on Saturday. Michigan’s most impressive showing on defense so far this season. Some thoughts on coaching — both good and bad. And a look ahead to next Saturday’s huge road trip to Lincoln which can and will have major ramifications on the trajectory of the season. 👇
