Week 1 was a tough test for Bryce Underwood and the Michigan Wolverines until a 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown turned the tables against Western Michigan in a controversial 13-12 win.
Underwood connected with Michigan WR JJ Buchanan after replay officials added one second back to the clock at Michigan Stadium. However, the spotlight is back on the Wolverines QB after his Week 1 struggles, with several analysts believing his starting role could be in jeopardy in Week 2.
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Urban Meyer Believes Bryce Underwood Could Get Benched
Speaking on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” ahead of the Michigan-Oklahoma matchup Saturday, Meyer highlighted Underwood’s first-half struggles in Week 1 and warned that another slow start could lead to freshman Tommy Carr replacing the QB in the second half.
“Bryce Underwood is not a resistance, or it’s not that he’s just got to get better. I expect him to get better and better. However, if this thing does not go well in the first half (against Oklahoma), you might see the freshman quarterback Carr come in there,” the three-time national championship-winning coach told Cowherd.
Meyer’s comments came in response to Cowherd’s criticism of Underwood’s first-half performance. Cowherd questioned what Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham should do if the quarterback struggles again against Oklahoma.
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“When Kyle Whittingham takes the job, he inherits Bryce Underwood, who’s making a fortune in NIL. So, you can’t bench him before the first game, even if he wasn’t very good in camp. You’re kind of stuck with him. But what do you do after that first-week performance? What if he stinks in the first half against Brent Venables in Oklahoma? To me, he’s in a weird spot if he’s not happy with him,” Cowherd wondered.
Notably, Underwood went 8-for-13 passing for 70 yards, no passing touchdowns and one interception, while adding five carries for 18 yards in the first half against Western Michigan last week. His 1-yard rushing touchdown on the opening drive provided an early spark.
But the 19-year-old QB could not sustain that momentum for the remainder of the game before the game-winning Hail Mary, which drew comparisons to Jayden Daniels‘ 52-yard desperation pass that helped the Washington Commanders secure an 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears on Oct. 27, 2024.
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Throughout the night, Underwood completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while adding 47 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries. It was a below-par outing for a player of his caliber.
However, Meyer does not believe Underwood is the sole factor behind Michigan’s underperformance last week.
“There are so many issues other than just Bryce Underwood. Their offensive line was not good. They had so many missed IDs, and there were many unblocked defenders right there,” the seasoned head coach, with an impressive 187-32 win-loss record in college football, said.
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So, what does Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham think about the QB situation on his team ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners, who dominated the UTEP Miners 51-0 last week?
“I talked to Kyle a bit. Obviously, I’m very close with him. He loves the backup quarterback, but he loves Bryce Underwood,” Meyer said, hinting that Underwood remains the starting QB.
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With that said, the clock is ticking for Underwood, as one more struggle could put Tommy Carr ahead of him on Michigan’s QB depth chart.
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However, as Underwood noted in last week’s presser, he is “working hard to fix his mistakes.” He knows that a strong performance against Oklahoma could silence Michigan’s critics and solidify his place as the starter.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
