Matt Leinart urges Michigan to unleash Bryce Underwood vs. Oklahoma
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Some teams that were expected to roll in Week 1 did so with flair and aplomb. But for some others, there were near upsets. The latter was the case for Michigan football, with it taking a near miracle to emerge from the Western Michigan game unscathed — and some would argue that’s not even really the case, no matter what the record books say.
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With Fox Big Noon Kickoff set to broadcast from Ann Arbor from across the street from The Big House, some of the talent took some time to talk to WolverinesWire in advance of the Week 2 contest against Oklahoma. Among them, former USC quarterback Matt Leinart weighed in on what went wrong for the maize and blue vs. the Broncos, noting that you can’t read into Week 1 too much. But, of course, there were some Bryce Underwood problems that he saw, as well.
“Obviously it wasn't a great game for them,” Leinart said. “I do think you got to give Western Michigan some props. It's a pretty good football team and you saw a lot of elite teams play really well. You saw a lot of teams like Oregon struggle, too. You know, it's Week 1, so sometimes you try not to buy into it too much.
”I think the positive, I think the defense played really well, to be honest with you. They essentially won that game for them. And look, a lot of the stuff is on the quarterback — and we get that in the development of Bryce Underwood. And I think what I would say is the development is probably not where he wants it to be and where the program wants it to be and the coaching staff and Kyle and all that. I think that's obvious. I wouldn't put it all on him. I thought the offensive line was shaky at times.
“But yeah, I mean, I think the problem is is now you play a team like Oklahoma, who's got an elite defense, one of the best in the country, and you want to — if you're a Michigan fan or a coach or a player — you want to just see steps of improvement. And so I think that'll be the challenge.
”We'll see, obviously. But look, it's football. Anything can happen. Michigan's still a good football team.”
Even though Underwood had his struggles, Leinart says that he believes that having a big game with a bigger menu could solve some ills. Part of that menu may be added plays the team has worked on in preparation for this game against Oklahoma; it could be deploying him more in the run game. It could just be doing other things that lean into his strengths, like using more designed roll-outs and bootlegs.
Leinart notes the first drive that Michigan had, where Underwood looked good and crisp. And given that Kyle Whittingham teams have often had a mobile quarterback, perhaps that’s more of where Underwood could thrive if that element of his game is brought out more.
”Look, I can imagine that they probably didn't open up a ton of the playbook, too, in a game like that,” Leinart said. “That would just be my personal thought. And you'll probably see more this week, clearly, because of Oklahoma and the caliber of game this is and the team. I would love to see them utilize his strengths more. He's a big dude. He can run. He's athletic. Get him involved in the run game, and maybe they do. And you go back to Kyle Whittingham teams, that's kind of what they've been. They've always been a run first, dominate the line of scrimmage, always got pretty good quarterback play, but like it was always about the run game. And all of his quarterbacks always could run, too. So something to that. Maybe we'll see a little bit more of that, to utilize how big and strong and fast he is. He's a weapon in that regard, for sure.
“But yeah, I mean, I think — look, I think just continuing to get the ball out fast, moving the ball, a lot like that first drive. You look at the first drive, and it wasn't anything crazy with screens. It was getting the ball out fast, but that's a strength play to it, and get him involved in the run game, and then hopefully get his confidence going early. I think that's a big part of this game, too, for him, especially with just the narrative and all that stuff. You know, there's a lot of pressure on him. I know he's a young kid and all that, but there's a level of expectation that I'm sure he knows, as well.”
Michigan and Oklahoma will kick off at 12:14 p.m. EDT from The Big House. Fox Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live at 9 a.m. EDT from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School while the game itself will be televised on Fox.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Matt Leinart urges Michigan to unleash Bryce Underwood vs. Oklahoma