Last weekend against Oklahoma, the Michigan football team struggled offensively and only scored 13 points. It was clear that the Wolverines wanted to run the ball to win, and they didn't give quarterback Bryce Underwood a lot of freedom. It seems like they learned a lesson. On Saturday against Central Michigan, Underwood was fully unleashed, and Michigan's offense looked very strong for the first time in a while. It sounds like the Wolverines have a new mindset surrounding the offense.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore is currently serving a two-game suspension, so he was not on the sidelines Saturday against CMU. Biff Poggi is the acting head coach while Moore is out, and he is going to let Bryce Underwood do his thing.
“We thought at Oklahoma we would take the air out of the ball because they're an air raid offense,” Biff Poggi said after the game, according to an article from 247Sports. “We're not taking the air out of the ball ever again, not with this guy taking the snaps.”
A lot of Michigan fans were concerned that the gameplan was like this because Sherrone Moore wasn't present. That is not the case. Moore was still involved in the planning, and he knew this was the way to go.
“Sherrone really wanted to open things up with him a little bit when he felt it was the right time to do so,” Poggi added. “He's young and you want to scale him into it. Chip Lindsey really took that mandate and I think did a great job. So it was a plan to get him using his legs a little more, but I mean, I have a Labrador retriever that could coach that guy. He's unbelievable.”
Central Michigan isn't a very tough opponent, but still, the Michigan offense looked good. It's an encouraging sign, but we'll see if it'll work in conference play. Underwood finished the game 16-25 through the air for 235 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He had 211 passing yards in the first half alone. Underwood also had nine carries for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Bryce Underwood and the Michigan football team will open Big Ten play next weekend with a huge matchup on the road against 3-0 Nebraska. The Wolverines will need another big game from Underwood.
