A controversial call and a miraculous play saved Michigan from becoming the biggest upset victim of Week 1.
Bryce Underwood‘s Hail Mary pass after the Wolverines were awarded one final play led to a 13-12 win over Western Michigan, but he struggled significantly before it. Ignoring that 47-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan, Underwood completed 11 of 21 passes for 123 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
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He struggled to move the ball on a MAC opponent, which does not bode well ahead of Michigan‘s Week 2 home showdown against a Brent Venables-coached Oklahoma defense. If that weren’t enough pressure, coach Kyle Whittingham made some comments this week that are less than reassuring.
“He’s our QB right now,” Whittingham said when asked about Underwood’s job security, per On3. “And it’s not something that’s infinite. At some point, we’ve got to turn a corner and we’ve got to see improvement, as we do with a lot of stuff; you’ve got to see improvement out of the coaches, so it’s not just on Bryce. And it’s not just Bryce’s job that is not absolutely set in concrete. You’ve got to perform week in and week out and become somebody that is playing at a level we can win with.”
Underwood was asked about those comments on Wednesday, but he said he wasn’t concerned about it.
“There were comments about that? That’s cool,” Underwood said. “I didn’t see that. It’s cool.”
