If Michigan starting quarterback Bryce Underwood was unsettled by coach Kyle Whittingham questioning the pecking order at the position this week, he did a fine job disguising his emotions Wednesday.
Underwood and Michigan survived an upset bid from Western Michigan with a Hail Mary touchdown pass fired to JJ Buchanan in a controversial ending that involved game officials putting one second back on the clock to make that final play possible.
With the 13-12 win, Michigan stayed undefeated but fell out of the AP Top 25 poll.
On Monday, Whittingham was not ready to guarantee anyone a position or a starting spot. That included Underwood.
“He’s our QB right now, and it’s not something that’s infinite. I mean, at some point, you know, you’ve gotta turn the corner, and we’ve got to see improvement as we do with a bunch of stuff,” Whittingham said. “You’ve got to see improvement out of the coaches, so it’s not just on Bryce.”
Asked for his reaction to the comments on Wednesday, Underwood seemed surprised the topic was discussed.
“There were comments about that? That’s cool. I didn’t see that. It’s cool,” the sophomore said.
Michigan (1-0) gets a chance to make a different kind of statement Saturday with a rematch of last year’s game against No. 11 Oklahoma (1-0) set for Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The Sooners won 24-13 last September in Norman, Okla.
Underwood completed 9 of 24 pass attempts for 142 yards and had three rushing attempts for minus-1 yard in that defeat.
“Bryce, as I said last night on my coach’s show, is one of the most talented players at any position in all of college football,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Tuesday. “All of his best days are still in front of him. Won nine games as a starting quarterback as a true freshman, a tremendous feat in itself.”
