Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood had a week to think about it. A week to hear head coach Kyle Whittingham openly discuss his status as the team’s starting quarterback. A week to sit with an uneven performance against Western Michigan that raised legitimate concerns about whether he was ready to be “the guy.”
Then Underwood went out and answered the call.
The second-year Michigan quarterback wasn’t perfect, but he looked like a guy who was up to the challenge, providing the kind of response Whittingham needed to see from his quarterback — and his team as a whole — in a 17-10 win over No. 11 Oklahoma.
“We still got a lot of things to clean up,” Whittingham told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft following the game. “But I’m very proud of how they responded after the performance last week.”
Here are my takeaways from “Big Noon Saturday.”
1. Neither Of These Teams Are National Championship Contenders
Kyle Whittingham improved to 2-0 as the Wolverines’ head coach following the team’s win over Oklahoma. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
If we learned one thing from Michigan’s 17-10 win over No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday, it’s this: Neither of these teams have what it takes to make noise in this year’s College Football Playoff.
That is what these big non-conference games are all about. They allow fans to distinguish between tiers.
– Tier 1: Can you win the national title?
– Tier 2: Can you make the College Football Playoff?
– Tier 3: Literally everybody else.
Through 60 minutes of action on Saturday, it became very clear there are too many ingrained weaknesses for both of these teams. Neither quarterback can beat a high-level defense. Neither defense can be counted on to take the ball away. And neither team boasts a player who can take over a game.
The floor is low. The ceiling isn’t high.
2. Bryce Underwood Bounced Back When Michigan Needed Him Most
Bryce Underwood ran for a game-high 87 yards and a touchdown in Michigan’s 17-10 win over Oklahoma. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
After looking and sounding completely unfazed by the prospect of Whittingham benching him if his play doesn’t improve, Underwood demonstrated a level of poise he seemed to lack in the Wolverines’ win against Western Michigan a week ago.
Against Oklahoma, he was not perfect — putting the ball on the floor — but he was elite in the open field, running the ball and serviceable throwing it.
Underwood finished with 111 yards through the air, while adding 87 yards on the ground and a rushing score. He showed poise throughout and didn’t show signs of regression, which was a legitimate concern following his uneven Week 1 performance.
“That was a great response by Bryce,” Whittingham told Taft following the Wolverines’ win. “I thought he played an excellent game.”
3. Oklahoma Quarterback John Mateer Is Still A Mixed Bag
Oklahoma QB John Mateer threw for 186 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss to Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Much of the conversation surrounding Oklahoma’s signal-caller this past offseason was based around the idea that he had improved as a passer. That he’d show a change in arm angle, in footwork and, ultimately, completion percentage because he’d spent hours retraining himself. But 11 months after his thumb surgery, 11 months after losing to Texas, and nine months after throwing the second-most egregious pick-six of the 2025 College Football Playoff — sorry, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore — nothing seems to have changed.
Mateer is still slinging the ball out of a sidearm slot, inaccurate in intermediate crossing patterns and unable to read the coverage quickly post-snap. At times, he looked like a senseless armadillo crossing a busy six-lane highway.
This became especially evident during the Sooners’ final drive, when Mateer missed an open receiver in the middle of the field on seocnd-and-12, which would have put OU in scoring position and offered a chance to tie the game.
Instead, Mateer’s intended pass to tight end Rocky Beers sailed incomplete, and then he was sacked on the final play as time expired.
3 ½. What’s Next?
Brent Venables’ team fell to 1-1 following a 17-10 loss to Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Michigan now improves to 2-0 and will finish non-conference play next week against a UTEP team that got blasted by Oklahoma in Week 1, 51-0. It’s another chance to show improvement for Whittingham’s team before Big Ten play begins with a conference showdown against No. 21 Iowa.
For Mateer and the Sooners, it’s back to the drawing board ahead of a Week 3 matchup against a New Mexico team that finished 6-2 in the MWC last season. Brent Venables’ team needs to show me something next week ahead of opening up SEC play against No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Texas in back-to-back weeks. Yikes.
No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners vs Michigan Wolverines Highlights 🏈
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