The Michigan Wolverines survived Western Michigan on Saturday night. ESPN’s Bill Connelly came away far less convinced about what he saw from Bryce Underwood.
Michigan needed a 47-yard Hail Mary from Underwood to JJ Buchanan as time expired to escape with a 13-12 win over Western Michigan. Not to mention a highly controversial one second put back on the clock by Big Ten officials following a replay of the play before that sailed out of the end zone as time looked to have expired.
In his Week 1 overreactions, Connelly focused on how alarming Michigan looked before that final play, especially its sophomore quarterback.
“By far the most alarming part of the performance, however, was Bryce Underwood,” Connelly wrote.
That was only the beginning of his criticism.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly Says Bryce Underwood Looked ‘Lost’
Underwood finished 12-of-22 for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for Michigan’s first touchdown.
The final stat line was rescued by the Hail Mary.
Underwood opened the game by completing his first five passes for 61 yards. Between that start and Michigan’s game-winning throw, he went just 6-of-16 for 62 yards with an interception.
Connelly was particularly concerned with what Underwood was seeing before and after the snap.
“But even more worrisome was the simple fact that he couldn’t see the field at all,” Connelly wrote. “He would lock on to one receiver and force the ball into an impossible window. He would escape the pocket to buy time, then throw to a totally blanketed receiver.”
Connelly also questioned Underwood’s decisions in Michigan’s new offense under coordinator Jason Beck, writing that the quarterback repeatedly appeared to hand the ball off when he should have kept it.
Connelly had wondered before the season whether Beck’s quarterback-run-heavy system would mesh with Underwood.
“Early verdict: not even slightly,” he wrote.
The criticism was especially notable because Underwood entered his sophomore season with plenty of experience for a player his age.
He started all 13 games as a true freshman in 2025, throwing for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 392 rushing yards and six scores.
Michigan Needed Miracle to Escape Western Michigan
Underwood wasn’t Michigan’s only problem.
The Wolverines produced just 276 total yards, converted only 3 of 10 third downs and possessed the ball for 19:52 compared with Western Michigan’s 40:08.
Western Michigan also put together a 20-play, 71-yard fourth-quarter drive that consumed 13:40 and ended with a field goal.
Connelly described Michigan as getting “out-Michigan’d” by a MAC opponent and said the Wolverines were fortunate simply to leave 1-0.
“It was an inexcusable error regardless, considering the millions of dollars that go into these productions, and whatever happened doesn’t change one simple fact: Michigan looked awful,” Connelly wrote while discussing the clock controversy surrounding the game’s final second.
The Wolverines now move immediately into a much more difficult test against Oklahoma.
For Underwood, the opener was supposed to show how much progress he had made after an uneven freshman year. Instead, Connelly saw a quarterback still searching for answers.
“Even worse, his body language plummeted in the second half as the search for answers began to come up empty,” Connelly wrote.
Michigan got the result it needed.
Connelly’s assessment of the quarterback expected to drive its offense was far more concerning.
“If you’re looking for a positive spin, there’s nowhere for Underwood to go but up,” he wrote.
Michigan’s Bryce Underwood Called ‘Lost’ by ESPN Analyst