ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Wolverines finally took the field after having beaten Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl and the Bryce Underwood era got off to a rollicking start. But, not everything was peachy in Ann Arbor, either.
Michigan football beat New Mexico, 34-17, but there were certainly some hiccups — especially defensively. However, the offense and the pass game looked much different (and better) than it had the year before. The maize and blue managed to have more passing yards and more yards in total than they had at any point in 2024 — showing that this is certainly a different team and a new era.
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Now that Week 1 is in the books, here are our five takeaways from the win over the Lobos.
1. The Bryce Underwood hype was warranted
Bryce Underwood
Underwood went 21-for-31 (67.7%) for 251 yards and a touchdown in his college debut. He looked sharp, in command, and in control. In fact, of his 10 incompletions, the majority of them could have or should have been caught. He was accurate, had good timing, made smart decisions, and looked nothing like a typical freshman would in his first game.
Now, is New Mexico an impressive defense? It’s hard to say, but probably not. But we’ve seen worse performances against worse teams, and if one thing can be said of Jason Eck’s Lobos, they’re well coached and didn’t exactly make a lot of mistakes.
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If nothing else, this showing by Underwood should give some confidence about next week at Oklahoma. Because even if the defense falters, it looks like the Wolverines could actually be built to withstand a shootout or be capable of making a comeback.
2. The defense was both incredible and not-so-great
TJ Guy and Damon Payne
It really seemed to depend on the series. In the first few, it didn’t look like New Mexico was going to be able to do much of anything all game. But then the Lobos started running similar types of plays that gashed Wink Martindale’s unit as Texas had a year ago. The tight end screens, delayed screens, motions, quarterback rollouts, etc. made things difficult on the Wolverines for stretches. The quick game negated a lot of what appeared to be a very successful pass rush. But the maize and blue had to take it drive by drive.
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Still, Michigan finished the game with three sacks, three interceptions, and nine tackles for loss. It’s a solid foundation to build on, and it looks more like momentary lapses than anything. Still, with a tougher test this week, you would have liked to have seen the defense look sharper, but at the same time, now it knows what it has to fix, and should be able to act accordingly.
Even so, it was fast.
3. The run game also was a mixed bag
Justice Haynes
It’s kind of funny to say that about a game where the Wolverines ran for 201 yards, but outside of Haynes’ big runs, the run game wasn’t exactly in the same condition as it has been in recent years. Haynes starred, but what was disappointing was that Jordan Marshall wasn’t able to get much going, averaging 2.6 yards per carry.
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What makes this particularly concerning, the lack of consistency outside of the big plays, is that New Mexico, theoretically, will be one of the weaker defensive fronts that Michigan will see this year. So this is a unit that appears to need some work — and that goes as much with the offensive line as the backs — but the return of home runs is certainly welcome and should help the offense as a whole if it can continue.
4. The Jaishawn Barham targeting should have never been called
You can judge for yourself with the above video. But targeting wasn’t called on the field, and the play was under review because of the fumble recovery and touchdown. You can see that Barham does not lead with the crown of his helmet; he also doesn’t lower his head. There really was nothing else he could do in a bang-bang play. So for him (and Michigan) to be penalized, to the point where he would be out for the first half against Oklahoma, is absurd. And in-game, it was a pivotal call as it extended a Lobos drive, which resulted in a touchdown. It’s just inexcusable from the refs.
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It seems likely that the Big Ten will overturn it, but it shouldn’t even have to come to that.
5. The team is heading in the right direction
Bryce Underwood
Was it all sunshine and rainbows? No. We are on record of saying it needed to be a blowout, and it wasn’t that — it was a comfortable win. But you can see the blueprint, especially on offense. The defense should be overall better, unless opponents continue to find the elixir to keep that side of the ball at bay.
Next week is a major step up in competition. OU quarterback John Mateer threw for 392 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Now, it was against an FCS team, so it may be some fool’s gold. The defense was impressive against the run, and the Sooners weren’t able to run much, managing just 3.2 yards per carry, while Illinois State managed to average 4.5 yards per carry. But with what we saw in the run game, and with Bryce Underwood managing 8 yards per attempt (a far cry above last year’s 5.4, last in all college football mark), this looks like a team more aptly suited against bigger and better opponents.
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But the issues need to be sorted, and in a hurry.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Five takeaways from Michigan football’s 34-17 win over New Mexico
