Fans weren’t exactly brimming with confidence after Bryce Underwood put on the winged helmet in the spring game. After going 3-for-9, the level of development at that point in the offseason was underwhelming, and fans and media alike wondered aloud: is he developing at a pace that will allow him to win games for Michigan football this season?
Given the difficult schedule, Underwood needs to take a step further beyond his up-and-down freshman campaign. He completed 60% of his passes for 2,428 yards, 392 yards rushing, with 17 touchdowns overall and nine interceptions. His 11-to-9 passing touchdowns to interception ratio left a lot to be desired, and even though that latter number swelled in the bowl game (he threw two touchdowns but also three interceptions), Michigan is going to need more from him.
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So all eyes this offseason have been on Underwood, and head coach Kyle Whittingham insists he’s actually coming along better than anticipated.
Speaking on the Big Ten Network’s inside look into the Wolverines‘ fall camp, Whittingham gave Underwood a perfect grade through six practices as of Wednesday. He says he’s seen the work and he’s now seeing the progress on the field.
“He’s coming along well,” Whittingham said. “He’s had a great first six days. He’s much further ahead than he was at the end of spring. He obviously worked hard this summer and did a lot of positive things, getting himself ready in the film room, on the field. And so far through six practices, I graded him an A-plus.”
The hope and goal is that Underwood will somewhat emulate Utah’s quarterback last year, Devon Dampier. Dampier didn’t throw for much more than Underwood had — just 62 yards more — but he rushed for nearly triple the amount, and had a TD-to-INT ratio of 24-to-5.
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Whittingham says that the offense will be tailored to Underwood’s skill set, and with that, they hope that he’ll be that much more successful in games.
“Well, a lot of it, but the mark of a coach that knows what he’s doing is he’s gonna tailor things to his players,” Whittingham said. “And Devon had a skill set that was what he had, and then Bryce has what he has. And so our job as coaches is to make sure we play to the strengths of especially the quarterback. And Bryce has a ton of physical ability. He’s got a big-time arm. He does a lot of things well, but in the final analysis us putting him in position to succeed is what our job is. And we’re trying, working hard doing that.”
Fall camp will continue through the month, with eyes on the September 5 season opener against Western Michigan at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Whittingham says Michigan QB Bryce Underwood earns A-plus grade in camp
