Nebraska’s identity is worst case scenario for Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines to find success heading into important matchup
The Michigan Wolverines are set for a huge matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers this weekend. There is one major key for the Michigan offense to win.
The maturation of the Michigan Wolverine offense with five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood has been fascinating to watch. You could tell during the first couple of games, especially against the Oklahoma Sooners a couple of weeks ago, that there were some training wheels on the true freshman signal caller, and it is understandable. Last week against Central Michigan, the passing offense appeared to be a lot more aggressive.
When the passing game is working, it makes this Wolverine offense so much more well-balanced and tough to defend. Keeping the boxes lighter for running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall is a priority. Then you have Underwood to deal with as a rusher, which we saw last week to the tune of 114 yards and two touchdowns. He is a dynamic athlete who can make a lot happen both in and out of the structure of the Wolverine offense.
The 6-4, 230-pound signal caller can really unlock the upside of this offensive group when he’s playing confidently.
Bryce Underwood’s impact
Heading into this weekend’s matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Underwood is going to need to play his best game to come out with the victory. On paper, they are exactly the defense that could give this offense a ton of problems. When you break the numbers down, it’s difficult to predict the Wolverines to find some sort of balance in this battle.
Through three games, Nebraska, as a defense, is allowing just 66 yards passing through the air, including a 50 percent completion rate, and has yet to surrender a passing touchdown. While those numbers are certainly buoyed by playing Akron and Houston Baptist each of the last two weeks, the defense also managed to stifle talented Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Nebraska looks much improved on the back end as a whole.
Luckily for Michigan, the Cornhuskers are much more susceptible in the running game. They are allowing 136 yards per game on the ground, which isn’t a great number when you consider you have played a MAC and FCS team in two out of the three weeks. That should be a good sign for Haynes and company. That is as long as Michigan is able to pull some players out of the box.
In order for Michigan to win this football game, however, Underwood is going to have to create some big plays in the passing game. Does he have enough pass game weapons to do so? Will he be able to make a strength a weakness for Nebraska? This game will tell a lot about the current trajectory of Underwood as a football player.
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