Michigan’s final nonconference game should be uneventful, unlike its first two contests.
Following their controversial “Hail Mary” victory over Western Michigan, the Wolverines used a dominant defensive effort to knock off then-No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 last weekend. Michigan will host UTEP on Saturday in Ann Arbor.
First-year Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t downplay the significance of the victory, which pushed his team back into the rankings at No. 19 in the AP Top 25.
“It does a lot, especially for the players and the buy-in of what we’re preaching as coaches — that if they buy in and do what’s asked of them, then good things will happen,” Whittingham said. “There’s no guarantee, but the percentages that good things will happen are much higher. We’re 2-0, and we’ve got a lot of football ahead of us, obviously, but right now the vibe in the building is pretty good.”
The Wolverines’ defense held the Sooners to a 3-for-13 conversion rate on third down and stopped Oklahoma’s lone fourth-down attempt. Michigan (2-0) also forced the only two turnovers in the contest.
“It’s probably too early to know (our identity) for sure about a lot of things, but I can tell you that the defense has been very consistent through two games,” Whittingham said. “What have we allowed? One touchdown in eight quarters, and still no touchdowns allowed in the red zone. A lot of good things going on defensively.”
The Wolverines’ offense, on the other hand, has left a lot to be desired. It’s apparent that quarterback Bryce Underwood’s running ability is a key component. He rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Oklahoma.
“The QB run game is always going to be a part of what we’re doing,” Whittingham said. “We can’t go too crazy with it because there’s a finite amount of times you can carry the ball and you put yourself in harm’s way too much, then something will happen that’s not good. But (Underwood) definitely had a huge impact on this past game, and he’s a very good runner. We plan to continue to utilize that in some capacity pretty much every week.”
UTEP (1-1) was blown out 51-0 by Oklahoma in its season opener, then bounced back with a 51-10 victory over Texas Southern. Quarterback EJ Colson Jr. passed for four touchdowns and rushed for another. Against Oklahoma, he was held him to 52 yards passing.
“They played ticked off and that’s what I liked,” coach Scotty Walden said. “Against Oklahoma in the red zone we couldn’t finish drives. (Against Texas Southern), we were able to finish drives.”
Raymond Moore III also has gotten snaps at quarterback, mainly as a running threat. He leads the team with 142 yards rushing, including a 79-yard scamper against Texas Southern. Top running back Tavorus Jones is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, while Northern Colorado transfer Carver Cheeks leads the receiving corps with five receptions.
The last time the Miners played a Big Ten team was in 2024, when they lost their opener at Nebraska 40-7. This will be the first matchup between UTEP and Michigan.
