1 thing I loved, 1 thing I hated: Michigan Football vs UTEP
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Michigan Football rolled past UTEP in a 52-17 blowout that gave the Wolverines some much-needed momentum heading into the Big Ten portion of the 2026 schedule.
Here is my one thing I loved and one thing I hated from Saturday’s win.
1 thing I loved: The pass game FINALLY takes a step forward
Through the first two weeks of the season, the conversation around Bryce Underwood’s development had been mixed, to perhaps put it nicely. His passing numbers against Western Michigan and Oklahoma did not inspire much confidence in the media and among fans.
But against UTEP? Totally different story.
Underwood finished 19-of-25 for 223 yards and two touchdowns, his most efficient and productive passing performance of the young season by a wide margin. The completion percentage, yardage and touchdowns all point to a quarterback finally starting to find a rhythm in new coordinator Jason Beck’s offense. The decision-making was much cleaner against UTEP than it had been the first two weeks of the year, and he looked pretty comfortable in the pocket as well.
Now, at the end of the day, all this was done against UTEP. Context matters and we should not go overboard here. But rhythm is rhythm, and getting Underwood into a positive groove against a lesser opponent before the Big Ten schedule is exactly what Michigan needed. Confidence is a really important thing at the quarterback position, and a performance like Saturday’s can carry momentum into more difficult weeks ahead.
The cherry on top was true freshman Tommy Carr throwing his first career touchdown pass to fellow true freshman Salesi Moa in garbage time. Carr was the talk of the town all offseason, and getting him live reps with the game well in hand should pays dividends down the road. Michigan’s quarterback room has a bright future in the reserves — in the garage? … sorry I couldn’t help myself — in Carr.
1 thing I hated: The injury bug
The injury situation heading out of Week 3 is a bit concerning. Right tackle Andrew Sprague did not play against UTEP, adding to what has already been a concerning level of attrition up front for a unit that was already struggling to create consistent running lanes. Losing Sprague, even temporarily, is not something Michigan can afford given how important continuity is for an offensive line still trying to find its footing.
Even more concerning was running back Jordan Marshall going down with an injury during the game. He has been a focal point of the conversation around Michigan’s run game struggles through the first three weeks, and head coach Kyle Whittingham has spoken publicly about the need to get him more involved and into a groove. Losing Marshall for any time complicates that plan at a time when the running back room is already under a bit of a microscope.
Additionally, veteran cornerback Zeke Berry did not play on Saturday. Berry was one of the better defensive players in Michigan’s secondary heading into the season, and his absence is worth monitoring heading into Big Ten play.
Michigan has the depth to absorb some of these losses in the short term, but if any of these situations linger into conference play, the Wolverines could find themselves in a difficult spot at several key positions.
What is one thing you loved and one thing you hated from the UTEP game? Let me know down in the comments!
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