Michigan proves ultimate Big Ten chaos team with Kyle Whittingham in Oklahoma upset

Michigan proves ultimate Big Ten chaos team with Kyle Whittingham in Oklahoma upset

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Michigan proves ultimate Big Ten chaos team with Kyle Whittingham in Oklahoma upset

Michigan proves ultimate Big Ten chaos team with Kyle Whittingham in Oklahoma upset originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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What have we learned about Michigan football in two weeks under first-year coach Kyle Whittingham? 

Chaos is certain. To this point, Michigan is responsible for the two most unexpected results in the AP Top 25 in the first two weeks of the season. The Wolverines upset No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. This came after a week of criticism after the controversial 13-12 victory against Western Michigan in Week 1. 

The Wolverines will be back in the AP Top 25 now. Whittingham led Michigan – a home underdog – to a defensive victory in the first leg of the Big Ten-SEC three-game challenge Saturday. Bryce Underwood made the necessary plays for the Wolverines on offense. 

This is the Michigan experience with Whittingham in Year 1. The Wolverines could go 7-5 in the Big Ten, or they might be a playoff team behind a defense that limited the Sooners to 289 total yards. High drama makes for good TV – and the numbers will reflect that.

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Michigan's defense is elite 

Michigan allowed just one TD through two games – and they flustered Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer throughout the game. Mateer never got comfortable – and an early first-quarter sack by John Henry Daley set the tone. Mateer was just 7 of 16 passing for 52 yards in the first half, and Michigan led 10-0. 

Mateer did hit a 22-yard TD pass to Mackenzie Alleyne with 8:30 left in the third quarter, and Oklahoma tied the score at 10 heading into the fourth. Michigan's Jyaire Hill, however, intercepted Mateer with 8:40 remaining in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning 1-yard touchdown by Jordan Marshall. 

Oklahoma had one last shot in the final minute – but a sack by Nate Marshall sealed the victory. Time expired, and Michigan celebrated a surprise victory. Mateer finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards and a TD and led Oklahoma with 45 rushing yards – most of which came on a 22-yard scramble on the last drive. 

Defensive coordinator Jay Hill deserves credit. Oklahoma finished 3 of 13 on third down and had two costly turnovers. So how did Underwood do? 

Bryce Underwood is Michigan's QB1 

Perhaps no player in the FBS took more criticism than Underwood heading into Week 2. The sophomore quarterback with the multi-million dollar NIL deal answered Whittingham's challenge and left no doubt who the starting quarterback Michigan will be in 2026. 

"I'm very happy," Underwood told Fox's Jenny Taft on the telecast. "I'm just thankful for teammates, holding me accountable this week to be the best man I could possibly be." 

Was Underwood the best QB he could possibly be? Not yet. He finished 9 of 17 for 111 yards passing – one year after he was 9 of 24 for 142 yards. Underwood didn't have the head-scratching turnovers and made plays in the running game. 

Underwood's 38-yard TD run with 47 seconds left in the first quarter gave Michigan a 7-0 lead, and he finished with 18 carries for 87 yards. Michigan's running backs had 22 carries for 50 yards – a glitch that will need to be fixed against UTEP in Week 3 before the Big Ten opener against No. 21 Iowa. 

Still, Underwood showed progress, and he should continue to get better with offensive coordinator Jason Beck. JJ Buchanan – who caught the Hail Mary in Week 1 against Western Michigan – had two catches for 48 yards. Savion Hiter – a five-star freshman running back – had three catches for 41 yards. Those are the primary playmakers in this offense – and the down-field passing attack still isn't there. The Wolverines had 263 total yards – but Underwood managed the game with a lead in the fourth quarter. 

Michigan is a chaos team in the Big Ten  

This was a similar cookbook to the 13-10 upset against No. 2 Ohio State in 2024. The Wolverines were content to not screw it up on offense and let a nasty defensive line go to work on the Sooners. It worked. Whittingham – for better and worse – has the Wolverines off to a 2-0 start. 

The most glaring issue remains penalties. Hill and linebacker Dom Nichols each had personal fouls on an Oklahoma drive that started on the Michigan 1-yard line that resulted in a 34-yard field goal by Tate Sandell that tied the score with 11:48 remaining. Michigan had 11 penalties for 90 yards – which was offset by Oklahoma with nine penalties for 76 yards. Whittingham still has a lot to clean up.

Michigan, however, proved that it could be a chaos agent in the Big Ten for the 2026 season. We've already seen that in full force in the first two weeks. Maybe it's good enough to pull an upset against No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana or No. 6 Oregon during the Big Ten season. They will have home games against Iowa and No. 16 Penn State before that. Who knows what that final record will be? That's chaos. 

This is true, however. Michigan responded after a week where most believed the Sooners would burn through the Big House much like No. 3 Texas did in a 31-12 blowout on Sept. 7, 2024. Instead, the Wolverines improved from Week 1 to Week 2. How did this happen? 

Whittingham wasn't the coach two years ago. 

That's the Michigan difference right now.

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