3 things we learned about Michigan Football after UTEP win

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It was a tale of two halves for the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, needing a field goal as time expired in the first half to have a lead before the break. In the second frame, the maize and blue absolutely dominated, outscoring the UTEP Miners 35-3 in the final stretch, finishing with a comfortable victory. Wrapping up non-conference play in the first year of a new coaching staff, there are still things we are learning about this football team.

Here are three things we took away from the Michigan win.

Michigan has some special underclassmen

We’re a quarter of the way through the season and there’s now been the opportunity to assess some of the depth on this Michigan roster. We’re not talking about Bryce Underwood or Andrew Marsh here, who still have at minimum 21 games remaining in college, but players we previously haven’t seen much of heading into the season. It’s also not just against UTEP, many of the performers we’ve seen to this point have popped off the screen.

At the top of this list is Tariq Boney, who had a whale of a day against the Miners. He was all over the field with back-to-back tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage, and a sack in this game. Boney’s played in all three games so far this season and has looked sharp in each of them.

The defensive side of the ball just seems to have a laundry list of these guys: linebacker Chase Taylor, edge Nate Marshall, safety Jordan Young, linebacker Nathaneal Owusu-Boateng, defensive lineman Benny Patterson, corner Shemari Earls, and even five-star freshman edge Carter Meadows got his first career snaps. The foundation of this defense has been exceptional in the snaps we’ve seen.

Unfortunately for Boney, Meadows, and Patterson, there is so much veteran depth ahead of them. Boney and Patterson in particular probably deserve more playing time for how they’ve played so far, but it’s going to be hard to give it to them because of the guys ahead. It’s been mighty impressive to see just how deep this front goes.

Then there is Savion Hiter, who might just be the best runningback on the roster. He scored twice against UTEP, but also flashed against Oklahoma with three receptions for 41 yards. Jordan Marshall went down with an injury in the second half and hasn’t looked fully healthy this season, elevating Hiter’s role as we head into conference play.

Tommy Carr has received the praise of the coaching staff all offseason, and he came in late for Underwood and went 4-4 with a dime of a pass to fellow true freshman Salesi Moa for each of their first career touchdowns. Wide receiver Travis Johnson has seen playing time in multiple games this year. Tie that to some playing time for Mason Bonner, along with plenty of compliments from the leaders of the program, and there’s plenty of excitement for the offensive pieces on the team too.

Trying not to overreact to players performing against the bottom-five college football program that is UTEP, but it feels like Whittingham and his staff are already off to a strong developmental start with these guys, and there will be pressure on veterans as they get more practice and playing time behind them, hopefully making the whole team sharper.

Michigan has to stay clean to win games

There are some college football teams that are so good that they can overcome numerous mistakes on either side of the ball. Michigan is not there yet. They have all of the potential in the world if they can take care of the rock and avoid silly penalties. That didn’t happen against UTEP on Saturday, and it caused the Miners to stick around way too long in this one.

On the opening possession, Underwood fumbled, and UTEP responded with a score. A Dom Nichols offsides penalty helped in that touchdown drive, along with a blown assignment from Chris Bracy on 4th and 1. In the second quarter, Hiter fumbled, and once again the Miners turned that into a touchdown. It took the crowd out of the game and allowed a bad football team to nearly have the lead going into the half.

These are the things Michigan has to work out of their system. Underwood put the ball on the deck and recovered it twice against Oklahoma. The team turned the ball over three times against Western Michigan that nearly cost them the game. Overall, the Wolverines have been an undisciplined unit, and they’re extremely blessed to be 3-0 so far in this young season.

But this kind of play won’t cut it in a brutal Big Ten schedule, and it starts as soon as this week against a fundamentally sound Iowa program. Taking care of the rock and avoiding mistakes is what anchors so many Big Ten teams, and Michigan has a healthy list of those programs waiting ahead of them. The difference between continuing this winning streak and being 8-4 or worse before the end of the year is how this young team matures, particularly with ball possession. The defense has the makings of a College Football Playoff team, and the offense has to do its part for them to earn some wins and get there.

These Wolverines won’t win like the past

Through three games, including two Non-Power 4 conference opponents, Michigan has a total of 443 rushing yards. Their leading rusher is their quarterback, Bryce Underwood.

It might be playcalling; it might be a lack of confidence in the offensive line, but the Wolverines have not proven they can or are willing to run the ball right through an opponent’s face anymore.

Instead, Michigan has thrown the ball for more yards than they’ve run it for through three games. That includes J.J. Buchanan, a receiver, gaining the most yards on the team outside of Underwood.

Even while blowing out UTEP, the chunk plays didn’t come from the run game; they came off the arm of Underwood to Andrew Marsh and Buchanan. The more the season chugs along, the less I think this team is truly going to establish the run the way they had in years past.

It feels more about getting their top performers into space and Underwood making the right decisions on the RPO to ensure success. There’s a ton of weight on the quarterback making the right read in this offense, and Saturday’s win over UTEP was the best example to date that the sophomore quarterback has it in him to make this happen.

If you’re the coaching staff, can you blame them? Underwood is the most hyped quarterback prospect in his class and is getting paid more money than any player in the history of Michigan. It remains to be seen whether this style can be successful long-term, especially against a daunting Big Ten calendar.

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