Roundtable: Michigan Football Bye Week #2
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The Michigan Wolverines are enjoying a much needed bye week before hitting the road two weeks in a row and closing out the season at home against Ohio State. In this week’s Roundtable, we look back at the Purdue game from last Saturday night, give some bold predictions for the rest of the season and more!
Michigan took care of Purdue last weekend, but it was about as ugly of a win as we’ve seen in quite some time. Give us a takeaway or two you had from the game.
Von: As I said on my postgame podcast, survive and advance. At this point in time, all of Michigan’s goals are still attainable. No matter how down you may be on this team right now, the Wolverines are 7-2 and still have an actual shot at making the Big Ten Championship. It’s highly unlikely it happens…but it is still technically possible. Of course, there are a lot of things to clean up and improve upon before the Ohio State game in a few weeks, and the game last weekend was about as ugly as it gets. But a win is a win no matter how big or small, and no team will ever apologize for a win of any kind. Survive. And. Advance.
Grace: Michigan doesn’t look at all like it’s coming out with a game plan that sets it up to win. It feels too focused on giving Bryce Underwood chances to learn in games, and I just don’t like that. The Wolverines still lack an offensive identity and that feels tough to fix this late in the season. On the other hand, I still like what I’m seeing from most of Michigan’s young players, including Jordan Marshall. He’s so fun to watch.
Matt: Bryce Underwood is still just an 18-year old freshman. Despite his incredible recruiting profile and growth trajectory for the future, he’s still prone to make costly mistakes. Fortunately, they didn’t cost the Wolverines a win in this one. Another underrated storyline is the amount of injuries starting to pile up on this team.
Scotty: Bryce missed some easy layups, which was definitely a concern. Obviously he’s only a freshman and there are going to be mistakes, but there were some misses in that game that are a concern for any quarterback.
Charles: It appears Bryce Underwood has taken a significant step back since a quality start to the season. There’s no doubt he has all the potential in the world, but he needs to drastically improve on accuracy and footwork, and avoid turnovers if Michigan is going to finish the season on a high note. The defense played well for the most part by holding Purdue to a season-low passing yards, but the injuries are beginning to stack up and it will he difficult to overcome any more starters going down.
Dan: I’ve kept my expectations relatively high for this team. Barely beating Purdue was the final nail in the coffin.
Two things are true here for me. 1) I’m disappointed this team very likely won’t be in the College Football Playoff, and thus, underperformed by my preseason expectations. 2) I’m really excited about the pieces and potential this young team has. Underwood will figure it out. He looks better than Dante Moore did as a true freshman, and look what he is doing now at Oregon. Andrew Marsh, Jordan Marshall, three freshmen on the offensive line, youth on the defense. We’re seeing growing pains, and Michigan is still 7-2. With the right things in place, and as everyone learns together, this could be a championship-caliber team next season and the year after.
There are many pundits and people in the MnB comments section that have a strong disdain (for several different reasons) for Sherrone Moore. Nearly two years into his head coaching tenure, how do you feel about him as the head coach in Ann Arbor? Are you happy with the progression of the program since he took over? How are we feeling overall?
Von: I’ll be completely honest — this was the first time during Sherrone’s tenure where I asked myself after a game if he really has what it takes to be the head coach at Michigan. He keeps saying in postgame press conferences they need to just be and stay consistent. But how can you stay consistent when you never are consistent? Especially on special teams — to not make any changes on the kickoff and punt returns nine games into the season is quite literally the definition of insanity. To only beat Purdue by five points is embarrassing. Of course, a win is a win and you should never apologize for any type of win, but I’m not going to lie, I’m beginning to wonder…
Grace: It’s tough to argue happiness given the talent Michigan had last season and getting the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, only to get embarrassed at Oklahoma and USC. However, I think it’s tough to compare Moore’s situation to anyone else in the country after two years. He’s a young head coach and still learning. His program (so far) improved in its record from Year 1 to Year 2. He’s also won his big games as a head coach.
When it comes to players, Mason Curtis was just the highest graded safety from Week 10, according to PFF, and Cole Sullivan was playing well before his injury. They’re both sophomores, so it’s a little tough to say players are regressing. Compared to 2023, yes, these teams aren’t as good, but there were a lot of teams before 2023 that were also difficult to watch. I’m still willing to give Moore some time.
Matt: Disdain is too strong of a word for me. I would use “skepticism” instead. I want to believe fully in Sherrone Moore. I do. He’s built an extremely talented (albeit young) roster and has NIL pointed in the right direction. However, the baffling clock management, general lack of discipline by the players on the field, and lack of development has me gravely concerned. I just don’t feel he’s the guy to return Michigan to a National Championship, even if his 2026 or 2027 roster is good enough to do so.
Scotty: I go back and forth here a lot. I don’t think he’s a great coach, but I also don’t think you have to be a great coach in this era to win cough Ryan Day cough. I will say, while Saturday was an outlier, the team has been good at taking care of the football for the most part, and they have also been able to avoid losing games that they are expected to win.
Charles: It’s obvious that Sherrone Moore’s first two seasons have been underwhelming to this point, but wins over Ohio State and Alabama, and flipping Underwood, saved the start of his tenure from being a total disaster. I think Moore is a great recruiter and a players coach, which is perfect for this era, but he needs to win 10+ games and reach the playoff in 2026 or he’ll likely be out of a job after three years. I lean toward being patient with coaches, but fans are the exact opposite, so Moore could feel some pressure going into next season unless Michigan finds a way to beat Ohio State again in a few weeks.
Dan: Excellent recruiter and developer, but he’s too vanilla right now. I need more Sherrone Moore crying and dropping F bombs after beating Penn State in 2023 vibes. I need more emotion, more passion, more help from his coordinators. I love that Biff Poggi is back with the program — I think that will continue to make a huge difference. Moore needs a mentor still, which is a problem for a head coach at Michigan, but I hope he has the support and the brains to put it all together. He will have more recruiting talent on this roster than Jim Harbaugh had maybe ever at Michigan. If Moore can keep the tradition of developing at the rate the Wolverines have, there is a lot to be excited about.
Last time, we were asked who our offensive and defensive players of the year so far were. If you participated last time, have your answers changed? If you weren’t a part of that one, who are your picks this time around?
Von: Last time I went with Justice Haynes and Cole Sullivan. I’ll stick with Haynes because that’s the obvious answer on offense, and I probably would have stuck with Sully had he not gotten hurt at MSU. So this time around, I will go with Derrick Moore on defense. He’s been a stud the last three weeks, compiling 12 total tackles, six sacks and two forced fumbles. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew along the edge and has really turned into a dominant player.
Grace: Offensive player of the year: RB Jordan Marshall. Defensive player of the year: Edge Derrick Moore
Matt: I initially chose Justice Haynes on offense and Jaishawn Barham on defense. My answers have changed on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Haynes is Michigan’s best player, but the best ability is availability. He just can’t stay healthy. Instead, I’ll pivot to fullback Max Bredeson. He’s the heartbeat of the offense and has been the most consistent Wolverine across the board. Defensively, Barham’s switch to edge has had mixed results, as he can get to the passer but struggles to contain the edge. I’ll pivot to Derrick Moore, who is quietly threatening Aidan Hutchinson’s single-season sack record at Michigan.
Scotty: This is my first time making this pick. OPOY has to be Justice Haynes at the moment despite the injury. I really hope we gets healthy quickly, but at least Jordan Marshall is a beast. My DPOY is Cole Sullivan. He is everywhere making plays. Again, really need him healthy.
Charles: I don’t think there’s any question running back Justice Haynes and edge rusher Derrick Moore have been the best on their respective side of the ball. Haynes was legitimately one of the best running backs in the nation before going down with an injury, and Moore has been unbelievable this season, especially recently.
Dan: Offense is still Justice Haynes, a shame he has been hurt and by the end of the year it may be Jordan Marshall. On defense, it’s Derrick Moore. He’s everything I hoped Jaishawn Barham could become. He has all but locked in he will be a first-round pick in April.
With three games left in the regular season, what must the Wolverines improve on/do in order to at least have a shot at the CFP (in other words, go undefeated the rest of the way, including beating Ohio State)?
Von: 1) Get healthy, 2) Find a pulse in the passing game, and 3) Finish tackles on defense. Michigan needs its linebackers to get healthy in the worst way, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt if Haynes is able to come back from his foot injury (highly, highly unlikely, but one can dream). Underwood needs to get comfortable in the pass game again, so it would be great if offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey could set him up with some easy breezy passes to start games and get some confidence back in his young quarterback. And finally, for the love of God, don’t whiff on tackles — is that too much to ask?
Grace: They’ve got to lean into the run game just a little more and continue working the tight ends into the offense. On defense, just keep focusing on making tackles, and maybe give the defensive backs a few more drills for catching balls to keep forcing turnovers.
Matt: The passing offense needs to get going. That starts with pass blocking by the offensive line, which has generally been subpar. They need to give Bryce time to get through his reads so he doesn’t get sped up and flee the pocket. Defensively, the coaching staff needs to rely on their best players and continue to simplify the defensive scheme. Things have been better since the USC debacle, but Ohio State is an entirely different animal.
Scotty: If Michigan plays 100 percent clean football, there is a chance. I mean at the end of the day, this team is better than last year, and that team somehow beat Ohio State with some horrid turnovers, so you never know. But essentially, they have to take advantage of every chance in that game, and there will be about zero room for any mistakes. Bad turnovers in the red zone and missing wide open guys like we saw on Saturday isn’t going to do the trick. Also, the team has to stay 100 percent focused on Northwestern and Maryland. These aren’t going to be easy games. It seems like everyone is already talking about Michigan being 9-2 going into The Game, so Moore needs to make sure that doesn’t get in the team’s head. I think he’s good at that stuff.
Charles: In order to take down Ohio State again, Michigan must improve its passing game and overall play in the secondary more than anything. It’s difficult to imagine a win over Ohio State if the passing attack continues to sputter, and the Buckeyes’ wide receiving corps will be a difficult task for the secondary unless they can avoid missed tackles and improve in coverage.
Dan: Bryce Underwood needs to live up to the words he claimed at the beginning of the season. He said no freshman quarterback was ever like him and they’d continue to beat Ohio State. What we have seen has not been indicative of that. I’m not angry about it, every 18-year-old is going to talk crap when they are as good as he is, but the passing game remains to be this team’s biggest weakness even with the improvements that have been made since last season. It’s not all Underwood’s fault, but if he plays great, Michigan should have no trouble with either Northwestern or Maryland and could have a shot against the Buckeyes.
Finally, give a bold prediction or two for what will happen the rest of the season for the Wolverines.
Von: Despite the sour taste in our mouths right now from that Purdue game, I’ll predict Michigan vs Ohio State will be a one-possession game.
Grace: Michigan will look like it has an identity on offense by the end of the season.
Matt: Michigan will win two more ugly, unsatisfying matchups to make them 9-2 heading into The Game. Win or lose, Michigan will not make the Big Ten Championship due to tiebreakers with either USC, Iowa or Oregon.
Scotty: Michigan will win out, miss the Big Ten title, but make the CFP. The Wolverines will take care of business against Northwestern and Maryland, and the energy in Ann Arbor for that massive clash vs. OSU will set up for another Ryan Day disasterclass.
Charles: The Wolverines will survive a near-upset against either Northwestern or Maryland, but they will have an opportunity to upset Ohio State in the final minutes of the game. Michigan will have the ball, trailing by one possession, and have a shot at a fifth straight win over the Buckeyes. Also, I’m not sure how bold it is, but I think left tackle Blake Frazier will remain the starter even if Evan Link returns from injury.
Dan: Michigan loses to Maryland and Ohio State. I think the Terps are much better than their current 4-4 record, and they get the Wolverines a week before the game against the Buckeyes. That’s a huge trap game that I could see the Wolverines dropping before the streak ends against Ohio State.
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