Bryce Underwood’s Former Coach Calls Out Michigan Staff After Iowa Loss

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Michigan’s stunning loss to Iowa is producing plenty of questions about Kyle Whittingham’s coaching staff.

Now one of Bryce Underwood’s former coaches has joined the conversation.

Connor Stalions, who coached Underwood at Belleville High School, questioned Michigan’s defensive strategy following Saturday’s crushing 20-19 loss to Iowa at Michigan Stadium.

His criticism centered on the Wolverines’ approach against Hawkeyes quarterback Hank Brown.

“Michigan was in a press-man bracket with a spy on a Quarterback who plays football for Iowa,” Stalions wrote on X following the loss.

It was a pointed criticism considering Brown’s skill set. The Iowa quarterback finished the afternoon with minus-4 rushing yards, yet Michigan devoted a defender to spying him.

That wasn’t the only coaching decision facing scrutiny after Iowa stunned Michigan with a touchdown in the final seconds.

The Wolverines also became extremely conservative offensively despite Underwood putting together one of the best performances of his college career.

Michigan Took the Ball Out of Underwood’s Hands

Michigan led 19-14 after Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for a 49-yard touchdown with 11:59 remaining.

Then the offense essentially stopped asking its quarterback to win the game.

Michigan attempted only two passes over its final nine offensive plays as the Wolverines leaned heavily on a running game that struggled to consistently move Iowa’s defensive front.

Underwood’s frustration appeared to boil over during the fourth quarter.

Television cameras captured the sophomore quarterback in an animated sideline exchange with offensive coordinator Jason Beck as Michigan tried to protect its five-point advantage.

The frustration was understandable.

Underwood completed 17 of 28 passes for a career-high 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Michigan’s official postgame statistics also show that he added 36 rushing yards while helping the Wolverines produce 429 total yards against one of the country’s toughest defenses.

Just two days earlier, the biggest question was whether Underwood could finally turn the corner against Iowa.

He did.

Michigan still lost.

Michigan’s Defense Couldn’t Finish the Job

The final defensive sequence made the defeat even more painful.

Michigan eventually gave Iowa the football with an opportunity to win, and Brown marched the Hawkeyes 91 yards in 11 plays.

A costly unnecessary roughness penalty helped extend the possession before Brown found Reece Vander Zee for a 16-yard touchdown with two seconds remaining, giving Iowa a stunning 20-19 victory.

Michigan had outgained Iowa 429-285. The Wolverines held the Hawkeyes to just 58 rushing yards. Underwood had thrown for a career high.

None of it mattered.

“We completely dominated them statistically, but that doesn’t really matter,” Whittingham said afterward. “Obviously, it doesn’t matter at all. The final score is all that matters.”

That final score became especially painful because Michigan had already experienced the opposite side of a last-second finish this season. The Wolverines escaped Western Michigan on Underwood’s controversial Hail Mary earlier this month.

Against Iowa, there was no escape.

Questions Shift From Underwood to Michigan’s Coaches

Underwood hasn’t been above criticism during his Michigan career.

Saturday was different.

Against a defense that entered the weekend allowing just 4.3 points per game, Underwood delivered arguably his strongest performance of the season. Buchanan finished with a career-high 130 receiving yards, while Andrew Marsh added 106.

Michigan had two 100-yard receivers and a quarterback throwing for 276 yards against Iowa.

Then, with the game on the line, the Wolverines largely stopped throwing.

Combine that offensive approach with the defensive breakdown on Iowa’s final possession, and it’s easy to understand why Michigan’s coaching staff is taking heat.

Stalions’ postgame comment only added another voice to it.

Michigan doesn’t have much time to dwell on the collapse. The Wolverines fell to 3-1 and will travel to Minnesota on Saturday for the Little Brown Jug.

But after Underwood delivered the type of performance Michigan had been waiting to see, the questions coming out of the Iowa loss aren’t primarily about the quarterback.

They’re about whether Michigan’s coaches gave him enough opportunity to finish the job.

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