Michigan football news: Bryce Underwood faces 'must-play-well' game vs. Oklahoma
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The unranked Michigan Wolverines will welcome No. 11 Oklahoma to the Big House on Saturday afternoon in hopes of avenging last season’s road loss to the Sooners, which included a poor performance from then-freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. One year later, Underwood struggles in the same key area, according to a rival college football scout, and will look to improve his play on September 12.
On Friday, Big Ten Network lead analyst Charles Davis joined The Dan Patrick Show, during which he shared his stance on expectations facing Underwood leading up to Saturday’s game. Patrick said it’s not a must-win, to which Davis agreed, calling it a “must-play-well” situation for Michigan’s highly-paid sophomore quarterback.
“Dan, I would agree that it’s not a must-win, but can we agree that it’s a must play well?” Davis said. “Gotta have that, at least, gotta have something to hang your hat on. Because whatever that number is, ten million, twelve million, whatever that number is with Bryce Underwood it is a massive number, right? And where it came from and who’s paying that freight, that’s a big number too.”
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“If he doesn’t play well, the backup is Michigan royalty.”
— Charles Davis says Bryce Underwood has a “must-play-well” game. pic.twitter.com/kALem6RH57
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) September 11, 2026
Underwood is getting paid NFL money, which makes it hard to critique his performances, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said. Davis compared the situation to the Seattle Seahawks signing Matt Flynn to a big contract and then drafting Russell Wilson, which led to Flynn’s benching. Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham has an opportunity to follow a similar script.
“He’s not quote-unquote beholden to Bryce Underwood because he didn’t recruit him,” Davis said. “But it’s bigger than that because of where it came from, how he got there, he flipped from LSU…And if (Underwood) doesn’t play well, the backup is Michigan royalty. Tommy Carr, Lloyd Carr’s grandson, who by a lot of accounts outplayed Bryce Underwood all during the spring.
“Maybe it’s not a must-win, but it’s a must-play-well, because if he doesn’t, all those conversations have to take place, they’re already taking place. There will be a final conversation, they’ll come to a conclusion, and maybe Tommy Carr becomes the quarterback sooner rather than later.”
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