3 Questions Facing Michigan Football After the Spring Game

The Wolverines had their annual spring game on Saturday and here are some questions from the game.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan held its annual spring game on Saturday and it was a low-scoring affair. Team Maize scored a last second touchdown to defeat Blue, 7-6.

In the game, starters played in the first quarter, playing 'thud' football — or two-hand tap. The majority of the starters exited after that and the Wolverines played tackle football for quarters two through four.

Obviously, it's hard to take too much away from a spring game, but there are still some lingering questions regarding Michigan that we likely won't find out until Week 1 of the season.

Here are some questions that I still have about the Wolverines.

How much has Bryce Underwood improved?

It's hard to tell much with a spring game, but Bryce Underwood wasn't overly impressive in the game. He went 3-of-9 for 22 yards in the game. With that being said, he stood in the pocket and made a couple of nice throws over the middle. It was also hard to gauge Underwood due to the offensive line breaking down and the pocket collapsing.

Overall, it seemed like his footwork was better, but we likely won't be able to tell how much the sophomore has improved under Jason Beck and Koy Detmer Jr.'s guidance. After the game, Kyle Whittingham said Underwood has improved in all areas since the coaching staff took over the program.

"He progressed all through spring, there’s some things that may not be noticeable to just the general populace but his footwork, his pocket presence, he’s improved in all areas...," Whittingham said after Michigan's spring game.

Underwood appeared to be more keen to roll out from the pocket when it was collapsing. Which is a good wrinkle since last season, he was urged not to use his legs as much as he could have. Underwood appears to still be a work in progress, but Whittingham continues to share sentiments that the former five-star is only getting better.

How much of a strength will the offensive line be?

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It was apparent that the defensive line was ahead of the offensive line in this game. But there are two things that need to be said right away about the O-line: The starters weren't playing together, and there might be a starter or two not fully healthy.

Guys like Andrew Babalola and Evan Link — who did play in the game — haven't been 100%, and they are both working their way back.

"I think the O-line is going to be fine once all is said and done. Jim Harding is a proven commodity. He’s an offensive line coach. He’s been with me for over a decade and has produced a solid offensive line every single year. I don’t think this year is going to be any different," said Whittingham.

The pass protection will certainly need improvement, though. All three quarterbacks were sacked a combined five times in the game. While the pass pro. wasn't up to par, the run blocking was good and opened up several holes for the run game.

Who emerges in the secondary as depth

Utah transfer Smith Snowden didn't play in the game, but both Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry were out there, along with Shamari Earls. Those four are the top four and Kyle Whittingham is hoping to find a few more players to step up.

The defensive line stole the show on Saturday, but that doesn't mean the secondary wasn't good. While the pocket collapsed too many times, there weren't many wide receivers running free. The secondary played well against Michigan's pass catchers.

Redshirt freshman Kainoa Winston was all over the place, recording six tackles. Michigan will hope to see Winston and others continue to play well as fall camp will be around the corner. The Wolverines need to see a few more players step up.