4 Important Things Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham Said Ahead of UTEP — Get Andrew Marsh Involved

After a big win over Oklahoma, Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham looks back at the win and ahead to UTEP.

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Michigan pulled off the upset on Saturday, taking down Oklahoma 17-10. On Monday, head coach Kyle Whittingham met with the media to put a bow on the Wolverines' win and look ahead to UTEP.

Here are the four most important things he said, along with our take on them.

Leaning on Underwood's legs

"Well, they were very vital on Saturday. Almost got 100 yards for us. It was an upper 80, somewhere in there, and doubled up the Oklahoma quarterback. That guy's a really good runner at Oklahoma.

"The QB run game is always going to be a part of what we're doing. We can't go too crazy with it because there's a finite amount of times you can carry the ball and you put yourself in harm's way too much, then something will happen that's not good. But he definitely had a huge impact on this past game, and he's a very good runner.

"We plan to continue to utilize that in some capacity pretty much every week."

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Our take: This was something Sherrone Moore needed to do last season, but refused to do so. Bryce Underwood might be a QB, but he is a player who needs to use his legs. Underwood was a big factor not only in the run game, but when the Wolverines did pass the football, he was able to extend a few plays.

Whittingham said that it wasn't hard to get Underwood on board with running the football, and in fact, he would've liked to run more. While Michigan will likely run him some against UTEP, this could be a game where the Wolverines lean more on their running backs, but it's good to know Michigan is going to use its QB in big games on the ground.

Was the game plan in Week 2 determined by what happened in Week 1

"Oh, a lot. A lot was predicated on that. That's the essence of coaching is to put your guys in position to succeed. We, as coaches, didn't have a good plan for Bryce the first week. We readily admit that. And I think we did a much better job of tailoring things to his skill set. And hopefully we can continue to do that in the future."

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Our take: Michigan ran Underwood nine times against Western Michigan, in which he churned out 47 yards and one score. But clearly things didn't work out the way Jason Beck and Co. had planned on the offensive side of the ball with Michigan stalling after the first possession.

Entering Week 2, as Whittingham noted, the Wolverines made it a priority to put Underwood in a better position. He carried the ball 18 times for 87 yards, leading the entire game on the ground. Underwood isn't going to excel as well by keeping him inside the pocket. You have to allow him to have some freedom using his legs and that's something the Wolverines put into place against the Sooners.

Jordan Marshall's quiet start

"Hasn't got on track quite yet, but Jordan's a great leader and he's RB1. I expect, as the season goes on, he'll start to become more productive.

"When you look at last year's tapes, he becomes more productive as the game wears on, typically, and the more carries he gets. And so we've got to find a way to do a little better job of getting him on track. But Savion Hiter, we think, is a very good back as well and has a lot of potential. And Kuzdzal is another guy that's in the mix.  But Jordan is the lead guy and we need to try to get him in a little more of a groove than we've been able to do the first two weeks.

"He's good to go. No injuries. He's got some things that are bugging him, but nothing that would keep him from playing."

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Our take: It hasn't been the ideal start for Jordan Marshall through two games this season. He is behind Underwood in rushing, carrying the ball 22 times for 76 yards, and one touchdown. Marshall is averaging below 40 yards per game on the ground and it's a far cry from where he was last season.

But it's not all on Marshall. The O-line's run blocking has been shaky and Beck has called several east-west runs instead of going north-south. Marshall was great last season for the Wolverines, so we know he has the ability, now it's just fine-tuning things.

A Week 3 game against UTEP could be the game to get Marshall rolling. But another poor outing could start to ring the alarm.

Andrew Marsh getting involved

"Yeah, we need to get him involved more. That's another good point and something that we're well aware of. He's a talented receiver, and he flashed a little bit on Saturday. The deep ball, had he not been interfered with, probably would have caught up to that and made the catch. But he's a guy that made a lot of plays for them last year, and we need to have him become more involved."

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Our take: Michigan's stars last season were Jordan Marshall and Andrew Marsh, but neither has rolled in 2026. Marsh has just five receptions for 28 yards through two games. Granted, Michigan has rarely passed the football, and Underwood has a 53.8% completion rate.

But Michigan has to figure out how to get Marsh going this season. It's clear that JJ Buchanan will catch anything that comes in his direction, but we also know what Marsh is capable of after last season. Whether it's some quick outs, bubble screens, or slants — getting him the football would bode well for the offense.

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