4 Stats We Cannot Ignore From Michigan Football's Major Win vs. Oklahoma

These four stats were a big reason why Michigan won the game.

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Following last weekend's debacle, there weren't too many people giving Michigan much of a chance against Oklahoma. But the Wolverines came out as a different team, and we saw a new Bryce Underwood, along with Jay Hill's defensive unit, dominating.

Following the 17-10 win, here are four stats to know.

Bryce Underwood on the ground

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For the second week in a row, Michigan couldn't get its rushing attack going — more on that later — but Bryce Underwood managed to do some damage using his legs. Last season, Sherrone Moore refused to run Underwood, but that's going to change under Kyle Whittingham and Jason Beck.

The Wolverines want to use Underwood how he should be used and that's extending plays with his legs, along with QB power. And it worked on Saturday. He led Michigan rushing for 87 yards and one score on 18 carries.

Underwood was patient in trying to let his linemen open holes and he flashed his speed against a top Sooners' defense.

Michigan gained more yards than OU on the ground

A big key entering the game was for Michigan to make John Mateer beat it through the air. Mateer is an excellent dual-threat runner, but not only did the Sooners have 100 yards as a team on the ground, but Mateer had just 45, with 22 yards coming on one play.

Michigan wasn't impressive on the ground, aside from Bryce Underwood, but the Wolverines still out-rushed the Sooners, with 152 yards. For the second game in a row, Jordan Marshall was largely ineffective and that's something Jason Beck needs to figure out.

There are a lot of east-west runs instead of north-south. Michigan might not fully trust its offensive line quite yet, and Week 3 will be a good time to get some players rolling.

Turnover battle

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There were costly turnovers last weekend that almost cost Michigan the win over Western Michigan, but that wasn't the case against Oklahoma. The Wolverines won the turnover battle 2-0 and Bryce Underwood did put the ball on the ground once, but found it on the ground.

Ball security is still a concern, but Michigan's defense made the plays when needed. After a terrible late-hit penalty, CB Jyaire Hill regained his composure and intercepted John Mateer late, which set Jordan Marshall up for a TD run.

Jay Hill's defense is supposed to force turnovers and that was on display on Saturday.

Penalties hurt both teams

Another Achilles' Heel that hurt Michigan last weekend was the penalties. The Wolverines had nine penalties against WMU, and on Saturday, Michigan had 11 penalties for 90 yards, while Oklahoma had nine penalties for 76 yards.

Kyle Whittingham's teams are usually very disciplined, but it's been a far cry after two weeks. He said that on the FOX broadcast after the game, that there were still too many penalties. And a lot of them are self-inflicted by hitting the player late or out of bounds.

Michigan plays UTEP in Week 3 and the Wolverines want to cut their penalties in half.

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