Bryce Underwood's Rushing Ability is the 'Antidote' Michigan Football Needs in 2026

Jason Beck had a lot of success with Devon Dampier and Fox's Joel Klatt points to that as the antidote for Michigan in 2026.

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In 2025, Michigan was expected to allow Bryce Underwood to play a little more free than he did. Sherrone Moore said one too many times that if Underwood was going to be utilized on the ground, he needed a backup quarterback, and apparently, the Wolverines didn't feel they had that.

However, when Moore was out for a few games — serving a two-game suspension — Underwood was more free. His biggest game on the ground came in Week 3 against Central Michigan, where Moore was on the couch in his house watching the game. The dual-threat quarterback ran the ball nine times for 114 yards and two scores. He then ran the ball a season-high 14 times against Texas, when Biff Poggi served as the associate head coach following Moore's dismissal.

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Fast forward to 2026, and new offensive coordinator Jason Beck plans on using Underwood's legs as a weapon. He says he isn't going to hold Underwood back, and he's proven to allow his quarterback to run the past couple of seasons.

"But it does seem to be part of Bryce’s skill set, like doing some of the QB run game," Beck said this spring. "And when he pulls it down and goes, it looks pretty impressive. Now, we’re obviously not live. But we have a whole season of live film of what he did as a runner. And he did a nice job. So we’ll look to build on what he does well and utilize those talents."

Underwood's legs could be the antidote Michigan needs

Speaking on the 'Joel Klatt Show', Fox's national analyst Joel Klatt talked about the biggest question surrounding each of his top 12 teams, and for Michigan, it's whether Underwood can have the same success on the ground as Utah quarterback Devon Dampier.

"If you look at the top four teams in quarterback rushing last year, it’s the three service academies and Utah. That’s a big part of what Jason Beck does on offense," Klatt said. "Do I think it’s going to be that extensive? Probably not. You want to protect Underwood a little bit. This is going to be a more physical conference and demanding schedule in the Big Ten. You don’t want him [Underwood] running a ton, but this is what Jason Beck does.

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"If that pans out, this becomes a very difficult offense to stop," Klatt said. "If Michigan leads the Power 4 in rushing, which Utah was able to do a year ago … then they’d become a team and a style that nobody wants to play. They’d be in that mode where they’re the antidote to what Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State do."

Running the QB is what Beck does

It IS what Jason Beck does. In 2025, Dampier was the second-leading rusher on the Utes, running the ball 146 times for 835 yards and 10 scores. And Dampier wasn't the only quarterback running the ball. Beck had backup Byrd Ficklin at his disposal, who came in and ran it 61 times as the third-leading rusher on the team.

Underwood isn't going to run the ball 200-plus times this season, but the 88 times he ran the ball in 2025 are going to increase dramatically. Adding another dimension to the Wolverines' offense will only help everyone involved. Underwood was a little shaky at times in 2025, standing in the pocket while pressure mounted, which led him to making costly errors and throwing off his back foot.

The coaching staff has seen major progress from Underwood this spring and if Beck is going to utilize the total package from the former five-star, Michigan's offense should see a big increase in yards and points in 2026. Assuming Underwood takes a sophomore leap this season, the Wolverines' offense will become more explosive, with a chance to play right with the upper echelon of the Big Ten.