Joel Klatt touches on Bryce Underwood against Oklahoma, gives Michigan fans hope

Michigan heading to Oklahoma was one of the most highly anticipated games for several reasons. Two blue blood programs squaring off for only the second time ever, and the Wolverines had their five-star QB, Bryce Underwood, hitting the road for the first time. Michigan walked away with a tough 24-13 loss to the Sooners and Underwood's stats were less than desirable.

However, Fox's Joel Klatt touched on Underwood during his Monday podcast, and he said Underwood played better than what his stats show. In the game, the true freshman threw for 142 yards on 9-of-24 attempts.

“Let's talk about Bryce Underwood. 9-of-24 on the day, and if you just look at his stat sheet, and a lot of people are going to just look at his stat sheet, you're going to come away with that and say, Bryce Underwood didn't play well and he's not this or that. That's not the case," Klatt said.

"I actually thought Bryce played a lot better than his stat line. The film suggests that. I want to be very clear.

“That does not mean he played perfect. There's a ton of room for improvement for Bryce Underwood, namely his pocket awareness, his ability to change speeds on his throws. When you got a young quarterback that has that type of physical ability and stature, a lot of times they throw a fastball every throw."

Fans must realize, despite the high ceiling level and the out-of-this-world potential, Underwood just turned 18 years old a few weeks ago. It was his second career start at the college level, and his first career road start -- in a hostile environment nonetheless. Klatt touched on a few areas where Underwood can improve, but the former Colorado QB believes Underwood was arguably the best player on the field for Michigan.

"All right, and playing quarterback, you've got to have what I would consider to be pitch selection. What are you throwing? You've got to be able to drive the football and throw the fastball," the voice of Fox said.

"You've got to be able to layer the football, throw the football with touch in intermediate zones. Very difficult to do, but it's a learned skill, and it's something he'll certainly develop. And then you've got to be able to throw with touch down the field.

“OK, so all of those areas are development issues. And Bryce tried to throw a lot of footballs, whether they were supposed to be layered or with touchdown the field, and he threw fastballs. OK, so his ability to change speeds, his pocket awareness, all of that's going to increase.

"His defensive recognition is going to increase. I'm not concerned about Bryce Underwood. In fact, in a lot of ways, I thought he was their best offensive player on the field.”

Michigan fans can see Underwood back in action on Saturday at Noon ET against Central Michigan.

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