Michigan Wolverines Stock Report: 3 Players Rising and 3 Players Falling After Miraculous Win

The Michigan Wolverines stunned the college football world Saturday night with a miraculous, literal last-second win over the Western Michigan Broncos. On a night the Wolverines did almost nothing right on offense after their first drive, they still somehow found a way to win.

Nothing about it was pretty, but there is something to be said for the resilience of this team that they didn't quit. Now let's dive into some analysis on whose stock is up from the season opening win and more importantly, whose stock is down after their performance in this game.

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— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 6, 2026

Stock Up: JJ Buchanan

JJ Buchanan to me is the biggest stock up player from this game, with the play above showing a great example of why. He made a truly tremendous play to win the game for the Wolverines, timing his jump perfectly and going up to win the jump ball with strong hands. He also had a fantastic one-handed catch on the first drive, and would go on to lead the Wolverines in both receptions and receiving yards catching 6 passes for 126 yards and of course the game-winning touchdown.

He looks like he might be Michigan's best wide receiver this season and that's a positive development for Michigan's passing game. It was an amazing first game in a Wolverine uniform for the Utah transfer, and it will surely be a night he will never forget.

Stock Down: Bryce Underwood

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood fumbles the snap against Western Michigan in the first quarter at Michigan Stadium | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now that we covered the biggest stock up first, let's get to the biggest stock down. Bryce Underwood had a night to forget. The weirdest part is that he started this game looking very good. He came out and was throwing with touch, anticipation, and accuracy. He also showcased his running ability as he plunged it in from one yard out to give the Wolverines their first touchdown.

Then the rest of the game happened, where he did none of those things well. He made bad decisions time and time again, and also showed bad footwork that impacted his accuracy. It was in a lot of ways a reversion back to how he looked for most of last season as a true freshman.

We heard all off-season about how he put in the work, going out west to train with Joe Burrow and Jordan Palmer, and was putting in extra time with his wide receivers. In this game, it did not look like an improved version of Bryce Underwood. He's still making almost all the same mistakes he made last year, and that's pretty alarming considering he's supposedly spent all off-season trying to improve.

I honestly don't know where it goes from here, but if Bryce Underwood doesn't improve and do so at an extremely high rate it will be a very long season for Michigan fans.

Stock Up: Dominic Nichols

Michigan defensive end Dom Nichols celebrates a sack against Western Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There was a lot of buzz in fall camp about Dominic Nichols and through one game, he certainly delivered. He was really good in this game right off the bat, collecting 1.5 sacks before halftime. He finished this game with 9 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss. He was Michigan's most disruptive defensive lineman against the Broncos, constantly putting pressure on the Western Michigan offensive line.

We were wondering who would emerge at the edge rusher position on the other side of John Henry Daley, and after one game, that answer looks to be definitively Dominic Nichols. He was very good in this game and if he keeps it up, could end up having a really nice season in the maize and blue.

Stock Down: Offensive Line

Michigan's entire offensive line was just straight up bad in this game. They managed only 106 rushing yards on 25 carries, good for just 4.2 yards per carry against a MAC team. That's simply nowhere near good enough, and should be a warning sign for the rest of the season. This offensive line could and should be a strength of the offense with everyone they brought back in terms of both talent and experience.

This game showcased almost none of that ability. Outside of Bryce Underwood, the offensive line is the unit that needs the most improvement if the rest of the season is going to get any better than this.

Stock Up: Smith Snowden

Another stock up, I thought Smith Snowden had a really nice Michigan debut. He was as advertised in this game after coming over from Utah as a highly rated transfer, showing a level of play Michigan's been missing at the nickel back spot since Mike Sainristil left for the NFL.

He finished with 4 tackles and 1 pass deflection, but the box score doesn't always show how well a defensive back played. Smith Snowden looked like an NFL nickel back in this game and that's a good sign for the Wolverines' defense the rest of the season.

Stock Down: Andrew Marsh

Michigan wide receiver Andrew Marsh reacts after only being up by one point against Western Michigan at the end of the second quarter | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Andrew Marsh also had a night to forget, with the biggest mistakes coming as a punt returner. He muffed two separate punts and lost one via a fumble early on in the game to set up a Western Michigan field goal. He also didn't contribute a whole lot in the receiving game, catching just 2 passes for 15 yards.

He was so good last year as a true freshman once he finally got on the field, that he was always going to have a speed bump pop up at some point in his Michigan career. Hopefully it was more of just a blip on the radar and doesn't turn into a full on sophomore slump for the Michigan star wide receiver. Michigan will need both him and JJ Buchanan to be threats out wide if their passing game is going to threaten any opponents later on this season.

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