Report Card from Michigan Football's Week 1 Victory

The grades are in, and as you can assume, they are not pretty. The Michigan Wolverines won their season opener against Western Michigan Saturday night.

That is essentially where the good news ends. Michigan was out worked, out muscled, and outclassed by the defending MAC champions. Western Michigan certainly deserved to walk out of Ann Arbor with a victory.

Michigan can’t do anything but move on at this point. Dwelling on a game that Dom Nichols said made him sick to his stomach is not going to help anyone

On deck? A showdown at home against the Oklahoma Sooners. Before we move forward to next week’s game, here’s a look at our grades from Michigan’s miraculous 13-12 victory.

Passing Offense

Here is the new Bryce Underwood.

You’d be forgiven if you thought it looked a lot like the old Bryce Underwood. Michigan’s offense started the game like a bat out of hell. Underwood looked sharp, completing five passes to four different receivers before taking matters in his own hands to put the ball into the end zone.

If you had visions of grandeur, you’d be forgiven. Everything felt different for the second year quarterback after just one possession.

That was the last time things felt any different for the rest of the night. PFF had Underwood as its lowest graded player, and Underwood had what they determined was the worst game of his career.

He threw one interception, which easily could have been at least three. He fumbled on a scramble on what could have been Michigan’s final offensive possession.

His footwork was lazy and careless. His ball placement was poor. His decision making was slow.

Michigan wide receiver JJ Buchanan (6) catches a 47-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary against Western Michigan to win, 13-12, as time expires in the fourth quarter at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There is still plenty of talent to work with for Underwood. It’s not time to see Tommy Carr or anything ridiculous like that. Michigan fans, however, are restless and they certainly have a right to be after the way Underwood’s 2026 debut went.

The only thing saving this group from a failing grade is the heroics of Buchanan, who single-handedly saved Michigan from embarrassment.

Grade: D-Minus

Rushing Offense

Michigan’s identity should be built through its run game. Through one game, that was not the case. Michigan could not establish any semblance of a ground game. Savion Hiter’s debut was not as advertised as he could only muster 15 yards on five carries.

Jordan Marshall added 44 yards on 11 carries, and looked uncharacteristically panicked and frustrated as the game wore along.

Underwood was the team’s leading rusher with 47 yards on nine carries, but had the aforementioned costly fumble.

Michigan’s offensive line has been touted to be a potential finalist for the Jore Moore Award, but that seems laughable after just one game.

Michigan needs to settle on its five best players and keep them in the game. The guard rotation should have stopped at some point during fall camp, and absolutely cannot continue against Oklahoma.

If Michigan is going to get better, everything starts, as it should with this program, on the ground.

Grade: D

Passing Defense

Jyaire Hill had an interception wiped off the board due to a pass interference penalty where he got too aggressive with his hands. That’s the closes that Michigan came to a big play in their defensive backfield on the night.

In fairness to Michigan’s passing defense, there were not a lot of opportunities as the Broncos continued to stay ahead of the sticks with their run game.

They allowed less than 100 yards passing in total. The most disappointing play on the night came when they gave up a conversion on third-and-14.

Apart from that, Michigan’s defense did not make enough big plays in its limited opportunities. They also did not give up a lot of big plays. Oklahoma should provide a much stiffer test with potential Heisman Trophy candidate John Mateer invading Ann Arbor.

Grade: C

Rushing Defense

When Saturday’s game ended, the biggest thing that Kyle Whittingham said fell on his shoulders was Michigan’s inability to run the ball or stop the run.

Stopping the run was a big reason that Michigan’s defense could not get off the field. The Broncos weren’t gashing the Wolverines for explosive runs, but more of a death by thousand paper cuts approach.

Michigan’s defense gave up 132 yards rushing on the night, but did not make enough plays in the backfield to set back the Broncos’ offense.

Had Western not fumbled on their final offensive snap of the game, they could have kneeled out the clock in regulation.

One of the biggest signs of a team’s physicality is the ability to run the football when the whole world knows they’re going to run the football.

By the same token, it’s true of a defense they can stop the run when they know what is coming at them.

Michigan failed dramatically in this regard, and should be having some tough conversations this week about their ability, or lack thereof, to slow down opposing ground games.

Grade: F

Special Teams

One of the biggest blunders in the game came on a punt when Andrew Marsh was back to receive a kick in the first quarter with Michigan leading 7-3. Marsh muffed the punt, which put the Wolverines’ defense right back on the field. That’s not the only reason Western Michigan dominated Michigan in time of possession, but every little mistake like that can add up.

Marsh was Michigan’s top option as the punt returner last year, but he did not have a good start to his season on Saturday night.

Trey Butkowski made his only kick of the night, and punt coverage was solid.

Bryson Kuzdal was the primary kickoff returner, but only returned one kick of the night. He gained 18 yards. This group was solid, if unspectacular, but earns a lower mark thanks to one big blunder.

Grade: D

Coaching

Kyle Whittingham’s coaching debut was widely anticipated. His praises have been sung by even Michigan’s greatest enemy since he was hired last January.

His coaching hires of Jason Beck, Koy Detmer, Jim Harding, and Jay Hill all came with some fanfare as well.

After one game, all of them have left a lot to be desired. Whittingham’s team was beaten on the line of scrimmage by a MAC team who was replacing the majority of its defensive line from the 2025 season.

Jim Harding’s offensive line struggled as they rotated players throughout the game, and still appear unsettled at that position.

Bryce Underwood’s struggles were incredibly pronounced, and that falls on the shoulders of Beck and Detmer.

Moreover on Beck, his offense appeared disjointed, lifeless, and without an identity for most of the game. His “Rhino” package was drilled into the ground without much success. Michigan’s offense struggled to get the ball into the hands of its playmakers.

Some of that is on the quarterback, some of that is on the coaching staff. Michigan’s best players on offense are supposed to be Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter.

Marshall had just 11 carries, and Hiter only had five. 16 carries is not going to cut it for a team who, despite all of the fanfare surrounding the investment in its passing game, is still at its best when it is a downhill run team.

As for Whittingham, he left a lot to be desired in his debut as well. For a staff that built itself around discipline, Michigan looked undisciplined throughout the night. They committed nine penalties, and turned the ball over three times.

Whittingham mismanaged the game in the third quarter before Western Michigan’s 20-play drive that resulted in a go-ahead field goal.

When you’re a team like Michigan facing a fourth-and-4 in plus territory, it’s rare the right decision is ever going to be to play the field position game. Some call it conservative, others might call it cowardice.

Either way, if not for JJ Buchanan’s heroics, it likely would have played a big role in costing Michigan the game.

Grade: D

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