The Morning After: Michigan Football is Getting Better Everyday

The Michigan Wolverines are headed into conference play after a mixed bag in non-conference play.

Michigan played two non-marquee opponents sandwiched between a big game against the Oklahoma Sooners.

They survived near disaster against the Western Michigan thanks to heroics from JJ Buchanan on a last-second hail mary to get to 1-0.

Their second game of the season may have saved the morale of the entire fanbase as well as the team. Michigan was dominant on defense in a 17-10 win over the Oklahoma Sooners.

Bad feelings likely crept back in as Michigan trailed 14-7 late in the first half against the UTEP Miners in their final non-conference game.

No late heroics would be needed as Michigan dominated the third quarter to the tune of 28-0 behind a hellacious defense and efficient offense.

Michigan’s final tuneup game was exactly what they hoped for in a 52-17 victory, and now the fun part of the season begins.

As much as the non-conference schedule can lead to marquee matchups like Michigan’s second game of the season against Oklahoma, there is still and old school nature to college football.

The games that are going to define Michigan’s season still reside in the Big Ten conference.

Yes, football has changed. Conference championships do not mean what they used to. Heck, rivalry games may not mean what they used to. Ohio State fans spent an entire offseason stating how a loss as a three-touchdown favorite against Michigan did not matter because they were able to follow that up with a national championship.

As much as that may be true, the Michigan Wolverines are not going to be able to reach their goals of making the College Football Playoff without getting through their Big Ten schedule relatively unscathed.

They have home dates against Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana along with road dates against Oregon and Ohio State.

All of those games may look different by the time game week rolls around. For example, That trip to Oregon looks less daunting now than it did before the season began. The feeling surrounding that game may change multiple times between now and mid-November when those two teams are set to square off.

Getting Better Everyday

Classic rock band Tesla once wrote a song called “Gettin’ Better”.

The song, as the title suggests, is about a life that is getting better with all the changes that are coming their way.

Through three games, Michigan has followed suit from the aforementioned song. They have gotten better.

Bryce beats the blitz 🔥

Bryce Underwood hits Andrew Marsh for yet another @UMichFootball TD.

Watch on BTN pic.twitter.com/gxyKvNligh
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 19, 2026

Yes, there are some usual caveats. UTEP is not going to present the level of challenge that a team like Iowa may be able to.

Still, after the first week of the season, panic had set in amongst the fanbase. Kyle Whittingham looked like someone who was angry in the face of victory. Annoyed with each passing question about his team’s performance.

With the way Michigan played against Western, it was not hard to envision Oklahoma coming to The Big House and laying a beatdown on the Wolverines in a similar manner that the Texas Longhorns did in 2024.

Michigan had a similar underwhelming performance in their season opener that year, but vowed things would be different as they would not be looking beyond a marquee opponent like the Longhorns.

They were beaten badly and outclassed, leading many to wonder what the state of the program was following a national championship in 2023.

The answer, as we know now, was an 8-5 record with a cathartic finish. Wins over Ohio State and Alabama to finish the season put a lot of lipstick on a pig.

That does not appear to be the fate of this iteration of the Wolverines. Kyle Whittingham was tasked with being an adult in the room, and lauded for his ability to develop players.

Through three games, it appears that mission has been accomplished.

Bryce Underwood has gotten better every week. Michigan’s offense, despite its struggles, appears to at least has some semblance of a grasp on what they’re good at, and what they need to do to move the ball.

They’re not simply ramming their head into the brick wall, or defaulting to leaning on a run game that may or may not be effective that day in the way Sherrone Moore did.

Are they perfect? No. The offense still has their struggles. The tight end position has been a disappointment. The passing offense is too easy to defend at times. The run game has yet to find any real traction. Bryce Underwood still has not fully arrived as a next level quarterback.

What they have done through three games? They’ve gotten better. That lends itself to hope that Michigan could be peaking offensively once the calendar turns to November and dates with Oregon and Ohio State could decide whether Michigan could be headed to Indianapolis to play for a Big Ten Championship.

Play to Your Identity

Every championship team needs an identity, and this team certainly has one.

It comes on defense. The Wolverines’ defense is relentless, hellacious, and suffocating on all three levels.

There were concerns on the defensive line and at linebacker to start the season. Through three games, those questions appear to have answered themselves. Trey Pierce, Enow Etta, and Jonah Lea’ea have all asserted themselves.

Nathaniel Staehling and Chase Taylor have emerged at linebacker as solid contributors next to Troy Bowles. Bowles could be an emerging superstar in the middle of Michigan’s defense.

Their secondary boasts arguably the best trio of starting cornerbacks in the country with Smith Snowden, Jyaire Hill, and Zeke Berry manning the secondary. With quarterbacks like Josh Hoover, Rocco Becht, Dante Moore, and Julian Sayin all set to face Michigan’s defense, they’ll need as many good cover corners as they can find.

IT'S PICKED OFF 〽️

Jyaire Hill takes it away and @UMichFootball takes over on offense! pic.twitter.com/YjsIijbmGD
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 12, 2026

That does not account for the biggest strength on Michigan’s defense. Their edge rushers come in waves, and there’s not much of a dropoff when they decide to substitute.

Dom Nichols has been one of the top pass rushers in the country through three weeks. John Henry Daley is emerging on the other side of his achilles injury he suffered a season ago.

Nate Marshall and Benny Patterson have provided quality depth behind those two guys along with Cam Brandt.

Tariq Boney and Carter Meadows have both made impacts as true freshmen. The ability to affect the quarterback while just rushing their front four was the biggest reason Michigan was able to dominate John Mateer when Oklahoma came to town.

WALK-OFF SACK 😤

Nate Marshall brings down John Mateer to seal @UMichFootball's victory over No. 11 Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/0Qik4LbQkv
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 12, 2026

The aforementioned quarterbacks who are set to come see Michigan on their schedule are likely sleeping a little less knowing what could be coming for them.

Is this team perfect? No. Are they going to win a national championship? Probably not. That’d be a lot to ask in Whittingham’s first season as the head coach.

Are they getting better?

Absolutely.

That’s all you can ask for, for now.

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