How Bryce Underwood giving opposing defensive coordinators headaches unlocks new element of Michigan's offense

Bryce Underwood "Drives Defensive Coaches Crazy"

Against Central Michigan, the Wolverines snapped off almost 400 yards on the ground, pulling in an amazing eight rushing touchdowns on a hapless Chippewas defense. Underwood led the team with 114 rushing yards and two scores.

Underwood finding his groove as a runner adds a completely different dynamic to Michigan's offense, one that they'll undoubtedly seek to deploy throughout the rest of the season. Justice Haynes spoke about the impact Underwood's legs have on what the Wolverines can do.

"That’s just another piece that he adds to the plate,. He’s very dynamic. He’s a very good athlete, as you guys saw on Saturday. He can do those types of things, which is another threat that the defense has to defend, which drives defensive coordinators crazy. The defense has to look at another avenue to stop us. They had to defend the pass, defend our runs with the running backs, and then also defend him. He could throw, sit back there and pass it, but then you also have to kind of spy him a little bit. Try to contain him, because when he is running all over you, you have to do something."

Michigan has certainly had running quarterbacks. Last year, they trotted out Alex Orji under center, who was a good athlete in his own right. However, he never had that extra element as a passer, so defenses could just tee off in the run game. I'd argue that Underwood is their best dual-threat since Denard Robinson, and it seems like the Wolverines are fully ready to capitalize on that factor.

Last season, despite good play from running backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards, the Wolverines were just 66th in EPA/Rush and 82nd in Yards per Rush. Now with Underwood and Haynes, Michigan sits 27th and 23rd in those metrics respectively, even after a poor showing against Oklahoma in Week 2.

Obviously, there are risks to exposing Underwood to contact like this, but Michigan would be foolish to ignore the upside that he brings as a rusher that opens things up for their offense. Teams will be forced to respect his ability as a rusher, opening a +1 in the run game that forces defense off balance there while also forcing a defender out of coverage, opening up potential downfield shots. It's a different dynamic on display, and is one the Wolverines should hammer away at teams with for the rest of the season.