Position grades for Michigan Football’s 24-13 loss at Oklahoma

The Michigan Wolverines suffered a disappointing 24-13 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners in their first road game of the season, as all three units struggled to play with consistency. Here’s how each position group performed on Saturday night.

Quarterbacks: C+

In the first road start of his career, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood avoided mistakes and made a few impressive plays, but he didn’t do nearly enough to help the Wolverines secure a win. Oklahoma’s pass rush pressured Underwood all night long, as he completed just 9-of-24 passes for 142 yards.

Running backs: B-

Justice Haynes had a subpar first half before sprinting past the defense for a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half to cut the deficit to 14-7. He finished with a game-high 127 yards on 18 attempts, while Jordan Marshall (28 yards on nine carries) struggled to make much of an impact for a second straight week.

Wide receivers: C

The wide receivers needed to produce at a high level in order for the Wolverines to pick up a road win, and they just couldn’t find much success against Oklahoma’s secondary. McCulley totaled a team-high three receptions for 91 yards, including an unbelievable catch he pinned off a defender’s helmet, but no other wide receiver had more than one catch for Michigan.

Tight ends: C-

Marlin Klein had a career-high 97 yards last week, but a lower-body injury kept him out of the Oklahoma game. With Klein unavailable, the tight ends were used sparingly in the passing game, as Zack Marshall had just one catch for 12 yards. Max Bredeson’s block contributed to Haynes’ touchdown run, but this unit failed to make a significant difference.

Offensive line: D+

It was a truly disastrous performance from the offensive line, as Oklahoma’s defensive front dominated for most of the evening. Evan Link and Brady Norton failed to sustain their blocks at a consistent rate, and Nathan Efobi didn’t make a great impression after coming in for team captain Giovanni El-Hadi, who suffered an injury in the second quarter and never returned.

Defensive line: B-

Michigan was able to get pressure at times throughout the game, but not enough to slow down Oklahoma’s high-powered offense. TJ Guy, Derrick Moore and Damon Payne Jr. got into the backfield on a few occasions, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome. Trey Pierce and Tre’ Williams also both committed critical personal foul penalties that gave the Sooners a free first down.

Linebackers: B

With Jaishawn Barham out for the first half due to targeting, Michigan looked to Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan to fill in alongside Ernest Hausmann at linebacker. Both played well for the most part, as Rolder recorded six tackles and a pass deflection while Sullivan compiled three tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. Hausmann led all Wolverines with 11 tackles.

Secondary: B-

The secondary had an up-and-down showing against Oklahoma, as Brandyn Hillman (seven tackles) and TJ Metcalf (four tackles, one interception) were flying all over the field, but they each had a crucial missed tackle that eventually led to a touchdown. Jyaire Hill got off to a slow start before finding a rhythm later in the game, finishing with four tackles and one pass breakup.

Special teams: B

Dominic Zvada uncharacteristically missed a 32-yard field goal, but he bounced back by making two second-half field goals to cut the deficit to 21-13. Hudson Hollenbeck was one of the few players to have a great game, as he averaged 41.5 yards per punt and pinned Oklahoma inside the 20-yard line twice. Sullivan also had a fumble recovery on a muffed punt.

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