QB Bryce Underwood receives horrific grade from PFF for Oklahoma game

Michigan suffered its first defeat of the season on Saturday night, falling 24-13 on the road at Oklahoma. The Wolverines were shut out in the first half, managed only one explosive play offensively and struggled to contain quarterback John Mateer in both the run and pass game.

Using data from Pro Football Focus (PFF), here are the snap counts and best/worst graded players from Michigan’s Week 2 loss:

Andrew Sprague – 59 \ 72.8

Donaven McCulley – 59 \ 68.3

Justice Haynes – 46 \ 67.3

Giovanni El-Hadi – 24 \ 62.0

Jake Guarnera – 1 \ 60.0

Blake Frazier – 4 \ 60.0

Kendrick Bell – 1 \ 60.0

Lawrence Hattar – 3 \ 58.3

Anthony Simpson – 7 \ 58.1

Andrew Marsh – 1 \ 57.9

Jalen Hoffman – 3 \ 57.8

Zack Marshall – 43 \ 57.6

Channing Goodwin – 52 \ 56.6

Greg Crippen – 59 \ 55.9

Jordan Marshall – 13 \ 55.1

Semaj Morgan – 23 \ 54.4

Hogan Hansen – 12 \ 53.3

Evan Link – 59 \ 53.0

Max Bredeson – 27 \ 51.0

Nathan Efobi – 36 \ 50.1

Brady Norton – 58 \ 49.4

Bryce Underwood – 59 \ 49.0

Five best offensive grades (min. 10 snaps)

Right tackle Andrew Sprague stood tall in his return from injury, earning Michigan’s top offensive grade at 72.8 and an impressive 84.4 pass-blocking mark. Donaven McCulley (68.3) was the lone receiver to make a significant impact, hauling in three catches for 91 yards. Justice Haynes’ 75-yard touchdown earned the explosive back an impressive 71.6 rushing grade, but outside of that play, Michigan’s run game averaged just 2.5 yards per carry.

Michigan’s biggest struggles came at quarterback and on the right side of the offensive line. Bryce Underwood endured a difficult night, finishing with a 42.9 overall grade and just a 38.3 passing grade as Oklahoma’s defense consistently pressured him into mistakes. The guard combination of Brady Norton (49.4) and Nathan Efobi (50.1) was ineffective in both pass protection and run blocking, while Max Bredeson (51.0) and left tackle Evan Link (53.0) also landed near the bottom of the chart.

Jyaire Hill – 75 \ 76.0

TJ Guy – 46 \ 75.9

Derrick Moore – 33 \ 76.6

Jayden Sanders – 31 \ 69.6

Zeke Berry – 44 \ 69.1

Cole Sullivan – 16 \ 69.0

Jaden Mangham – 40 \ 68.9

Trey Pierce – 35 \ 68.3

Jimmy Rolder – 41 \ 66.7

Tre Williams – 26 \ 65.6

Mason Curtis – 43 \ 65.5

Jaishawn Barham – 30 \ 63.3

Nate Marshall – 9 \ 61.9

Brandyn Hillman – 66 \ 62.6

Dominic Nichols – 24 \ 59.0

TJ Metcalf – 67 \ 57.8

Damon Payne – 32 \ 57.1

Enow Etta – 19 \ 55.7

Rayshaun Benny – 39 \ 54.4

Ernest Hausmann – 63 \ 44.9

Cameron Brandt – 46 \ 39.9

Five best defensive grades (min. 10 snaps)

Michigan’s edge defenders led the way, with Derrick Moore bouncing back from a quiet opener with a team-best 76.6 overall grade and an elite 86.4 pass-rush mark. TJ Guy (75.9) and Jyaire Hill (76.0) also had strong nights despite the defense’s struggles to contain Mateer. In the secondary, Jayden Sanders (69.6) and Zeke Berry (69.1) graded out as Michigan’s top cover men.

While certain players within Michigan’s defense had a strong showing, several key rotation players — and even a couple of regular contributors — struggled. Edge Cameron Brandt posted the lowest mark on the unit, while linebacker Ernest Hausmann (45.0) and defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny (55.1) also graded out well below expectations. Enow Etta (56.5) and Damon Payne Jr. (57.1) rounded out the bottom five, as both failed to generate much impact in their snaps.

Michigan was outgained, out-possessed and outplayed by Oklahoma. The Wolverines’ defense had no answer for Mateer, while the offense leaned too heavily on special teams and one explosive run from Haynes. An injury to left guard Giovanni El-Hadi during what was shaping up to be a nice game for him only compounded those struggles.

The silver lining? Key players like Moore and Sprague looked sharp, and Underwood got valuable experience facing one of the country’s toughest defenses.

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