See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19), center, and running back Jordan Marshall (23) walk towards the Michigan Stadium before the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
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See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19), center, and running back Jordan Marshall (23) walk towards the Michigan Stadium before the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
2 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) walks towards the Michigan Stadium before the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
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(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
3 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham waves at fans as the team walk towards Michigan Stadium for the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
4 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) walks towards the Michigan Stadium before the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
5 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan players high-five fans as they walk towards Michigan Stadium for the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
6 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan players high-five fans as they walk towards Michigan Stadium for the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
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(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
7 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan players include wide receiver Jaime Ffrench Jr. (10) high-fives fans as they walk towards Michigan Stadium for the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
8 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan players include wide receiver Andrew Marsh (3) high-five fans as they walk towards Michigan Stadium for the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
9 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck shakes hands with fans as the team walk towards Michigan Stadium for the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
10 / 10
See Michigan football open new season and Kyle Whittingham era vs WMU
Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill takes a selfie as the team walk towards Michigan Stadium for the game against Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
Frankly, this was everything Michigan didn’t want to see.
Underwood scored the game’s opening touchdown to close a strong first drive, but otherwise, he struggles.
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Late in the first quarter he was nearly picked on third-and-10 as he rolled right and forced a dangerous ball to Andrew Marsh on the sideline. On the next series, he forced a ball to JJ Buchanan on third-and-8 that went off WMU safety Micah Davis’ chest. Then, late in the half, he stared down Jalen Hoffman on an out-route and was intercepted (nearly for a pick-six, but Dillon Moore stepped out of bounds on the return).
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) celebrates 13-12 win over Western Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
Until the final series of the game he had completed 10 of 16 passes for 95 yards.
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There’s no apologizing for wins, even by one point against a MAC foe … but Underwood didn’t look markedly improved. He was allowed to run more and made some throws on the move, but there was only one “wow” play – and it came in the final second.
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The other 59:59 showed work needed to be done.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
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