Bryce Underwood is under intense scrutiny after a shaky performance in Michigan's controversial Week 1 win over Western Michigan. Desmond Howard thinks critics have unfairly singled out the quarterback. Underwood had an uneven start to his sophomore campaign, completing 12 of 22 throws for 170 yards, an interception, and a game-winning Hail Mary touchdown pass to salvage a 13-12 victory as heavy home favorites over a MAC opponent.
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham wouldn't commit to the 19-year-old as his long-term starter after the game. Much of the national conversation following Michigan's close call has focused on Underwood's play. However, former Michigan star Desmond Howard argued on ESPN's First Take that he wasn't solely responsible for the sluggish start.
"Anyone who watched that game, Michigan vs. Western Michigan last Saturday night, there's absolutely no way you come away with the opinion that, 'Man, that whole game was on Bryce Underwood, the quarterback,'" Howard said on Friday. Howard isn't absolving Underwood, but the Heisman Trophy winner believes everyone else should also be held accountable.
"Does he deserve criticism? Absolutely," Howard said of Underwood. "Does the defense deserve criticism?
Does the special teams deserve criticism? There's nobody who wore that maize uniform that night that should escape any criticism, and it also should start with the coaches." Howard feels the national media hasn't critiqued Whittingham's Michigan debut harshly enough because they're too focused on Underwood. "A lot of people -- not everyone -- put Bryce Underwood, the quarterback, square in their crosshairs and didn't say anything about Kyle Whittingham, the head coach," Howard claimed.
"It seems like they gave Whittingham a pass. From what I've seen, I haven't seen everybody, but it seems like the overwhelming consensus right now is everybody is on Bryce Underwood." That analysis overlooks Western Michigan converting eight of 18 third-down opportunities and Michigan's Andrew Marsh muffing a punt return in the first quarter. "There's a lot of blame to go around when you see a performance, or lack thereof, like we saw last Saturday," Howard said.
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