Michigan just picked up a great win on the road in Lincoln against Nebraska over the weekend and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood's ability to run was a big reason why. For the second week in a row, interim head coach Biff Poggi and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey dialed up plays for Underwood to utilize his legs and he did not disappoint.
The 6-4, 228-pounder is definitely a throw-first quarterback who would prefer to shred a defense through the air, but that doesn't mean he's not dangerous as a runner. In fact, over the last two weeks, while head coach Sherrone Moore sat at home serving a two-game suspension, Underwood carried the ball 17 times for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
Last week, Underwood looked dominant on the ground against a lower-level team in Central Michigan, but it didn't change much against the Cornhuskers. He was still effective as a runner and also made several "wow" throws despite going just 12-of-22 for 105 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Underwood exploded on a quarterback draw and was in the end zone before some Husker defenders even realized he had taken off. On that play, Underwood put his long speed on full display. According to Reel Analytics, Michigan's freshman QB was the sixth-fastest player in the entire country with a top speed of 21.3 mph on the 37-yard scamper into the end zone.
The top speed of 21.3 mph is already impressive enough, but the fact that Underwood is the only quarterback on Reel Analytics' list is even more of a feat. When you click down the list of speedsters from Reel Analytics' Twitter account, you'll see smaller, shiftier running backs and wide receivers for the most part. Then, a large, freshman quarterback in a maize and blue #19 pops onto the screen and tears up the turf in a way that you just don't see from signal callers very often.
Head coach Sherrone Moore returned to the football facility on Monday morning to speak to the media and was asked about Underwood's ability to run the football
"We had plays for Bryce to use his legs in the Oklahoma game," Moore said. "They just didn’t come up. Then when we actually did call one that just got hit in the backfield. The Central Michigan game was playing in a game and seeing, okay, well, there’s open lane — 'I’m out, I’m taking off,' because we’ve always preached, if there’s a lane there and you can take it, you can run, but he just actually did it in that game.
"So that’s just another week of experience for a dude that’s 18 years old. So he’s just going to keep getting better and better with it."
Hopefully that's not just lip service from Moore because it's clear to every single person that watched that game that Underwood is a true weapon as a runner. As a matter of fact, many think the Oklahoma game could've been closer or even a nail biter had Underwood been used more as a runner.
At the end of the day, it's just very clear that Underwood needs to use his legs each week. It's hard to say exactly what his 40-yard dash time would be since 10-yard splits, top end speed and acceleration all play a factor, but it's easy to see that Michigan's young quarterback can absolutely GO and that he can single-handedly keep drives going or put it right into the end zone himself.