Joel Klatt to Panicking Michigan Fans: 'Relax! The Offense Is Fine'

Michigan gave its fans plenty to sweat over in a 24-22 win against Northwestern in Week 12. But FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt says a win like that is actually a good thing for the Wolverines.

"A game like that was exactly what they needed, and you would much rather win a game like that than lose a game like that," Klatt said on the latest episode of "The Joel Klatt Show."

"Even in a win, there are going to be learning opportunities, particularly for a young quarterback."

If you only looked at Saturday’s box score, you’d think that Michigan cruised to a victory. The Wolverines outgained Northwestern by more than 250 yards (496–245) and dominated on third down, converting 9 of 14 while the Wildcats managed just 2 of 12.

However, Michigan committed five turnovers — quarterback Bryce Underwood threw two interceptions and the team lost three fumbles. The Wolverines also missed two field goals as well, with kicker Dominic Zvada needing to make a 31-yarder as time expired to get his team the win.

In the past 25 years, there has only been one instance of a team winning a game where they lost the turnover battle by five and missed two field goals. Klatt was highly impressed that this inexperienced team pulled away with a win under those circumstances.

"It takes a lot of grit and resolve," he said. "It takes a lot of bounce-back from a lot of different people on that team, including the coaching staff. … They have freshmen everywhere, six starting on offense. They've got a third-string running back coming in late because Jordan Marshall goes down. You've got Jordan Young, a true freshman, playing safety in a crucial moment, batting the ball away. You've got Andrew Marsh being the target on offense. He's a true freshman. There is youth everywhere. With youth comes inexperience. 

"With inexperience, you're going to ride the roller coaster. There's going to be peaks, and there's going to be valleys." 

Of course, Underwood headlines the group of freshmen leading the way for Michigan, the youngest team in the Big Ten by a wide margin. While the 18-year-old QB didn't have the best finish to Saturday's game (two interceptions and a fumble on an exchange in the fourth quarter), Klatt made a pretty bold statement about the signal-caller's play. 

"Bryce was a microcosm of this roller coaster I'm talking to you about," Klatt said. "For two and a half quarters, he played the best football of his career. … The true freshman came in there, and I think he developed multiple different paces on the ball [with his throws]." 

To Klatt's point, Underwood's 280 passing yards were a career-high. He didn't throw a touchdown pass, but he ran for one on a run-pass option (RPO) in the third quarter.

As for the turnovers, Klatt said that Underwood mistakenly locked in on a receiver on one of his interceptions. On the pick made by Northwestern defensive back Robert Fitzgerald, Klatt believed Underwood should've handed the ball off on the RPO play. As for the fumble on the fourth-and-1 play in the final minutes, Klatt said that Underwood's handoff should've been smoother.

Underwood was able to avenge those three fourth-quarter turnovers by making a clutch 21-yard pass to Marsh on the game's final drive to help put Michigan in field goal range to get the win. 

"The throw he made to Andrew Marsh on the game-winning drive … that play and throw was incredible," Klatt said. "And that was after the mistakes. Trajectory. That's why I chose to be a bit more optimistic instead of the pessimistic view."

The shaky win nearly cost Michigan its College Football Playoff hopes, avoiding the vaunted third loss that seemingly knocks teams out of contention. It also might not instill a lot of confidence that Michigan can take down No. 1 Ohio State when it hosts the Buckeyes on Nov. 29 (noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

At 8-2, Michigan certainly looks better than it did last year. That's why Klatt is urging fans to be calm and not compare this squad to the 2023 national championship team, which was loaded with experience.

"This team is getting a bit of an unfair rap, in particular on offense," Klatt said. "Relax. Michigan's offense is vastly better than what they were a year ago. I understand they were bad … but they're vastly better. They're averaging over 400 yards of offense. They almost had 500 yards of offense against Northwestern, which is not a bad defense. The quarterback is getting better. … They've got three redshirt freshmen on the offensive line.

"Relax. The offense is fine." 

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