Michigan shakes off sloppy first half, overwhelms UTEP in 52-17 win

For a half, Michigan made this far more complicated than it ever needed to be.

Then the Wolverines came out of the locker room and turned the game into exactly what everyone expected.

Michigan overcame two first-half fumbles, some early offensive line problems and a 14-7 deficit to roll past UTEP 52-17 on Saturday. The Wolverines led only 17-14 at halftime before scoring 28 unanswered points in the third quarter and getting deep into the roster during the fourth.

The final numbers tell the story better than the first 30 minutes did: Michigan finished with 431 yards, 27 first downs, and 52 points while holding UTEP to 150 total yards.

And the second half was absurd.

Michigan scored 35 points after halftime. UTEP gained 28 yards.

That is domination.

The early frustration started up front. With Andrew Sprague unavailable, Michigan shuffled the offensive line with Link moving to left tackle and Frazier sliding to right tackle. It wasn’t a seamless transition.

Michigan managed just 23 rushing yards in the first quarter, and Bryce Underwood was strip-sacked inside the UTEP 30 on what looked like a promising opening drive. UTEP immediately took advantage, eventually hitting a 45-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

Savion Hiter’s 6-yard touchdown finally tied the game early in the second quarter, but even he wasn’t immune from the sloppiness. Hiter fumbled at Michigan’s 18 later in the quarter, and UTEP scored on the very next snap to go ahead 14-7.

The encouraging part was how Michigan responded to both mistakes.

Underwood settled in and put together one of the best statistical performances of his young career. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, added 22 yards with his legs and didn’t throw an interception. His 21-yard touchdown to JJ Buchanan tied the game at 14, and Trey Butkowski’s 49-yard field goal as time expired gave Michigan a 17-14 halftime lead.

Then Michigan completely took over.

UTEP went three-and-out to open the third quarter, Michigan marched 52 yards for a Jordan Marshall touchdown, and the rout was on. Hiter added his second touchdown later in the quarter, Andrew Marsh turned a short Underwood throw into a 34-yard score and Jonah Lea’ea capped the quarter with a pick-six as time expired.

Michigan turned a three-point halftime lead into a 45-14 advantage in 15 minutes.

The running game looked much more like Michigan expected as the afternoon progressed. Hiter responded particularly well after his fumble, finishing with 62 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Marshall had 59 yards and a score on 12 attempts, though his afternoon ended early after he appeared to tweak something in his leg.

That’s the part Michigan will need to monitor moving forward.

Defensively, there was a lot to like beyond simply shutting UTEP down.

Young players were everywhere.

Tariq Boney flashed repeatedly, Benny Patterson continued to look like someone who is going to force his way onto the field, and Carter Meadows was among the younger defenders getting meaningful work once the game opened up. Michigan finished with 11 tackles for loss, with 12 different defenders credited with at least a share of one.

Boney recorded a sack and was also credited with pressure on Lea’ea’s pick-six. Patterson was involved in a pair of tackles for loss, including a sack in the third quarter.

By the fourth quarter, Michigan was able to do exactly what it wanted from a game like this: get the starters out and let the rest of the roster play.

Tommy Carr took over at quarterback and looked comfortable, completing both of his passes for 23 yards. He also picked up 18 yards on two carries before finding Salesi Moa for a 19-yard touchdown that pushed Michigan past 50. Tomas O’Meara, Travis Johnson, Donovan Johnson and several other young players also got offensive snaps.

There will be things to clean up. The offensive line configuration wasn’t sharp early, two fumbles helped UTEP hang around and Marshall’s status is worth watching.

But Michigan also showed what a mismatch is supposed to look like once it stopped getting in its own way.

A 17-14 game at halftime became a 52-17 final.

And for one quarter in particular, Michigan simply erased UTEP.