ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Kyle Whittingham’s still got it.Whittingham still has the fire and the glint in his eye. He still knows how to stiffen his spine when he perceives a challenge. And, more importantly, his new team showed it knows how to do the same.Michigan’s 17-10 win against No. 11 Oklahoma was a Whittingham special. The Wolverines won with stifling defense, toughness in the trenches and a passing attack held together with duct tape and superglue. Nothing about Saturday’s performance was pretty, but it was a good, honest win — exactly what Michigan needed after a week of controversy and criticism.“What changed from last week to this week with our play?” defensive end John Henry Daley said. “It was just that confidence that comes from preparation.”Oklahoma's offense struggles in loss to MichiganAustin MeekEveryone was waiting to see how the Wolverines would respond after their Week 1 debacle against Western Michigan, a game they would have lost if not for a controversial clock decision that spawned a million takes. In particular, everyone was waiting to see what would happen with Bryce Underwood, the highly paid, highly touted quarterback who looked lost in the first start of his sophomore season.Intentionally or not, Whittingham added to the noise around his quarterback when he said Underwood’s hold on the starting job wasn’t “infinite.” Underwood didn’t seem particularly thrilled when he was asked about those comments a few days ago. It gave the impression of a coach and quarterback who were starting to get sideways, even if that impression may have been misleading.Michigan isn’t moving on from Underwood just yet. With a game plan tailored around his legs, Underwood did enough to lead Michigan to a win, despite throwing for only 15 yards in the second half against a fierce Oklahoma defense. After the game, Whittingham bristled when a reporter referenced his comments about Underwood’s job status.“I never made those comments,” Whittingham said. “I was asked if his job was infinitely etched in stone. Whose job is ever etched in stone? That was my answer. I never brought that up or alluded to that. Do you guys all (have) guaranteed jobs? I don’t. I don’t know anyone in football who does. I don’t agree that I opened that can of worms. Bryce is our quarterback, and that’s where we are right now.”Bryce Underwood led Michigan with 87 rushing yards on Saturday. (Junfu Han / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)The actual question — “How firmly is (Underwood) QB1?” — is one that Whittingham has been asked several times in various ways. Monday was the first time Whittingham used words such as “unfortunate” and “disappointing” in reference to Underwood’s play or suggested that Michigan would consider alternatives if his production didn’t improve.Nothing Whittingham said was particularly controversial. Everyone who watched the Western Michigan game would have agreed with his assessment. But this is Michigan, and Underwood is the $12 million quarterback who signed with the Wolverines as the No. 1 prospect in his recruiting class. Every word and every throw is going to be magnified.“I’m not going to say it was a secret calculating move or had ulterior motives,” Whittingham said. “I talked to Bryce about it after and said, ‘Hey, here’s what came out.’ He said, ‘Cool.’”While Saturday’s performance won’t settle the conversation about Underwood’s future, the Wolverines showed they can beat a good team with Underwood as their quarterback. And they showed the beginnings of an offense that could make life hard for teams in the Big Ten, especially when coupled with Michigan’s stingy defense.Michigan’s best hope for the rest of this season is to turn Underwood into Cam Newton Lite. The Wolverines took a step in that direction by giving Underwood 18 carries, which translated to a team-high 87 rushing yards, including a 38-yard touchdown.“It was absolutely part of the game plan,” Whittingham said of Underwood’s designed runs. “It should have been a few more. We had some reads that were pull reads, but our young running back was clamping down on the ball so Bryce couldn’t get it out of there.”Underwood’s passing stats were nothing special. He completed 9 of 17 attempts for 111 yards and was fortunate to avoid interceptions on a couple of risky throws to the sideline. He stretched the field just enough to keep Oklahoma’s defense honest and looked more comfortable throwing on the move than he did standing in the pocket last week.Underwood wasn’t great, but he outplayed Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, who was 17 for 33 for 189 yards with a back-breaking interception in the fourth quarter. This game was a reminder that Michigan isn’t the only team with flaws; other teams have problems, too, and the team that manages its weaknesses most effectively is often the team that comes out on top.No one who watched this game will be heaping praise on either team. Much like Michigan last week, Oklahoma couldn’t run the ball or control the line of scrimmage. Its quarterback was inconsistent with his accuracy and decision-making. Oklahoma’s defense played tough but couldn’t get the game-changing play the Sooners needed.Making this game all about what Oklahoma couldn’t do shortchanges what Michigan did to rebound from last week. It started with a players-only meeting called by Michigan’s captains the day after the Western Michigan game. Whittingham plastered the message “do more” around the facility, and Michigan brought even more intensity to its Tuesday practice, nicknamed “Bloody Tuesday” because it’s the most physical practice of the week.“For everybody, it’s kind of a validation of all the hard work we put in throughout this offseason — all the early mornings, all the Bloody Tuesdays, coming in there when it’s 90 degrees and you’re sweating off eight pounds of water,” Daley said. “It was just a validation, a stamp of, ‘Hey, this is what we expect every single week.’”Whittingham insisted he didn’t read anything written about his team in the week leading up to this game. Underwood said the same. Whether they heard it or not, the Wolverines weren’t completely insulated from the outside noise. They knew that people were writing them off, and they made it clear they didn’t care for the slander.Backed into a corner, Michigan responded by showing its teeth. The Wolverines are looking more like their coach every day.