liveUpdated 35s agoThe Wolverines are 2-0 after upsetting the No. 11 Sooners 17-10 in Ann Arbor.The Athletic Live TeamSeptember 12, 2026 at 11:46 PM EDTMichigan held off Oklahoma for a seven-point win and a 2-0 start to the season. Getty ImagesMichigan upsets OklahomaA week after needing a miracle and a controversial finish to beat Western Michigan, the Michigan Wolverines knocked off No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 in a Big Ten-SEC showdown.Both offenses struggled throughout the game with lackluster performances from Bryce Underwood (9-for-17, 111 yards, one rushing TD) and John Mateer (17-for-33, 189 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Michigan used a late interception by Jyaire Hill off Mateer to set up a short Jordan Marshall touchdown run for the go-ahead score in the fourth-quarter.The Wolverines improve to 2-0, while the Sooners fall to 1-1.Share your thoughts on the game in our chat or email us at live@theathletic.com.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementWolverines are 2-0! USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters ConnectMichigan is 2-0, thanks to a miracle finish against Western Michigan and a strong defensive performance today against Oklahoma. Bryce Underwood struggled throwing the ball, but he got plenty done with his legs, rushing for 87 yards and one touchdown to do just enough for the Wolverines’ offense, which finished with just 263 yards of offense.Oklahoma, however, managed only 289 yards of offense and had the only two turnovers in the game. What’s next for Michigan? IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Wolverines close nonconference play at 3:30 p.m. ET a week from today against UTEP, which Oklahoma beat 51-0 in Week 1. Iowa visits the Big House on Sept. 26.What’s next for Oklahoma?The Sooners host a Saturday night game a week from today against New Mexico before a pair of top-five SEC foes in Georgia on Sept. 26 and Texas on Oct. 10.Our Austin Meek breaks down what he saw in today's Michigan win over Oklahoma.Fundamentals keyed Wolverines Getty ImagesHow did Michigan win this game with 263 total yards of offense and just 111 yards passing? The Wolverines were fundamentally sound throughout the game. They had zero turnovers, while Oklahoma had two key ones. Michigan also controlled the clock with 33 minutes, 17 seconds of time of possession. Those things matter in games like this.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementPostgame Sooners notesQuick hits from Oklahoma coach Brent Venables' post-game news conference:Linebacker Kip Lewis will miss some time due to an injury he sustained in the first half. He was in street clothes during the second half.Venables called Oklahoma's offense "too uneven."Venables on the Sooners' schedule, including upcoming games against No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 8 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Texas A&M: "Our guys are ready for it. They understand the challenge."Oklahoma doesn’t look like a serious CFP contender USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters ConnectThe Sooners entered with a 36 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season, according to The Athletic’s model. It’s too early to say OU is doomed — its odds fell to a still-plausible 22 percent after the game — but the road ahead looks daunting, if not impossible to traverse.Oklahoma still has five games against currently ranked teams, starting in two weeks against Georgia. Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri remain after that, plus a trip to Florida in November. Unless extreme chaos reigns this season — always possible — the Sooners can afford, at most, two losses in those games. Unless today was an ugly fluke, Oklahoma does not look like a team capable of navigating that stretch with only a pair of defeats.If that unlikely scenario happens, we’ll hear SEC-centric pundits talking up this Michigan game as a quality loss. But remember, too, that the Wolverines’ Week 1 triumph over Western Michigan should continue to be litigated (metaphorically, not literally, we presume) in future CFP discourse.The Sooners earned their Playoff spot last year with a win at Alabama, but they never looked like a threat to make a deep run. After Saturday’s performance, it appears as if we can cross Oklahoma off this year’s list of serious contenders. The Sooners might end up being a pretty good team, but they’re nowhere near a great one. Michigan can enjoy a flawed win Getty ImagesThere was nothing pretty about Michigan’s performance. The Wolverines committed way too many penalties (11 for 90 yards) and gained only 75 yards in the second half. The outcome might say more about the Sooners’ flaws than it says about Michigan’s strengths. Still, Oklahoma beat Michigan soundly en route to the College Football Playoff last season and returned quite a few key pieces, including Mateer. Every single Michigan fan would have signed up for an ugly win against the Sooners when they looked at this year’s schedule.It would have been easy for Michigan’s season to spiral after the Wolverines came within a second of losing to Western Michigan. This win should drown out much of the negativity that surrounded the Wolverines this week and give them room to make something out of Whittingham’s first season, even if they have only a 14 percent chance to make the Playoff in The Athletic’s projections. That won’t be easy with a daunting schedule ahead, including games against Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State. The Wolverines can’t count on many easy wins, but they can celebrate an ugly one. Mateer, OU offense not showing signs of growthJohn Mateer will receive (and deserve) criticism for his overall performance. His third-and-9 interception in the fourth quarter was disastrous and set up Michigan’s go-ahead touchdown, and he missed an open Rocky Beers on a crucial fourth down just past midfield late. His final numbers — 17-of-33 passing for 189 yards, 13 rushes for 45 yards — were unimpressive. He looked more like a quarterback who struggled during the back half of last season after a hand injury than the one who arrived in Norman from Washington State with a lot of hype and was a September Heisman Trophy candidate this time last year.But Oklahoma’s offense has other issues, too. The Sooners committed three holding penalties in the fourth quarter alone because they couldn’t block Michigan’s defensive front. OU rushed for only 100 yards and 3.4 yards per carry. Those problems were the continuation of a trend from last season when the Sooners were No. 118 nationally in yards per rush (3.54). In their past five games against Power 4 opponents, the Sooners’ average yards per carry: 2.6 vs. Alabama, 3.2 vs. Missouri, 2.7 vs. LSU, 1.7 vs. Alabama (in the Playoff) and 3.4 Saturday.Explosive receiver Isaiah Sategna III was a non-factor (five offensive touches, 20 yards). Oklahoma advanced past the Michigan 45 only three times in 11 series. Even though Brent Venables’ defense looks strong, Oklahoma is not going to be a factor in the SEC with an offense that looks this shaky. Underwood rebounds … sort ofBryce Underwood’s job security was a major storyline after Kyle Whittingham said his quarterback needed to “turn a corner.” Did Underwood turn that corner Saturday? Not entirely, but at least he turned the wheel in the right direction.Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025, looked much more comfortable operating Michigan’s offense than he did a week ago against Western Michigan. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck gave Underwood more opportunities to use his legs by rolling him out of the pocket and calling more designed runs. Underwood’s 38-yard touchdown run in the first quarter showed why the Wolverines want to feature him as a runner after his usage was often limited last year (especially in a loss to the Sooners). He was the Wolverines’ leading rusher with 87 yards on 18 carries and completed 9-of-17 passes for 111 yards with no interceptions.Those numbers aren’t spectacular (he completed just 2-of-4 passes for 15 yards in the second half), but they represent a step forward from last week. At no point did Michigan seem tempted to give backup Tommy Carr a series to jumpstart the offense. The Wolverines still have issues, and Underwood’s limitations as a passer put a ceiling on the offense. This blueprint — safe passes and a heavy dose of quarterback runs — will be good enough to beat a few teams in the Big Ten. SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementUnderwood wasn't good either USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters ConnectAnd Bryce Underwood wasn’t any better. Yes, Michigan’s quarterback had a long touchdown run and rushed for 87 yards. But he passed for only 111 yards on 9-of-17 attempts.Mateer struggledThe quarterback play in this game was not good, and that is being nice. John Mateer was running for his life throughout, but he also completed barely more than 50 percent of his passes (17-of-33) for 189 yards and threw an awful interception to set up Michigan’s game-winning touchdown. That’s simply not good enough.Game plan worked for Michigan Getty ImagesAre Michigan’s QB questions answered after this win? Not exactly. But kudos to Jason Beck and the offensive staff for their approach to today’s game. They utilized Bryce Underwood’s running ability early and often and didn’t put him in tough spots. If Michigan is able to do that, run the ball and take care of it, that should be a solid enough formula to keep the Wolverines in the game, given how their defense has come out of the gate.Readers' views on Michigan's win USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters ConnectThe readers in our lively Chat tab gave their thoughts on Michigan’s upset victory today:Evan B: “Michigan is gonna play six or seven more games just like this one. Stifling defense, excellent special teams, and mediocre to poor offense. Get your heart checked Michigan fans.”Jennie K: “Underwood has a ton of talent. Just give him and Hiter some time. We probably won’t reach the CFP the year but the future is still bright.”Anthony H: “So what do the AP voters do now?”Michael M: “John Mateer is not good.”Share your thoughts here!Playoff ramificationsThe College Football Playoff committee would do well to remember this game if the at-large debate comes down to the fourth-best Big Ten and SEC teams.It’s still up for debate whether either of these teams will even be that good. But it’s much likelier that they will have each played multiple teams also on that bubble, and Michigan carrying the Big Ten torch today could be a massive boost to one of its conference rivals.Now, it’s archrival Ohio State’s turn to do the same at Texas later this evening.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementFinal team stats USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters ConnectIt wasn't a pretty offensive game, and that's easy to see when neither team reached 300 yards of total offense. Here are the final team stats from today:Total YardsOU: 289UM: 263Passing YardsOU: 189UM: 111Rushing YardsOU: 100UM: 152First DownsOU: 17UM: 14TurnoversOU: 2UM: 0Possession TimeOU: 26:43UM: 33:17That's ... not goodOklahoma rushing yards per attempt against its last five Power 4 opponents:2.6 vs. Alabama3.2 vs. Missouri2.7 vs. LSU1.7 vs. Alabama (CFP)3.4 todayThat's, uh, not good.Not over yet for the Sooners Getty ImagesOklahoma’s College Football Playoff hopes are far from over. Just ask the team that knocked them out in the first round of last year’s Playoff.Alabama was humiliated by a much more lopsided score to a much worse Florida State team on the road in Week 1 last year, lost to Oklahoma at home later in November, and got throttled by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide still — controversially — snuck in with one of the final at-large spots.Oklahoma still controls its destiny. The much more worrying question to ask is whether the Sooners have the ability, especially on offense, to hang with heavyweights in their own conference like Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.As of today, the Sooners sure do not. John Mateer has to improve and has to do so quickly.Michigan can be a force USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters ConnectI still think the ceiling on this Michigan Wolverines team is limited, not unlike Kyle Whittingham’s teams at Utah.But as anyone who watched the old Pac-12 can tell you, those Whittingham teams were more than capable of collecting upset or two, particularly at home.And the Wolverines host three more currently-ranked opponents — Iowa, Penn State and defending national champion Indiana — in Ann Arbor later this year.All three of those teams should take notice after today.