Putting Up Numbers· college football

Michigan’s pass attempts with Bryce Underwood and since Bryce Underwood’s last game

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Michigan was 2.3 pass attempts under with Bryce Underwood and 3.2 pass attempts over since Bryce Underwood’s last game over its last 25 games, 19 games against 2. The plain averages are 24.9 and 29.5, a difference of 4.6. Both neutral-site games were with Bryce Underwood. All 5 night games were with Bryce Underwood. All 15 games while ranked were with Bryce Underwood.

Bryce Underwood, quarterback: 3,352 passing yards, 459 pass attempts and 274 completions in 20 of those 25 games, 91% of Michigan’s pass attempts in those games.

2 games since Bryce Underwood’s last game is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

pass attempts a game over expected

A −5.5 difference in pass attempts over expected with Bryce Underwood vs since Bryce Underwood’s last game is about what you’d expect.

A −4.6 difference in pass attempts with Bryce Underwood vs since Bryce Underwood’s last game is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Bryce Underwoodsince Bryce Underwood’s last game
Michigan’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Bryce Underwood or since Bryce Underwood’s last game
SideDateGameResultpass attemptsExpected
Nov 9, 2024@IndianaL3224.7
Nov 23, 2024vsNorthwesternW3525.9
Nov 30, 2024@Ohio StateW1624.9
Dec 31, 2024vsAlabama (neutral)W1525.9
Aug 30, 2025vsNew MexicoW3127.5
Sep 6, 2025@OklahomaL2429.8
Sep 13, 2025vsCentral MichiganW2529.0
Sep 20, 2025@NebraskaW2322.6
Oct 4, 2025vsWisconsinW2824.9
Oct 11, 2025@USCL2628.0
Oct 18, 2025vsWashingtonW2830.5
Oct 25, 2025@Michigan StateW1729.5
Nov 1, 2025vsPurdueW2224.8
Nov 15, 2025vsNorthwestern (neutral)W3224.6
Nov 22, 2025@MarylandW2330.7
Nov 29, 2025vsOhio StateL1824.7
Dec 31, 2025vsTexas (neutral)L4329.8
Sep 5, 2026vsWestern MichiganW2231.0
Sep 12, 2026vsOklahomaW1726.8
Sep 19, 2026vsUTEPW2722.4
Sep 26, 2026vsIowaL2825.3
Oct 3, 2026@MinnesotaL2127.5
Oct 17, 2026vsPenn StateW1827.0
Oct 24, 2026vsIndianaL3225.5
Oct 31, 2026@RutgersW2727.0

Method

Read against .

  • Expected is an offense and a defense a team, fit over every game of its season between two teams in the table with the game being read left out, minus 0.3 in 2025, minus 0.1 in 2026 for the home team (the edge the fit finds once strength is in), nothing at a neutral site.
  • Each expected number is then fit to the season’s games: a game bears out about 73% in 2025, 60% in 2026 of the difference the model predicts.
  • The two sides are the games before and after one date, so the shuffle moves any game between them.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists, which name every player who entered the game.
  • With him means he was the team’s quarterback that game, at least half of its pass attempts; a game he left early or came into late reads as without him.
  • 4 games in 2024 are neither with Bryce Underwood nor since Bryce Underwood’s last game: Bryce Underwood had no game for the team that season, and sit out.