Locker Room Gets Concerned by Bryce Underwood Injury Threat As Sherrone Moore Falls Prey to New Sanction

Michigan’s bright new star, Bryce Underwood, made quite the splash in his debut game against New Mexico. By the end of the night, he had completed 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards. That included a sharp 17-yard touchdown pass that helped keep Michigan’s lead comfortable early on. New Mexico pushed back fiercely, scoring 10 points in a rapid burst before halftime. But the young quarterback didn’t flinch.

Instead of playing it safe, Underwood orchestrated a 75-yard touchdown drive in just 91 seconds, featuring a gutsy connection with tight end Klein on a clever wheel route. But then he showcased something that no one in Ann Arbor had any idea about. Alongside that razor-sharp 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Marlin Klein, he made one particular on-field moment that instantly caught everyone’s attention. It happened during Justice Haynes’ second touchdown run. A quick little 5-yard burst to the end zone.

But what turned heads was the fact that Bryce Underwood, the freshman quarterback, threw down a block on New Mexico’s Ky’Won McCray like a seasoned veteran to clear the way. It’s risky business that can lead to injury or a dangerous turnover on the field. And the entire Wolverines locker room, including Coach Moore, echoed the emotion. Gio El-Hadi, Michigan’s offensive lineman, had a little fun with the moment, jokingly giving Bryce Underwood’s block a perfect 10-out-of-10. But he quickly added a serious piece of advice: “Make sure you don’t do that to your throwing shoulder, though.” Linemen throw elbow-to-the-ribs moves to clear the way for their backs, but you don’t want your quarterback tangled up in that regularly.

‘I said, ‘Stop. Don’t do it.’

‘I knew he was a dog’

Michigan HC Sherrone Moore, RB Justice Haynes react to the block thrown by QB Bryce Underwood that paved the way for Haynes’ second touchdown vs. New Mexico

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— Matthew Lounsberry (@Matt_Lounsberry) September 1, 2025

And even Moore didn’t mince words when talking about Underwood’s block during the game. “I said stop. Don’t do it,” Moore said, before being asked if the block made him cringe. “A little bit, yeah, but he loves it. He loves the game. Loves football. He loves the physicality. He’s the first one when we’re having our nine-on-seven drill, tackle drill. He’s over there getting hyped, rocking his hair, music. It does make you cringe. You don’t want your quarterback doing that, but it kind of perks you up a little bit, understanding and knowing that he loves that part of the game.” The best part is Moore didn’t even know that Bryce could block. The surprise was kept a secret for the opening night, maybe. “

The potential danger is that if Underwood meets a much larger, more aggressive defender square-on, he could face a serious injury, particularly to his throwing shoulder. I mean, it’s the very part of his body that the team relies on to launch those precise throws. A misjudged block against a much bigger hit could injure his mobility or throwing arm and potentially sideline him for crucial games. No one wants their star freshman QB trying to be a hero and getting hurt.

Fresh controversy hits Michigan hard

Officials upheld the targeting penalty call against Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham. This means Barham will miss the first half of Michigan’s highly anticipated game against No. 18 Oklahoma this week. The penalty and ejection came during the third quarter of Michigan’s win over New Mexico. It was after Barham made a hard hit on Lobos quarterback Jack Layne. Initially, the play looked like a scoop-and-score touchdown for Barham. Officials ruled that Layne was down before fumbling, and they flagged Barham for targeting, instantly ejecting him from the game.

The targeting call against Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham has been upheld, coach Sherrone Moore said. Barham will miss the first half of this week’s game at Oklahoma. He was ejected in the third quarter against New Mexico after a hit on Lobos quarterback Jack Layne.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 1, 2025

What makes this situation more controversial is that top Big Ten officials, including commissioner Tony Petitti and VP of football operations A.J. Edds, both publicly disagreed with the targeting call. Coach Moore echoed that sentiment, stating plainly, “We don’t agree with it. Tony doesn’t agree with it. A.J. doesn’t agree with it.” He also said, “It’s a rule we have to get changed … just for the game, the toughness of the game, how you want to teach tackling.”

Among Moore’s points was the difficulty of teaching players how to tackle when there are such strict rules about head contact. Moore described the hit as one where Barham kept his head up and avoided leading with the crown of his helmet, which should not qualify as targeting. The NCAA upheld the suspension despite Michigan’s appeal, forcing the team to start without one of its defensive leaders.

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