ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Many will make their caveats, ‘It was just Central Michigan.’ Still, first-year Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood made a litany of NFL-caliber throws against the Chippewas on Saturday. Among them was a back-shoulder fade to tight end Hogan Hansen, the first catch of the season for the sophomore.
It was as impressive a throw as you’ll see at any point this season for any quarterback on any team, but Hansen wasn’t at all surprised that Underwood made the throw. In fact, as Hansen was streaking down the sideline, he somewhat expected that the ball would be precisely where only he could get it.
“I think that’s just like what 19 brings to the offense,” Hansen said. “Even when I was running the route, I was like, ‘Is he going to throw this ball (and) where he’s going to put it?’ And he put it literally in the perfect spot where no one but me could go up and catch it.
“He’s been doing that all camp, so it’s really nothing new for us. I just got to go and do my job.”
With that, Underwood isn’t just physically gifted in ways that other quarterbacks aren’t across the country; he is also quickly becoming a leader on the team.
Hansen was injured most of spring and most of fall camp, and somewhat languished, wishing he could have been a beneficiary of Underwood’s throws. But what he saw, watching from the sidelines, was a quarterback who wasn’t just gaining confidence; he was growing into a leadership role.
“Watching fall camp was kind of, I mean — it hurt me not being out there,” Hansen said. “But seeing the steps in maturity he took from spring ball to fall camp and how he carried himself, and just how he’s able to command the offense and really take a lead. And, when we needed, when maybe practice wasn’t going our way, taking a step in and being like, all right, bringing it together, we’re all good, just keep going.”
In Week 1, tight end Marlin Klein led the Wolverines in receiving, but after sustaining an injury in practice that week — and with Hansen still recovering from his own injury — the offense struggled against Oklahoma. But now, the maize and blue are set to head to Lincoln to face Nebraska, and the tight ends know that they’ll need to step up against the No. 1 pass defense in the country — a unit that hasn’t allowed 100 yards yet this season.
But with No. 19 slinging the ball, Hansen knows that his group can break through if there’s something of an aerial stalemate.
“We talk about, in our room, just like playing your role and doing whatever you need to do for the team to win,” Hansen said. “We got a bunch of guys that can go get it done, so at the end of the day, we just got to do our 1-11th, and like you said, give Bryce the opportunity if he needs to throw us the ball, go make a play, or go get nasty in the run game.”
Fans will be able to see Underwood and Hansen in action on Saturday with the road game at Memorial Stadium set for 3:30 p.m. EDT on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Bryce Underwood shows off NFL-caliber throw in Central Michigan game
