The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 33 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL weaves through other figures from pro- gram history, too, including another former Aussie punter in Blake O'Neill, who was at the center of the "Trouble With the Snap" finish against Michigan State in 2015. The two connected during the offseason. "I actually had coffee with him at the start of this year in Melbourne," Brown said. "He's a great guy, and obviously it was a bad time to have a mistake like that. He's moved on, obviously, but it was funny to talk to him about that mo- ment. "I wasn't focusing on that moment, but the fact that he was here was pretty exciting. He talked about how he loved the place here, too, how it's such a spe- cial time. He was only here for one year, so hopefully I'm here for three years. I can't wait to spend it here." Brown was originally set to enroll just after he committed in January, but he had a few logistical issues getting back into the United States, which tabled his enrollment until after spring ball. "To get back into the country, I had to get admitted, and the admission pro- cess took a while, so I couldn't enroll in classes by the deadline," Brown said. "So I was in Australia training with my coaches back there for a couple of months. "We knew I would get here. I was pretty disappointed. I always wanted to come here straight away. Coming out of the transfer portal, I expected to get here for the winter, so it was pretty dis- appointing. But we always knew I would be fine and I would be here. I think I got here the first day of May." Brown had to choose a school out of the transfer portal sight unseen, but he knew that if a place like U-M material- ized, it was where he wanted to be. "Even when I started getting into football, Michigan was probably my top school," he said. "If I could go any- where, I'd go to Michigan. The academ- ics here, man, I'm an engineering major, so there's no better place than Michigan for me. When I heard from Michigan in the portal, it really was a no-brainer. "There was no doubt. Ann Arbor's great. I wanted to play for Whitt, Coach Coombs. This is the place for me, for sure." — Anthony Broome Superlatives For Michigan's Three Games From Sept. 26 To Oct. 17 Five Best Players 1. Junior safety Chris Bracy: Yes, he dropped a potential interception in a key moment against Iowa, but he also blew up a drive by himself while blitzing, with a pressure (second down) and batted pass (third), providing a glimpse of what was to come. Against Penn State, the Memphis transfer notched a strip-sack on a blitz, with the fumble being recovered by senior defensive tackle Enow Ettta to set up Michigan's game-winning touchdown drive. Earlier in that second half, Bracy snagged his first interception as a Wolverine. Bracy may not be the best player on the team, but he made plays that directly led to the only win during this three-game stretch. 2. Senior linebacker Troy Bowles: The Georgia transfer has led Michigan in total tackles in four of six games, against WMU (12), Oklahoma (9), Min- nesota (9) and Penn State (10). Bowles provided the pressure that led to an interception by senior cornerback Smith Snowden versus Minnesota and has totaled 2 tackles for loss in the last two games. 3. Senior defensive end John Henry Daley: The Utah transfer has been quiet since his big game against Oklahoma in September, but his steadiness as a pass rusher has been one of the most impor- tant aspects of one of the best attributes of this team, that it can get after opposing quarterbacks. In the last three contests, Daley has tallied 6 pressures and 2 sacks. Against Penn State, Daley recorded a third-down sack and got in on a tackle for loss on a third-and-short. 4. Sophomore wide receiver JJ Buchanan: Michigan's offense hasn't been much to write home about, but Buchanan led the Wolverines in receiving yards in each of the last three outings, combining to haul in 12 catches for 216 yards and 2 scores. Buchanan went off for 130 yards and 2 scores against Iowa. 5. Graduate linebacker Nathaniel Staehling: His 79-yard pick six gave the Maize and Blue a 14-7 edge over Minnesota before halftime, even though the team couldn't pull out the victory in the second half. The 6-foot-3, 241-pound North Dakota State transfer is second on the team with 34 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, on the season and has made 15 stops over the last two games and 18 with 2 for loss in the last three. Key Moment Sophomore wideout Andrew Marsh muffed a punt, and sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions resulting in three consecutive turnovers and 13 points for Minnesota. The defense held the Golden Gophers to a pair of field goals, but the dam finally broke by allowing a touchdown. In that stretch, Minnesota ran 27 offensive plays compared to just 3 from Michigan. Simply put, the Wolverines' defense was gassed. Best Highlight Freshman quarterback Tommy Carr led a second-half comeback to lead Michigan past Penn State 21- 18 on Oct. 17. Carr completed 5 of his 7 passes for 43 yards, but his rushing ability was the best part. His 22-yarder up the middle got the Wolverines to the 1-yard line, and his 12-yard scamper on a speed option went for a touchdown that gave U-M a 10-point edge with just over two minutes remaining — a play that essentially was the final nail in the coffin. Bold Prediction Tommy Carr will be Michigan's starter moving forward, but this isn't the last we've seen of sopho- more Bryce Underwood at quarterback. While mobile, Carr is only 195 pounds — meaning he could get shaken up at some point. Additionally, it might be worth exploring a special package akin to the wildcat for Underwood, a solid runner who can also throw. — Clayton Sayfie Junior safety Chris Bracy made several key plays against Penn State that ultimately led to the only Wolverines victory in a critical three-game stretch. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL