ANN ARBOR, MI — Bryce Underwood took a shotgun blast, leaned back, stood tall and threw a 33-yard pass to Donaven McCulley down the sideline, perfectly positioned to showcase his talent in the win over Wisconsin.
Three snaps later, the Michigan defender looked like this: he is a freshman.
Underwood rolled to his left and threw left, losing control of the ball as it left his right hand and flew past his target, which the Badgers nearly recovered.
The 15th-ranked Wolverines are one of several Big Ten teams that start at quarterback in their freshman or sophomore years in college and have experienced good moments and growing pains.
Maryland freshman Malik Washington Ohio State redshirt freshman Julian Sayin and Minnesota redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey – along with sophomores Dylan Raiola of Nebraska and Demond Williams Jr. of Washington – are making far more plays than errors.
Sain won the conference's Freshman of the Week award for the second time this week, tying Washington's mark. Underwood and Lindsay each received this honor once.
Underwood entered last winter as best recruit in the country and deliberately remained silent, not wanting to overstep boundaries with high school students, before speaking more often in the spring, summer and this season.
“I think the guys have gained a lot of trust in me and what I see and say,” he said.
Underwood became the fourth freshman to start at quarterback for Michigan (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) and posted a season-high 270 yards passing and a touchdown against the Badgers.
“Just seeing him grow from January to now is crazy,” McCulley said after he had six catches for a season-high 112 yards and a score last week. “He's becoming more of a vocal leader. He's always had good composure, which is only getting 10 times better.”
Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said the Wolverines aren't paying much attention to Underwood.
“It doesn't get a lot of attention right now,” Fickell said. “He’s going to grow and grow and grow, but he’s as talented as he is.”
Sain, a transfer from Alabama, completed 80 percent of his passes for top-ranked Ohio State (5-0, 2-0), leading all of college football's top running backs. He has 13 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, ranking him among the highest-rated quarterbacks in the Big Ten.
“He's got a bright future ahead of him,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said after Sahin was 22 of 28 for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Washington two weeks ago.
Raiola has started all 18 games since joining as a freshman last year. After struggling in the second half of last season, his numbers improved in his first five games for the Cornhuskers (4-1, 1-1). He completed 74.5% of his passes for 266 yards per game with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Raiola's biggest knock was his tendency to hold onto the ball too long, which contributed to his pass protection woes. Since the start of last season, Raiola has taken 42 sacks, fifth among FBS quarterbacks.
“Ultimately, this is me, so I'll accept it and we'll learn from it and get better,” he said.
Washington has started for the Terrapins (4-1, 1-1) since Week 1, and they have already matched their win total from last season. He threw nine touchdowns with just two interceptions and scored three scores.
Williams has eight touchdowns and only one interception, along with two rushing touchdowns for the Huskies (4-1, 1-1).
Lindsay made the most of his redshirt season last year for the Gophers (3-2, 1-1), learning from six-year transfer Max Brosmer.
It fits the program's preference to develop players over the long term rather than frequently bringing in recruits from the transfer portal. Lindsey was the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas high school football, but without an offer from his home state Razorbacks, he headed north to the state where his grandfather, Jim Lindsey, played seven seasons as a running back for the Super Bowl-bound Vikings.
Lindsey was 31 of 41 for 324 yards and three touchdowns to lead Minnesota over Rutgers 31-28 last month. He was 6-of-7 for 72 yards and scored for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Coach PJ Fleck's message to Lindsay before the final pass?
“We put it on your shoulders, big boy,” Fleck said.
AP's Eric Olson, Joe Reedy, Noah Treaster and Dave Campbell contributed.
