4 takeaways from Michigan’s Citrus Bowl loss vs Texas

The Michigan Wolverines lost to Texas 41-27 in the Citrus Bowl, finishing the season 9-4.

Here are key takeaways from Michigan’s loss to Texas.

Bryce Underwood was awful down the stretch

Heading into the fourth quarter, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was 15-of-28 for 126 yards with two passing touchdowns. However, the wheels came off in the fourth quarter, and Underwood had two brutal interceptions thrown right to Texas defenders. Michigan was trailing just 24-20 heading into the final frame, but Underwood’s interceptions were extremely costly and careless. Underwood finished the day 23-of-42 for 199 yards with two touchdowns, three interceptions, along with 77 rushing yards and a score. Underwood’s just 18 and ups and downs during a true freshman campaign are to be expected. What’s troubling is how bad the interceptions were and how he played against the toughest teams on Michigan’s schedule.

The hope will be that Underwood has a better sophomore campaign with Kyle Whittingham as head coach, as Sherrone Moore didn’t exactly set him up for success this year. Even so, his interceptions in the Citrus Bowl were on him and must get cleaned up moving forward, otherwise Michigan will not be beating Ohio State or making a legitimate run at the College Football Playoff. Granted, Underwood’s ceiling is high, and he made many wow plays throughout 2025, but question marks still remain, and it’s not a sure thing that he develops into a superstar. At the very least, his showing in the Citrus Bowl was a discouraging effort heading into the offseason.

Wink Martindale goes out with a whimper

Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale almost certainly coached his last game at Michigan, and it couldn’t have gone much worse. Michigan had numerous missed tackles, they didn’t generate a sack despite blitzing a lot, they had blown coverages, and they allowed Arch Manning to gash them with his arm and legs. Manning was 21-of-34 for 221 yards with two touchdowns. Manning also embarrassed the Michigan defense as a runner with 155 yards, two touchdowns, including a 60-yard score to put Texas up 38-27. Michigan’s defense was bad against USC, Ohio State, and Texas, and a change in scheme and leadership is desperately needed on that side of the ball.

The Whittingham era is officially here

While Michigan players didn’t execute at a high clip in the Citrus Bowl and the coaches didn’t call a good enough game to get a W, it’s Sherrone Moore’s fault that the game was so messy to begin with. Most criticism should be directed at Moore, not interim head coach Biff Poggi, the staff, or the players.

The 2025 season is now over and will be one that marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one with head coach Kyle Whittingham. With Whittingham in charge, there’s actually light at the end of the tunnel; there’s hope that this program can get back on track. Even before details of Moore’s scandal emerged, it was becoming increasingly clear that Moore and his staff weren’t of the caliber that competes for championships. With Whittingham, the hope of a College Football Playoff berth feels a lot more attainable.

While Michigan’s loss to Texas was an ugly way to finish the year, the good news is the season is finally over, and the program can move forward in a more cohesive and successful direction.

Thank you and Happy New Year to our Maize n Brew readers!

I do takeaways every week and have for the better part of the last decade on Maize n Brew. I’ve covered many wins, and some seasons that have been absolute duds (2017 stunk, 2020 hurt my soul, and the past two years have had painful moments as well), yet you, the Maize n Brew readers, are always here to interact with me and read these takeaways whether Michigan wins or loses. I say this on behalf of myself and the entire Maize n Brew staff — thank you, thank you, thank you! You are part of our lives, and you’re stuck with us a while longer, talking about this silly sport we love. Happy New Year! Talk to you in 2026.