Michigan shows its resilience in 17-10 win over No. 11 Oklahoma after getting lucky break in opener

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan earned a signature win in Week 2 of the Kyle Whittingham era.

The Wolverines showed their resilience in a 17-10 victory over No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday, a week after getting a lucky break in a controversial win against Western Michigan that the NCAA said it couldn't overturn.

He became the team's primary ball carrier — highlighted by a 38-yard touchdown run — and didn't lose a turnover after Whittingham said earlier in the week that the sophomore had to improve to keep his job when asked how firmly he was the team's starting quarterback.

“I don’t agree that I opened that can of worms,” Whittingham said, adding he was simply answering a question. “Bryce is our quarterback.”

He carried the ball 18 times — often by design — for 87 yards to approach the total of 22 carries that three running backs had combined against the Sooners.

The Sooners knew what was coming from the 6-foot-4, 230-pound player but still couldn't keep him contained on the ground.

“He’s exactly who we thought he was,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “Really talented guy. Big. He’s strong. He’s hard to get down.”

The Wolverines had 152 yards rushing after being held to 106 yards by the Broncos of the Mid-American Conference.

“We should be able to move the ball on Western Michigan and we didn’t,” offensive tackle Blake Frazier said.

Even though Michigan allowed the Broncos to score only one touchdown, its defense couldn't get off the field on a 20-play drive that took nearly a quarter off the clock in the second half last week.

The Wolverines were much better on that side of the ball on Saturday, holding the Sooners scoreless in the first half, allowing just 100 yards rushing and holding them to 3 to 13 on third down.

The Wolverines were flagged 11 times for 90 yards, including 15 yards when Jyaire Hill was called for unnecessary roughness when Oklahoma was backed up to its 2 in the third quarter.

The senior cornerback stepped in front of John Mateer’s pass at the Sooners 30 and returned it 24 yards to set up Jordan Marshall’s go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here . Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.