Happy. Thrilled. Those are the words Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham used to describe the successes of his former program, Utah, which is fresh off of a top-15 win that catapulted the Utes to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 rankings and solidified their status as the Big 12’s best College Football Playoff hope.
And the words and phrases currently associated with Whittingham’s Wolverines? Disappointing, which Whittingham used to describe the outcome of a pivotal third-and-goal play from the 1-yard line in a 13–6 overtime loss to Indiana. Panic, which Whittingham said “it’s not time to” when asked if he’d potentially make a change at offensive coordinator to ignite a stagnant offense.
On the latter point, Whittingham is right. It’s not time to panic. This isn’t Oregon, which just fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer after it entered the season expected to be one of the four final teams left standing in the CFP and is instead one of the first contenders to be effectively eliminated from CFP contention.
The Wolverines were expected to be on the periphery of the CFP, but they didn’t need to make the CFP for Whittingham’s season to be considered successful. And yet, it is certainly time to worry about Michigan.
Whittingham believes the Wolverines are “a play away from 6–1 or 7–0.” Sure, but they’re also a phantom second and a couple of plays away from 2–5 or 1–6.
The offense, expected to take a step forward under offensive coordinator Jason Beck, has instead taken two steps back and ranks second-to-last in the Big Ten in total yards and points per game. The offensive line has been riddled with injuries and generates little push in the running game and neither halfback Jordan Marshall nor Savion Hiter, has provided much juice when the line does generate a hole. Michigan was forced to bench its high-priced and turnover-prone quarterback Bryce Underwood in favor of freshman Tommy Carr. The Wolverines essentially have one receiver, JJ Buchanan, whom defenses have to worry about. As a whole, the offense has been far too prone to momentum-killing penalties.
Despite all their flaws, the Wolverines, thanks to a championship-level defense that has a case for the Big Ten’s best, had an opportunity to pull off a stunner of an upset against the defending champion Hoosiers at the Big House.
But in the biggest moment of the game, a third-and-goal inside the 1-yard line with under eight minutes to go in the third quarter, Beck got cute and attempted to outmaneuver the Indiana defense with a play-action boot, resulting in a sack and a loss of 13 yards. The botched call hurt even more when Michigan missed the ensuing field goal attempt on fourth down. Given the way the Wolverines defense, which held Indiana to just 81 yards passing, was playing, a touchdown there may have been the turning point.
Instead, the Wolverines lost a winnable game. Beck’s offense averaged just three yards per play, and struggled on third downs and in the red zone, warming his seat considerably while inviting more questions about the program’s quarterback situation.
Where do the Wolverines go from here?
Commit to Tommy Carr at quarterback
Whittingham waffled when asked about who the starting quarterback against Rutgers would be, seemingly leaving the door open for Underwood to reclaim his starting spot. That would be a mistake. In many ways, it feels like both Underwood and Michigan need a fresh start, and Carr showed enough moxie through the growing pains against one of the best defenses in the country to warrant giving him a crack at one of the worst defenses in the country in Rutgers. Besides, if Beck is going to get into any sort of rhythm as a play-caller, some semblance of continuity is needed at the most important position on the field. Whittingham has a chance to give him that this week.
Give Beck a two-game runway against two of the Big Ten’s worst defenses
Whittingham keeps citing Beck’s track record, which is that of one of the best offensive coordinators in the business, as reasoning for him still wearing the headset on offense. It’s understandable to lean on the artist’s greatest hits—spearheading top-five offensive units at Utah and New Mexico in 2025 and ’24—because Beck’s latest hits have flopped. Not counting points off of turnovers, the offense hasn’t produced a touchdown of its own in a month. It ranks among the bottom 10 in total offense in the entire FBS.
Heck, even Whittingham, who wouldn’t go so far as to say that Beck is struggling in his postgame news conference after the loss to Indiana, seems to be changing his tune. The veteran coach told reporters on Monday that if an in-season coordinator change needs to happen, that he’d make the tough decision. It would be unwise to part ways with Beck now, given how talented the Indiana defense is and how costly such a move would be.
Whittingham, with some QB continuity, should give Beck chances to get this offense moving in the right direction against Rutgers, the Big Ten’s worst defense, and Michigan State, the conference’s sixth-worst defense in terms of yards per game. If we’re still having this same conversation after those two contests, then Whittingham and the Wolverines may have no choice but to eat Beck’s buyout and see what a different voice can coax out of the unit.
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