Kyle Whittingham's Michigan team now sits at 4-3 after another brutal loss, this time at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers by a score of 13-6 in overtime. Michigan's defense was excellent for all of regulation, while Michigan's offense was inept all game long.
Let's dive into what Kyle Whittingham got wrong in this game and why it might've cost Michigan a win in this game below.
The decision: To not overrule Jason Beck on 3rd and goal from the 1
The head coach is the ultimate leader of the program, so everything that happens in a game can ultimately be taken all the way up to the top and placed at the feet of Kyle Whittingham. I start with that because it's important to recognize that before getting into the rest of the decision here, all of it ultimately falls on Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham himself even stated that everything falls on him. Now that we've established that, let's dive into the situation and explain why it was such a big mistake for Whittingham to not overrule Jason Beck on this specific play.
It was 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line for Michigan, with the Wolverines trailing 6-0. To this point in the game, Michigan's defense was playing spectacular and the offense was being shut out. They finally managed to put together a good drive and got it all the way down to the Indiana 1 yard line on 3rd and goal.
The call Jason Beck made was one that everyone can recognize was a horrible call. The play they attempted to make was a play-action pass to the Rhino of all people in Manuel Biegel. Not only did they try to get cute down at the 1 yard line, but they also tried to do it against what's been the most disciplined team in college football going on three years now. Indiana doesn't beat itself, that's why they've won the turnover battle (or at least not lost it) 32 games in a row now.
The play-action pass clearly did not work, as Indiana's defensive line was not fooled at all and Tommy Carr got sacked for a 13 yard loss. Michigan then proceeded to miss the chip shot field goal to make matters even worse, and the Wolverines ended up with zero points from the Indiana 1 yard line.
To even attempt to get cute and try to outthink an opposing defense in this situation, that's the most disciplined team in the country, is coaching malpractice. Let's just call it what it is. The decision not to overrule it by Kyle Whittingham also can't be overlooked.
Kyle Whittingham seemed to indicate that he didn't agree with the play call even at the time it was called. If anyone had a chance to put a stop to that horrible play call, it was Kyle Whittingham. He chose not to jump in, and we can all see the result that followed.
What it means moving forward
The only real way forward from this is to acknowledge that this offense is not working. The longer they keep attempting to run this offense, the worse it reflects upon Kyle Whittingham. Every coach hires bad coordinators from time to time, that's just part of coaching football at this level.
But to move forward, Kyle Whittingham has to admit that that is what has happened here at Michigan. Jason Beck's offense is not working, period. He needs to pull the plug now or it will start to reflect upon the head coach, and potentially put his own job in jeopardy by refusing to admit the mistake he made when he hired him.
Until that happens, every Michigan game will look like this one did. The defense playing its heart out, and the offense continuously letting them down. For Michigan fans, let's hope Kyle Whittingham steps up and admits he's made a big mistake in bringing Jason Beck with him in the first place.
Sign up for the Michigan Wolverines on SI newsletter for more free coverage
Add us as a preferred source on Google