Michigan’s bye week arrives with the same blunt reality hanging over the offense: the Wolverines are 3-2, they’ve dropped two straight, and the fixes needed here look bigger than a quick tune-up.
Receiver J.J. Buchanan, one of the few steady bright spots on that side of the ball, didn’t sugarcoat it. Michigan’s offense, he said, is “not doing enough.”
He also shared the message coming from offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
“We’re just little things away from things really being different,” Buchanan said. “Everybody’s gotta do a little bit more.
That’s what he said. Everybody’s gotta do a little bit more.”
That’s the encouraging line. The troubling part is everything around it.
The numbers are ugly: Michigan sits No. 122 in total offense, No. 100 in rushing offense, No. 111 in passing offense, No. 106 in scoring offense, and No. 107 in time of possession. Meanwhile, the defense remains No. 6 in total defense, which only sharpens the strain on a unit that’s spending far too much time on the field because the offense can’t sustain drives.
Buchanan said “everything is easily fixable,” but the problems don’t look that simple from the outside. Bryce Underwood has struggled at quarterback, the offensive line hasn’t been strong enough, and the scheme has raised questions as well.
Beck’s outside runs have not been the answer when Michigan seems built to lean more on power concepts, and the passing game isn’t involving tight ends at a high enough rate. That has left Buchanan and Andrew Marsh soaking up too many targets for an offense that can’t afford to be so narrow.
If Michigan is going to get rolling, the answer has to go beyond execution. Personnel changes may be part of it - even a possible switch from Underwood to Tommy Carr - and the scheme has to be adjusted too.
Less Wildcat and Rhino. More downhill running.
Fewer outside stretch plays. More tight ends in the passing game.
The bye week offers a chance to make those changes before Penn State and Indiana arrive next. If Michigan only makes small tweaks, the outlook stays bleak.
Panicking isn’t the move, but ignoring what the tape and the numbers are saying would be a mistake. The offense doesn’t need a little bit more.
It needs a lot more.
In Other News...
Tigers Next Wave Of Prospects Is Getting A Telling Fall Test
The Tigers are sending several of their top young players to the Arizona Fall League, giving the next wave of prospects another chance to keep moving after their seasons ended. Zhyir Hope, Bryce Rainer and John Peck are among the names headed there, a sign that Detroit is using the offseason to keep its developmental pipeline active and to give these players a more demanding stage against quality competition.
For an organization with clear eyes on what comes next, the Fall League is less about ceremony than progress. The Tigers have seen encouraging recent minor league work from this group, and the challenge now is translating that momentum into another round of growth. It is the kind of assignment that can quietly shape a future roster, even if the biggest payoff is still out ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Young Core Faces One Defining Question After 2026 Rollercoaster
The 2026 season left the Tigers in a familiar but frustrating spot, with stretches of promise followed by the kind of inconsistency that kept them from ever getting back to .500 after early May. Injuries to Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene were a major part of the story, and as the roster thinned out, Detroit leaned harder on its younger prospects just to keep the season moving.
That late push from the kids may end up mattering more than the final record. The Tigers are expected to keep building around that group in 2027, even as the front office looks at possible replacements for departing veterans, and the bigger question now is how much of this roster is ready to turn a lost opportunity into the next step forward. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mize Could Be Headed Toward An Interesting Next Stop
Casey Mizes next move could end up being less about splash and more about fit. After mixed results with the Tigers and a rough stint with the Padres, the free-agent right-hander is drawing attention as a pitcher who may be willing to take a shorter-term chance to reset his market and prove he still has value.
Bleacher Reports Zachary D. Rymer pointed to the San Francisco Giants as a potential destination, a sensible connection for a team that could be looking at a rotation overhaul after a difficult 2026 season. For a pitcher like Mize, a modest deal with some flexibility makes sense, and San Francisco has the kind of opening that could turn into an interesting next stop if the two sides line up. [Read more 🡒]