Jake Butt isn’t sugarcoating Michigan’s offense, and the criticism lands hard because it’s coming from someone Wolverines fans trust.
The former Michigan tight end, now an analyst for the Big Ten Network, told The Athletic that the unit doesn’t look like it has a real identity right now. That’s the kind of assessment that cuts straight to the core of the problem, especially with the defense still playing at a championship level.
“They don’t have an offensive identity,” Butt said to The Athletic. “They’re going in each week saying, ‘How can I protect my quarterback?’
Rather than saying, ‘What do we do best?’ Their best run plays are Bryce read-options.
In my opinion, Jordan Marshall is at his best as a downhill runner. I don’t understand his base run being him in Wildcat and doing fake jet sweeps with Bryce.”
Butt also pointed back to last season and gave credit to Chip Lindsey, saying the offense had a clearer plan then. He said Bryce Underwood hasn’t been used as a runner nearly as much this year because of the quarterback’s struggles with reads.
“Last year, I give credit to (offensive coordinator) Chip Lindsey. We’d asked Sherrone, why aren’t you running Bryce more?
But we’re seeing that Bryce doesn’t consistently make good reads anywhere, not even on read-option. Last year, Michigan decided they were gonna run downhill with their running backs.
And get into play-action off of that, using the tight ends - who have been nonexistent this season.”
That’s the sharpest part of Butt’s indictment: Michigan had an offensive formula last year, one that produced 210 rushing yards per game and 5.8 yards per attempt, and then moved away from it.
He also said the blocking structure “make no sense,” particularly with so many unblocked players being left at the line of scrimmage. And he thinks Tommy Carr should get a look, too.
There are plenty of people pointing fingers at Jason Beck as well, and Butt’s view lines up with the broader frustration around the offense. His point on Carr is simple: he can read a defense, and while he doesn’t have an elite arm, Butt said he throws it better and runs it better than expected.
That was based on spring ball, though.
For now, the bigger issue is whether Michigan can get Underwood back on track while still putting him in a position to succeed. Butt’s answer is clear: if the offense has to slow that process down, then it needs to lean back into the downhill run game.
In other words, let players do what they do best, or risk wasting a season that already feels dangerously close to slipping away.
In Other News...
Michigan Finally Has A Passing Game Bright Spot Fans Can Believe In
For a Michigan passing game that has spent plenty of time searching for a reliable spark, JJ Buchanan has given Bryce Underwood a clear place to go early and often. The sophomore wide receiver, a transfer from Utah, has quickly become the Wolverines most productive receiver, leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns through the first five games while piling up a record-setting debut and multiple 100-yard outings.
That kind of start was enough to put Buchanan on the midseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to one of college footballs top receivers. For Michigan, the bigger takeaway is less about the award buzz and more about the fact that the offense finally has a pass-catcher who is shaping defenses and changing how the Wolverines can attack on a week-to-week basis. [Read more 🡒]
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For Whittingham, the hard part is not just evaluating performance, but weighing what a change would mean for the room, the offense and the stretch run ahead. Michigan has not announced any decision, and the bye week only adds to the scrutiny because there is time to think but no game to hide behind. The next move at quarterback is still open, and for a team trying to steady itself, that uncertainty hangs over everything. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Underwood's Road Struggles Are Becoming A Real Michigan Problem
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Underwoods numbers on the road already tell part of the story. He completed 57% of his passes in road games last season, then followed that with a rough showing at Minnesota, where he hit just 47.6% and threw multiple interceptions. If that trend lingers into the fall, Michigan will have to weigh whether its starting quarterback can hold up in the places where the season is most likely to be decided. [Read more 🡒]