Michigan’s trip from Week 1 into a showdown with No. 10 Oklahoma has turned into a fast-moving cleanup project, and Kyle Whittingham made that much clear Monday morning.
The Wolverines beat Western Michigan, but the mood around the program is anything but settled as Saturday’s 12:14 p.m. matchup on FOX approaches. Whittingham said the offense has “a lot to fix,” while also pointing to a defense he felt handled its business. The imbalance showed up in the details, especially with Western Michigan holding the ball for more than 40 minutes, a stretch Whittingham called “very lopsided.”
The quarterback situation remains the biggest talking point. Sophomore Bryce Underwood is still the starter after a rough opener in which he went 12-of-22 for 170 yards, threw one touchdown, one interception and lost one fumble.
He also led Michigan in rushing with 47 yards and scored on the first drive. Whittingham said Underwood is QB1 right now, but he stopped well short of making that sound permanent, saying “it’s something that’s not infinite.”
If Michigan does look elsewhere, freshman Tommy Carr is the next option. Whittingham praised him as a calm presence who makes good decisions.
“And he seems to be unflappable. Nothing really bothers the kid.
He’s really calm and collected. He’s a guy that’s very intelligent.
He lives in the film room.”
Whittingham also used Monday’s availability to take a first real look at Oklahoma. He described the Sooners’ defensive line as “very talented,” called quarterback John Mateer “outstanding,” and said the staff had interest in Mateer when he entered the portal. Brent Venables drew praise too, with Whittingham calling the Oklahoma head coach “extremely intelligent.”
The run game is another area demanding immediate attention. Whittingham said Michigan didn’t run the ball well and noted that wasn’t “not indicative of a Jason Beck offense.”
After rewatching the game a few times, he landed on a measured assessment of the offensive line: “not bad.” Then he doubled down with, “It wasn’t a great game, but it wasn’t bad.”
He also said the Wolverines need to “be more violent” in the run game, and suggested practice work may change this week to push that point.
There was no shortage of urgency after the opener. Whittingham said “absolutely” when asked if the players felt it, adding that “it was very evident in the locker room” after the game. He said the leaders handled that conversation well and that the message was simple: “We gotta put this behind us and don’t lose sight on the side of the fact we won the game ”as frustrating as everybody feels.”
Whittingham also singled out a few individual performances. Wide receiver JJ Buchanan was a “bright spot” on offense.
Edge rusher John Henry Daley, back in live action for the first time since his Achilles injury at Utah last year, “played well” but is “not at the peak of his game yet.” Safety Rod Moore was “effective” when on the field, though Whittingham said the staff may have given him too many snaps.
Even so, he said both players did “a really nice job.”
There’s also some injury movement to monitor. Tight end Hogan Hansen missed the opener, but Whittingham said the staff will try to get him more involved in practice this week with an eye toward Oklahoma. Freshman edge rusher Carter Meadows and sophomore offensive lineman Andrew Babalola are in the same group of players the staff hopes to work back in as the week goes on.
In Other News...
Michigan May Have Found The Edge Threat Fans Have Been Waiting For
Michigans narrow 13-12 win over Western Michigan did not offer much room for comfort, but it did give the defense a fresh name to watch. Dominic Nichols flashed in a way that stood out even in a game defined by tight margins, piling up nine tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while emerging as the highest graded defender on the team, according to Pro Football Focus.
For a unit still trying to sort out where its edge pressure is going to come from, that kind of performance matters. Head coach Kyle Whittingham had positive remarks about Nichols, and the bigger question now is whether this was a one-game spike or the start of a real breakout in Michigans defensive lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Win Sparks An Officiating Debate Fans Wont Ignore
The finish to Michigans 13-12 escape over Western Michigan left plenty of people talking about the play on the field, but the bigger issue may have been what happened in the final moments around the clock. A controversial officiating sequence at the end of the game centered on a disputed second that helped decide the outcome, and a source familiar with replay protocols pointed to multiple deviations from NCAA rules, along with a noticeable gap between the official game clock and the broadcast clock.
For Michigan fans, it was the kind of ending that turns a routine nonconference game into a wider argument about how college football is governed and who gets the benefit of the doubt when the stakes get messy. The dispute also feeds into the sports larger fairness conversation, especially with resource gaps across the game and the College Football Playoff controlled by the Big Ten and SEC, two conferences already at the center of so many decisions shaping the sports future. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Made Its Season Opener Count With Priority Recruits
Michigans season opener at The Big House was about more than the game on the field. The Wolverines used the night as a major recruiting stop, bringing in several priority prospects who had a close look at the program from the stands and on the visit trail, including top linebacker targets Camden Noe and Jay Schell, along with Cyrus Zuah, Kinnard Mahomes, Wyatt VanBoening, Pierre Johnson and Marquis Ray.
The early returns were encouraging for Michigan, with some recruits leaving with offers in hand and others talking up the atmosphere, the coaching staff and the facilities. For a program that has made game-day visits part of its recruiting pitch, the opener gave the Wolverines a chance to sell the full experience, and it sounds like the staff made the kind of impression that can matter as these decisions start to narrow. [Read more 🡒]