Michigan’s 15-6 loss to Michigan State on Saturday night at The Big House was ugly enough on its own. For Kyle Whittingham, it also felt like the kind of result that should end his run in Ann Arbor.
Whittingham was brought in to steady a program that needed structure, discipline and cleaner football. Nine games into his first season, Michigan still looks like a team searching for all three. The Wolverines have been penalized at one of the worst rates in the country, they own one of the worst turnover margins in college football, and the same issues keep showing up no matter the opponent.
That has been the story all year. Michigan nearly slipped past Western Michigan as a four-touchdown favorite, then lost to Iowa and Minnesota as the favorite in those games.
Rod Moore said the team played “soft” in Week 1, and Whittingham used the same word after Penn State. Five weeks later, that description still fits.
Saturday was the low point. Michigan State entered the game winless in Big Ten play and left with a road win while Michigan was left with another home loss that should not have happened. The Wolverines looked unready from the opening whistle to the final snap.
That’s where the frustration with Whittingham comes in. This roster is not devoid of talent.
Michigan’s blue chip ratio sits at 47.8 percent, one of the highest in the Big Ten. That kind of talent doesn’t explain losses to Minnesota or Michigan State.
Those are coaching failures - preparation, discipline and game management - and they land on the head coach.
Whittingham has spent this season pointing to the work that still needed to be done. Before the season, he deflected blame from the staff to the players.
He said it could take a couple years before Jim Harding had the offensive line the way he wanted it. He also took a shot at the previous strength and conditioning staff this offseason, saying they never had the players bench press.
The problem is that Michigan was playing meaningful November games last year under the previous staff. This year, the November games feel empty. A win over Ohio State would still mean plenty, but losing to this Michigan State team is a different matter entirely.
There are obvious reasons some would argue against moving on this quickly. It is Year 1.
The program is in transition. A firing after one season would feel abrupt, and the buyout would not be cheap.
Michigan is also dealing with an athletic director search and a presidential transition, and the last thing the department needs is another jolt.
Still, none of that changes what the season has become. Whittingham is soon to be 67, and his age made it fair to wonder how long he would really be around anyway. Instead, Michigan has gotten a team that looks stuck in the same old problems: penalties, turnovers and lapses in focus.
Whittingham was hired to be the adult in the room. What Michigan has gotten instead is a team that keeps making the same mistakes every week. After losing at home to its in-state rival as two-touchdown favorites, that reality is impossible to ignore.
In Other News...
Michigans MSU Loss Forced A Change Whittingham Couldnt Delay
The loss to Michigan State pushed Michigan football coach Whittingham to make a change he said he could not put off any longer. After reviewing the performance, he dismissed offensive coordinator Jason Beck, the Utah import who had been guiding the offense, and turned the play-calling duties over to offensive line coach Jim Harding on an interim basis.
Whittingham framed the move as a direct response to offensive regression, and he was clear that the decision came from his own evaluation rather than any outside pressure. For a program trying to steady itself after a disappointing showing against its in-state rival, the change signals both urgency and accountability as the Wolverines try to reset on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Hit A New Low And Bigger Changes May Follow
The latest loss only deepened what has become a rough season in Ann Arbor, as Michigan fell to Michigan State 15-6 and kept searching for answers on both sides of the ball. The offense has sputtered for much of the year, the defense has not been able to carry the load often enough, and the result was another reminder that the Wolverines are dealing with more than just a bad night.
Kyle Whittingham has already signaled that bigger roster changes could be coming next year, which adds another layer of uncertainty to a program already staring at a difficult stretch ahead. With ranked opponents still on the schedule and questions hanging over key leadership roles, Michigan is running out of time to stabilize the present while also figuring out what the future should look like. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Quarterback Debate Is Back At The Worst Time
The quarterback picture at Michigan has shifted again at exactly the wrong moment, with Kyle Whittingham saying the starter for the upcoming game against Oregon is still undecided after the firing of offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Freshman Tommy Carr has opened the last three games, but his most recent outing raised fresh questions after a noticeable dip in performance, while Bryce Underwood remains in the mix because of the athleticism and leadership that made him the previous starter.
Whittingham has been here before with quarterback changes, and he is not tipping his hand this time either. For Michigan, the uncertainty adds another layer to a week already defined by change, with the Ducks looming and the offense still searching for the right answer under center. [Read more 🡒]