After a week of noise around Michigan, the loudest praise may have come from the least expected place. Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall went to bat for offensive coordinator Jason Beck, calling the idea that Beck can’t coach “asinine” and labeling him “an exceptional coach.”
“The thought that now he can’t coach is just, excuse my language, asinine. That that’s not being rebutted is just, ya, it’s really frustrating to me to see from afar. Cause he’s an exceptional coach.”
That defense of Beck landed in the middle of a week when plenty of people had something to say about Kyle Whittingham, Beck, and the direction of the program. Former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner added his own frustration on the podcast he co-hosts with Jake Butt, saying he’s done with Whittingham’s messaging.
“What have we seen from Coach Whittingham? The devalue of the rivalry against Ohio State.
That’s just a fact. Right?
I mean it’s important, but is it? I don’t hate ‘em, like that kind of stuff… I don’t know if it is just, ‘I’m a little older and I don’t care about winning the press conference’, or, ‘I’m a little older and I don’t care that what I say has an impact because I’m dealing with 18, 19-22 year olds’… I haven’t been on board with any of it.”
While the outside conversation has swirled, one constant has been Jay Hill. The praise around him only keeps growing, and the sense is he’s done more with less than almost anyone in the sport this season. The Michigan defense has carried the load through the chaos, and Hill is expected to be a head coach somewhere next year.
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, meanwhile, made it clear he knows exactly what his offense is walking into. He had high-end words for Michigan’s defense, calling it “elite, elite” and pointing to the numbers and the tape.
“Defensively, I think they have an elite, elite defense. They’re playing as well or better than everybody in the country.
You know, statistically, it says that, you know, yards per play, they’re number one in the country, right, which is really the, you look at that and you look at points. But just throwing the tape on, that’s when it’s just so impressive what their players are capable of and how they schematically use them.
Daley, Etu, and Pierce, I think, are dominant players up front, like physically dominant guys. Against everybody they play, it’s not against this team and not against that team.
They’re very consistently dominant. Front, front line players.
[Troy] Bowles, [Chase] Taylor, and [John] Daley, I think really good linebackers. You know, we know Bowles intimately.
You know, we had Todd Jr. on our team for a few years. I know his dad, great football family, great people, very good player, very good player.
And then [Jyaire] Hill and [Zeke] Berry at the corners, you know, elite, and, you know, gonna be NFL players, and Moore and Bracey at the safety. Bracey caught my eye just watching tape.
I mean, Moore’s been there forever, it feels like. But Bracey, the transfer from, I think it’s Memphis, meant a lot because he support the run and play the pass, and really a good football player.
So, offensively and defensively, they’re certainly a talented group.”
With Saturday’s game against Rutgers coming up, the Wolverines will spend another week under the microscope. And if the conversation around the program has been any indication, it won’t be quiet.
In Other News...
Bryce Underwood Could Force A Tough Michigan Decision Soon
Bryce Underwoods freshman season has already hit an early crossroads, and Michigan is now weighing what comes next for one of its most highly touted young players. After struggling against Penn State, the former five-star quarterback recruit was benched in favor of Tommy Carr, leaving the Wolverines with a familiar but uncomfortable question about how quickly to lean on a talent that arrived with so much expectation.
Underwoods athleticism is part of what makes the conversation so intriguing, because it opens the door to the idea of using him in a different offensive role if the quarterback picture stays unsettled. For now, though, no official decision has been made and no position change has been mapped out, which leaves Michigan in evaluation mode as it tries to sort out both the present and future of its offense. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Heads To Rutgers With Key Starting Spots Still Unsettled
Michigans trip to Rutgers comes with a little more uncertainty than a typical Big Ten road game, even after the third availability reports were released ahead of Saturdays matchup. The Wolverines already know they will be without starting offensive tackle Andrew Sprague, while linebacker Troy Bowles is listed as probable, leaving at least one key spot on the depth chart in flux as game day approaches.
Rutgers has its own issues to sort through, with starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan ruled out and wide receiver KJ Duff still questionable. For Michigan, the report adds another layer to a game that already carried plenty of importance, since the final lineup picture on both sides could still shift before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Won In A Way Fans Havent Seen In Awhile
Michigans 28-21 win over Rutgers came in a style Wolverines fans have not seen much of lately, with the offense carrying the day and the defense playing enough complementary football to finish the job. Freshman quarterback Tommy Carr and sophomore receiver JJ Buchanan delivered key touchdowns as Michigan piled up 425 yards of total offense, giving the home crowd a more familiar kind of rhythm on a day when the attack set the tone.
Rutgers kept pressing and put more points on the board than Michigan usually allows, but the Wolverines answered with the kind of late stops that can still define a close Big Ten game. For a team that has spent plenty of recent Saturdays leaning on defense, this one offered a different kind of proof of concept, even if it did not come without some anxious moments down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]