Jake Butt didn’t waste time soft-pedaling what he saw from Michigan’s offense.
The former Wolverines tight end and current Big Ten analyst took aim at the film from Saturday’s loss to Minnesota, and his message was simple: this is bad football, and there isn’t an obvious quick cure. Butt, who was an All-American and won the John Mackey Award in 2016, has spent enough time around high-level football to know when a unit is spinning its wheels.
On Sunday, he posted his assessment on X, calling the Minnesota tape “as disappointing as you’ll find” and laying out a long list of issues.
"Minnesota film is as disappointing as you’ll find. It’s a hodge podge of poor play calls, poor execution, mental errors, lack of effort, lack of awareness, poor communication and identification, players playing slow.. seemingly from not being aware/ confident of their assignment, then you see pressing. Just saying 'screw it… let me try this'.
"Just really bad football. Defense once again showing their talent and potential.
Kept the game close. But really never had a chance with the play of the offense.
The answer? I have no idea.
Not an easy fix."
That frustration fits the bigger picture in Ann Arbor. Michigan has now dropped two straight after the heartbreaking loss to Iowa, and the offense has become the glaring problem. The Wolverines were expected to be able to lean on the run game, especially with Jason Beck arriving in Ann Arbor after helping produce the No. 2 rushing attack in both 2024 and 2025.
Instead, through five games, Michigan sits at No. 122 nationally in total offense and No. 100 in rushing. The ground game’s best day came against UTEP, when the Wolverines ran for 185 yards. Against Minnesota, they managed just 79.
That drop-off has put the spotlight on Beck’s fit and on quarterback Bryce Underwood. Under Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s offense never fully clicked, but the run game at least gave the team something to hang onto. That expectation changed when Beck arrived, with the belief that he could make the ground attack even more efficient.
Now the questions are piling up. Kyle Whittingham, who spent 21 seasons as Utah’s head coach, also knows what clean, functional offense looks like. He saw Beck elevate Utah’s offense last season, but after Saturday’s loss he made it clear changes are on the table.
Whittingham said he will look at all possibilities, and that some “tough decisions” could follow. One of the first places people will look is quarterback, with Tommy Carr being mentioned as a possible replacement for Bryce Underwood.
But whether that kind of move solves anything is another matter. Beck still has to make the scheme fit the personnel on this roster, and until that happens, changing one piece may not be enough.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Just Added Fuel To Michigans Biggest Early Debate
Michigans uneven start has already turned the spotlight toward what is going wrong in Ann Arbor, and the latest outside critique only sharpened the conversation. At 3-2, with losses to Iowa and Minnesota fresh in the record, the Wolverines are searching for answers in a season that has not matched the standards the program usually demands. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, now working as a college football analyst, added his own blunt read on the situation, saying on a podcast that he sees a team lacking passion, energy and toughness.
Meyers comments land at a moment when every issue around Michigan seems to be getting magnified, especially the quarterback debate. He also suggested Bryce Underwood has taken too much of the blame for the teams broader problems, a familiar theme when a struggling offense starts to wear the criticism. The larger question hanging over the Wolverines is whether their issues are about one player, one side of the ball or something more fundamental, and Meyers assessment only made that early-season argument louder. [Read more 🡒]
Former Wolverines Are Sending Michigan Fans Mixed Messages This Season
This season has already given Michigan fans a different kind of scorecard to follow, with several familiar faces now making their marks at new schools. A former starting quarterback has settled into the ACC and looks like he has found a good fit, while other ex-Wolverines are scattered across the country trying to establish themselves in new systems. For a program that has leaned on development and roster retention, the transfer exodus has created an odd mix of pride and frustration for the fan base watching from afar.
The feelings get even more complicated when the schedule brings some of those players back to Michigan Stadium later in the season. A linebacker who has had limited impact at Oklahoma and a group of former wide receivers and running backs with uneven results elsewhere will all carry their own storylines into that return trip. For Michigan supporters, it is the kind of reunion that can prompt both applause and second-guessing, depending on which former Wolverine is lining up across from the home team. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Basketball Schedule Reveals A National Spotlight Fans Will Notice
Michigan basketball fans now have a much clearer view of what the 2026-27 season will look like, as the school and the Big Ten released the full schedule with dates, tipoff times and television information for both conference and non-conference games. It is the kind of early calendar reveal that immediately shows where the spotlight will be, and this one comes with plenty of national exposure.
The slate is spread across a wide range of platforms, with games set for FOX, CBS, Peacock, BTN, FS1 and ESPN, giving Michigan a steady presence on major TV windows throughout the year. The announcement also lays out the preseason, regular season, Big Ten tournament and NCAA tournament portions of the schedule, so fans can start mapping out a season that will be watched far beyond Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]