Kyle Whittingham is keeping the quarterback mystery alive, and this time it may be more than smoke and mirrors.
For the second straight week, Whittingham said at his Monday press conference that Michigan football won’t reveal a starter for its next game. He made the same sort of move before Indiana, saying the Wolverines had a plan at quarterback - they just weren’t going to share it.
That secrecy didn’t fool anybody for long. After the win over Penn State, it was clear Tommy Carr was going to get the nod. And against Indiana, Carr brought the same kind of frustration Michigan fans have already seen from Bryce Underwood.
Carr’s night came with two turnovers, and both of them hurt in the worst way. Indiana got the ball in Michigan territory twice because of those giveaways, and both turnovers directly led to all of Indiana’s points in regulation.
Michigan still had plenty of chances to clean it up. With help from the defense and a Zeke Berry interception, the offense got three goal-to-go opportunities and only came away with six points.
Add in the overtime series, and the Wolverines had five possessions inside the Indiana 25. They scored on only two of them.
That kind of red-zone waste doesn’t leave much room to blame only one piece of the operation. Jason Beck, the offensive coordinator, has taken his share of criticism, too.
But he’s not going anywhere. Whittingham said he isn’t panicking, even with Michigan sitting just a couple of plays away from being 6-1.
The larger picture is hard to ignore. Michigan still has time to straighten things out, but the path to the College Football Playoff looks awfully narrow.
The Wolverines would need to win out, and they’d also need UCLA and Ohio State to keep winning. Maybe if Michigan beats those teams back-to-back and handles the rest of the schedule, it could build a case.
Right now, though, that’s tough to picture when the offense can barely string together a first down. The defense looks capable of keeping Michigan in almost any game. If the offense were merely average, this team would look a lot different.
If Michigan’s offense had matched what it was in 2024, the Wolverines would probably be 6-1. If it had been as good as last season, they’d probably be 7-0.
This season has also made one thing obvious to Michigan fans: Chip Lindsey was pretty good at his job as offensive coordinator.
As for Saturday, the quarterback decision is still up in the air. Carr seemed to do some solid things in the second half, and both quarterbacks could wind up playing. But the name under center matters less than the performance around him.
At this point, the formula is simple. Michigan doesn’t need a masterpiece.
It just needs an offense that can find the end zone a couple of times. That’s all it would have taken to beat No.
4 Indiana.
In Other News...
Michigan Fans Can Already See The Next OC Debate Coming
If Michigan decides the offensive staff needs a new voice after Jason Beck, the candidate list is already starting to take shape. The names being floated all bring different angles, from experience calling offenses to familiarity with the program, and that mix alone is enough to set off the kind of debate Wolverines fans know well. Aaron Roderick, Dean Kennedy, Chandler Whitmer, Jedd Fisch and Jay Harbaugh each have a case in their own way, which means the conversation is not just about who is available, but about what direction Michigan wants to go.
The wider speculation only adds another layer, because there is also chatter about NFL-level options such as Brian Daboll or Nick Sirianni, even if that remains purely hypothetical for now. For a fan base that has grown used to dissecting every staff move, the real intrigue is less about the exact name and more about whether Michigan chooses continuity, experience or a bigger swing if the job opens up. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Biggest Problem Showed Up Again In Loss To Houston
Michigans trip into a top-10 showdown with Houston quickly turned into a familiar frustration. The Wolverines fell 83-66 after the Cougars took advantage of early foul trouble and the kind of rebounding issues that can unravel a game against a disciplined opponent, then used efficient offense and sturdy defense to control the pace from there.
Michigan kept trying to hang around, but Houston never let the matchup get comfortable. The Cougars stayed composed, pushed the action when it was there and built a lead they protected throughout, leaving the Wolverines with the same glaring problem that has shadowed them before. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Already Has One Early Problem Fans Wont Ignore
Michigans first serious test of the preseason offered a quick reminder that exhibition games can still reveal real problems. Against No. 10 Houston, the No. 16 Wolverines had trouble holding up inside and on the glass, areas that matter even more when the competition tightens and the margin for error shrinks. Key frontcourt pieces like Moustapha Thiam and J.P. Estrella were limited offensively, and Michigan never consistently found a rhythm against a Cougars team that controlled the paint from the start.
Houstons edge was reflected in the numbers, as Michigan was outrebounded 42 to 30 and managed just nine made 3-pointers in 33 attempts. Dedan Thomas Jr. led the way with 25 points, while the Wolverines were left sorting through an early reminder that shot-making alone may not be enough if the interior play does not come around. For a team with Big Ten expectations, the bigger concern may be whether this was just one rough night or the first sign of a bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]