Kyle Whittingham walked away from Saturday’s loss to Iowa with one thing front and center: Michigan has to start taking the ball away.
On the Inside Michigan Football radio show, Whittingham said the turnover battle has become too big an issue to ignore after the Wolverines were beaten 1-0 in takeaways.
“We got to take the ball away at a higher rate, much higher rate than we are,” Whittingham told host Jon Jansen.
He pointed to defensive coordinator Jay Hill’s approach to turnover work as a constant throughout his career, but also made clear that the margin can swing a season if it keeps going the wrong way.
“Probably the most disappointing thing in the game, for me, was - or one of the most disappointing things was our inability to take the ball away,” Whittingham said. “… We need to do a better job getting the ball to the offense in short-field situations.
“We’ve done a lot of good things on defense, don’t get me wrong. But that’s not one of them. That’s something that we need to have change.”
Even with that frustration, Whittingham highlighted tackling as one of the best parts of this defense. He cited linebackers Troy Bowles and Nathaniel Staehling, along with a front that has held up well against the run.
“I think we’ve been in single-digit missed tackles three of our first four games, which, that’s the benchmark there,” Whittingham said. “If you can be less than 10 in missed tackles, you’re tackling very efficiently.”
The offense also gave Whittingham something to point to. Bryce Underwood turned in what looked like his most comfortable outing yet, finishing 17 of 28 for 276 yards and two touchdowns. That said, the red zone interception still loomed large.
“I thought we played our best game offensively,” Whittingham said.
Whittingham said Underwood is making progress, especially when the play breaks down and he has to move.
“Bryce has an ability to be very accurate on the move and on the run, and he’s doing a better job of keeping his eyes downfield when he is on the move,” Whittingham said.
There were also injury updates from Whittingham. Blake Frazier and John Henry Daley both missed time Saturday, and he mentioned Marky Walbridge as a possible option if Frazier is needed to be replaced. Another possibility is sliding Brady Norton to tackle and rotating in another interior lineman.
Daley’s situation sounded a little more encouraging.
“Yeah, he’s doing OK,” Whittingham said. “I saw him in the facility [Monday].
He’s walking, which is a positive, without a boot, without crutches. But we’ll have to see, as the week progresses, how much soreness we can get out of that injury and get him back on the field.”
Later on, running backs coach Tony Alford joined Jansen and talked about a room that has continued to make steady gains. Jordan Marshall ran 11 times for 59 yards, while Savion Hiter added 14 carries for 53 yards.
That production came with offensive line shuffling, and it was still a useful step for a group that has been searching for consistency. Marshall, though, has yet to top 60 rushing yards in a game this season.
Alford said he isn’t concerned.
“I think everything’s a work in progress, and we all are guilty of wanting instantaneous results, and this process, we talked about that this morning, actually. It’s a process, and the big plays are gonna come,” he said.
Marshall said the season has been frustrating, but he’s keeping his focus on the bigger picture.
“I just remind myself, ‘This is helping the team.’ Four yards, four yards, four yards, me, Savion, Kuz (Bryson Kuzdzal), even Bryce, one of us is gonna break one in the run game, and I don’t know who it’s gonna be,” Marshall said.
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