Urban Meyer used the Michigan quarterback switch against Penn State to walk through one of the messier parts of game-day coaching: the halftime decision to pull one passer and give the offense a new voice.
Michigan went from Bryce Underwood to Tommy Carr at the break after the offense sputtered in the first half, and Meyer said the move made sense given what the Wolverines had shown. Underwood’s line against Penn State - two interceptions, 5-of-11, 43 yards - reflected the struggles Meyer pointed to when he said, "The Wolverines have struggled all year offensively," and added, "It was time to make a change."
On his Urban Analysis segment on YouTube, Meyer told former Indiana head coach and Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo that the switch isn’t just about putting in a new quarterback. It’s about how quickly the staff can reset everything around him.
Meyer said the process starts immediately after the half begins, with coaches sorting out whether the change is coming from the coordinator, the head coach, or both. From there, he said the offensive staff gets to work right away, adjusting the plan and making sure every position group knows what’s coming.
Meyer also said the key detail in this case was that Carr appeared to fit the same general mold as Underwood. That matters because it lets the offense stay in the same lane instead of being rebuilt from scratch.
He contrasted that with the sort of situation where two quarterbacks bring completely different skill sets, noting examples like JT Barrett and Dwayne Haskins. In Michigan’s case, Meyer said the second half suggested a cleaner handoff because the two quarterbacks looked comparable enough to keep the game plan intact.
That showed up right away once Carr entered the game. Meyer pointed to the first play of the second half, an RPO in which Carr read the defender and delivered a slant to trustee J.J.
Buchanan. He also highlighted a quarterback counter, saying it matched the Bryce Underwood game plan and showed Carr could run that same type of action effectively.
Meyer said he was surprised by Carr’s speed, noting that he had heard more about his throwing ability than his athleticism.
The best example, in Meyer’s view, came on a speed option touchdown. He described Carr checking at the line, recognizing the numbers to the quarterback’s left, and making the right decision when Penn State took away the pitch. With the blockers and defenders lined up the way they were, Meyer said Carr handled it correctly and finished the play for a score.
Meyer and the rest of the Fox Big Noon Kickoff crew will be in Ann Arbor this week for Indiana at Michigan on Saturday. The pregame show is set for 10 a.m.
EDT, with kickoff at 12:10 p.m. EDT.
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Jeremiah Earby is now officially on the roster after transferring in from Boise State, and he is immediately eligible to play, adding another experienced body to the mix on a defense that can use more depth. On the recruiting front, Michigan also picked up momentum for the future when three-star receiver Yuto Kawamura-Johnson flipped his commitment from Toledo to join the Wolverines 2027 class, a reminder that the program is still stacking talent even as the depth chart continues to evolve. [Read more 🡒]