Quarterback Tommy Carr and wide receiver JJ Buchanan had just left the Crisler Center media room, when Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham strode in and sighed, sitting down for his turn to field questions.
"Well, that was disappointing," he said, reaching for his chair. "To say the least."
He wasn't talking about his defense. That unit faced 11 drives in regulation by the defending College Football Playoff champion and didn't allow any to net more than 32 yards or last more than 3:25. In fact, the Hoosiers crossed the 50-yard line only once – their opening drive, which was stopped at the U-M 49.
But the offense, well, disappointing is about the most polite
word Whittingham could come up with. The decision to start freshman Tommy Carr wasn't the problem, though he did have two turnovers in U-M's first five possessions, which led to all six Indiana points in the first 60 minutes.
The defense, however, got this game to overtime, with neither team reaching the end zone through four quarters. Only one team scored a touchdown in OT – IU needed two plays to power the 25 yards for a score before Michigan, predictably, came up short in the red zone in a 13-6 loss to No. 6 Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Each offensive stat for the Wolverines was seemingly worse than the next: 42 rushes for just 57 yards; 10 tackles-for-loss allowed; four sacks; three sacks on third down.
But the numbers weren't the worst. That would be the play-calling from offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
With every yard mattering, Michigan was just feet away from a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. The Wolverines had gone 74 yards over 13 plays before facing third-and-goal from the 1. IU's edge came charging at Carr as he faked the handoff to Jordan Marshall on the play-action pass, then turned to roll right.
Looking for a "rhino" offensive lineman as the planned receiver, Carr instead took a 13-yard sack, wiping out even the option of a fourth-down TD try.
The freshman credited a "great play call" from the defense to blow it up. Whittingham had a different assessment.
"Everything falls on my shoulders, so whatever happens falls on me," he said. "That was not a good football call. Do I have the ability to overrule? I have the ability to overrule everything in the whole program. It was a disappointing outcome and a call that Jason wishes he has back − really damaging."
As troubling as anything for the offense was its woes in the red zone, where it went 2-for-4 with two field goals. Beck's group had the ball first-and-10 inside the Indiana 14-yard line on four occasions in the second half and overtime and netted one yard combined on those possessions.
Carr showed signs of promise, completing 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards and running 15 times for six yards (42 yards if not for the sacks). But his two turnovers, while understandable given his youth, were pivotal.
It was another game in which Michigan's offense was shut down − its sixth with 21 points or fewer in six games − and that's the story of the season: An offense entirely to blame for a mediocre 4-3 record.
"That's exactly it," Carr agreed. "If we were a little bit better, we would be undefeated right now, honestly."
The defensive players said all the right things postgame. It's their job, no matter what, to get off the field. They have standards of their own and it's up to them to generate more than one takeaway. But anybody who watched Saturday knows the defense was a virtual wall all day long, shutting down a passing offense with one of the best wide receiver combinations in the nation.
That's no a surprise, given U-M entered Saturday leading the country in fewest yards allowed per play.
"Overall, the whole defense, we did everything we could," said defensive back Zeke Berry, who had an interception and 37-yard return to set up Michigan's first field goal. "I’m proud of the guys that we got on the field. I’m happy that we did everything we could."
But it hasn't been enough.
It's a shame, really, to waste a CFP-caliber defense with a high school level offense. But that's where Michigan is, virtually eliminated from CFP contention before even the start of November.
Carr, knowing this, said he "feels for the seniors" on defense who've done all that could be expected. Now, fans' ire – once pointed at quarterback Bryce Underwood – shifts to Beck. He is the architect of the attack, the common factor in what hasn't worked across seven weeks.
Defensive back Smith Snowden said he's surprised that Michigan's offense hasn't been better, stating that it's "not a talent problem" and "guys make play in practice" but there has been something lost in translation on Saturdays.
There's no sugarcoating it: The offense is the problem.
Neither the defense nor the special teams have been perfect. But Michigan's attack, or lack thereof, has spoiled a season that will only be talked about as what could have been.
The schedule lightens up over the next two weeks, with five-loss Rutgers and six-loss Michigan State, so perhaps the Wolverines can gain some momentum. Still, wins over the Scarlet Knights and Spartans will provide little solace. They also won't take the heat off Beck and by proxy, Whittingham, for coming up short in Year 1.
“We're not completing the ball at a high enough percentage," Whittingham said. "We're not protecting the ball well enough. We're not good enough in the red zone offensively. You name it, and we've got to work on it.
“That's our challenge, that's my challenge, that's Jason's challenge and it's squarely on our shoulders.”
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football offense stealing potentially historic season from defense
