Michigan football may be on a bye week, but there's no rest for the weary.
Coach Kyle Whittingham didn't met with media for his usual Monday session − a typical bye week procedure − but did sit down with color commentator Jon Jansen on "Inside Michigan Football" to rehash what went wrong in a brutal 20-14 loss to Minnesota.
“Two weeks in a row, we’ve held a lead going into the fourth quarter, and haven’t been able to hang onto it,” he said, “That’s at the top of the list of the most discouraging things is to go into the fourth quarter, you know, ahead and just not being able to finish.”
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The two main
reasons for folding late were turnovers and an anemic offense. U-M had three turnovers in a span of three offensive plays (plus one on special teams) to open the second half, which allowed the Gophers to turn a seven-point deficit into a six-point advantage.
The pass game, which Whittingham felt "had really taken a step forward" in each of the prior three weeks, instead regressed against Minnesota. Quarterback Bryce Underwood completed just 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards and two interceptions, which came on back-to-back plays to end the third quarter and start the fourth, inside U-M's own territory.
The sophomore passer completed 6 of 7 passes to open the game, then connected on just 4 of 14 the rest of the way.
“His throws just weren’t as crisp and on the mark as they were earlier on, and then we had the one interception where Andrew [Marsh] was wide open down the field and it would have been a touchdown and Bryce just didn’t see it,” Whittingham said. “I mean, the quarterback doesn’t always see everything, but had he been able to see that one right there, that would have probably been a big factor in the outcome of the game.
“But this is not all on Bryce. I by no means am trying to paint that picture. But he just was more accurate early in the game than he was later on ... we just weren't as sharp down the stretch."
The film was a tough watch. There were bad decisions in the read-option game, missed assignments on the offensive line, drops by wide receivers and tight ends and questionable play calling, like a third-and-1 decision to run a wildcat with Jordan Marshall on the opening drive that got stuffed and forced a punt.
U-M ran 28 times for just 79 yards (2.8 yards per carry) and one touchdown as the attack didn't have a single drive that gained more than 37 yards. In fact, only one of the final eight drives of the day lasted more than 2:02. It's been a theme for the struggling offense, as U-M has scored fewer than 20 points in four of five games and is off to an 0-2 start in the Big Ten for the first time since 2014 and just the second time since 1967.
“Obviously, we had many offensive woes in this past game,” Whittingham said. “We weren’t nearly as productive as we needed to be – really at anything. Didn’t run the ball well though, didn’t throw it well enough, weren’t good on third down, didn’t protect the quarterback like we needed to. We turned it over.
“Just a myriad of issues we have to deal with ... we have our work cut out for us.”
Asked if it was a problem with scheme, Whittingham called that "debatable" and implied there's no clear cut answer saying, "you ask 10 different people, you’ll get 10 different answers on that. We just didn’t execute well enough.”
The outside noise about benching Underwood in favor of true freshman quarterback Tommy Carr is beginning to reach a fever pitch, something Whittingham said he considered mid-game (as he did with every position) but decided Underwood gave the team the best chance to win.
Instead, this bye week will be more of a self-scout than anything else. The Wolverines will comb through what has and hasn't worked to this point − be it formations (like playing an extra offensive linemen), play sequencing and personnel combinations.
“Self-analysis: what do we do best?” Whittingham said. “Through five games, what’s been our strength? Where do we need to gravitate? What do we need to gravitate towards schematically? Personnel-wise, you know, who have been our best players through those five games? And are we getting those best players on the field often enough and enough reps?”
One area Whittingham is convinced needs to change is rushing.
The Wolverines are No. 100 nationally (135.0 yards per game) on the ground and 13th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten.
“I’ve said this for weeks and weeks, but we’re more of a downhill team and I think we got away from that just a little bit,” Whittingham said. “If we can continue to be a down-hill team, let the offensive line just roll off the ball, we’re going to have the most success running the football.
"It’s a situation of figuring out what we’ve done well so far and what do we need to cast off and not try to do anymore ... Not put a square peg in a round hole, and find a way to manage the game offensively so that we have a chance to win.”
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: Here's what Kyle Whittingham says is 'most discouraging' for Michigan
