For the second week in a row, Michigan football is keeping its starting quarterback close to the vest.
Coach Kyle Whittingham did not name Tommy Carr or Bryce Underwood the starting quarterback for this week's game at Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 31 (12:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) but he did say the team will have made the decision before it begins its first practice in pads Tuesday.
“That’s to be determined,” Whittingham told reporters Monday at Schembechler Hall. “I don’t want to play this game every week about who’s going to start, but that will be a decision we’ll make in the next couple days here.”
Carr, a true freshman from Saline, started the
first game of his career in a 13-6 OT loss to Indiana last week. He completed 20 of 32 pass attempts for 167 yards and one interception and finished with 6 yards rushing on 15 carries, though that includes four sacks for a loss of 36 yards. On designed runs, he had 37 yards on six carries; that includes a fumble, however, off a careless pitch on a speed option.
“Tommy did some good things,” Whittingham said Monday. “Some things we have to improve on, obviously. We could say that about everyone in the program. But Tommy was gaining experience. He had the opportunity to run all the reps with the ones last week in practice and be the guy, and I thought he handled it pretty well.
"Obviously, again, we have to continue to get better play across the board, at that position, as well.”
In just about every regard, U-M's offense was a disaster. The loss was U-M's first game with fewer than seven points since September 2014, and the seventh straight game without a 100-yard rusher, the worst streak in decades for the program. Michigan drove inside the IU 25 five times but mustered just two field goals.
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Despite much of this happening on Carr's watch, Whittingham does not fault him for struggling against perhaps the best defense in the Big Ten.
“He’s not the one to shoulder the blame in this," Whittingham said. "He’s taking it on himself because that’s who he is. But we’ve got plenty of issues to go around, and it all starts with coaching. If we’re not playing well enough up front, we’re not coaching well enough. Not playing well enough at the receiver spot, we’re not coaching them well though.
"That’s our mentality. That’s my mentality.”
Underwood, of course, opened the season as the starter but lost the job after inconsistent performance. He completed 58.1% of his passes for 924 yards and had more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five).
Given Carr didn't run away with the job, there's a chance (albeit an unlikely one) that U-M goes back to the sophomore.
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.
Next up: Scarlet Knights
Matchup: Michigan (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) at Rutgers (2-5, 1-3).
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31; SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WCSX-FM (94.7).
Line: U-M by 14.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football won't commit to starting QB heading into Rutgers
