Everything looked great out of the gate.
Michigan opened the Kyle Whittingham era against Western Michigan with an extended scoring drive on the back of sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood, who hit on all five of his attempts for 61 yards and capped things with a short touchdown run.
For about five minutes of game time, the No. 18 Wolverines looked like Utah, where Whittingham continued to reinvent himself and his offensive style until the surprising end, posting three 10-win seasons in his last five years before leaving for Ann Arbor.
But this isn’t Utah, and any idea the Wolverines were going to compete on a national level in his first year should be seriously reconsidered.
After scoring first, Michigan was outplayed by Western Michigan and
was on the verge of a 12-7 loss before a magical extra second and an even more magical 47-yard heave by Underwood was caught by JJ Buchanan as time expired.
The dramatic ending and 13-12 win overwrites what was to that point an utter debacle for a tenure that promised to bring stability after a run of on- and off-field embarrassments.
And even though that Hail Mary will last in pregame highlight reels at Michigan Stadium well into the future, the warning signs coming out of Saturday should drop Michigan out of the US LBM Coaches Poll and lead to questions about how quickly Whittingham can return the program to the top of the Big Ten.
The biggest concern has to do with Underwood’s performance between his first five throws and his last. Another is how WMU owned the point of attack, leading to extended drives that taxed Michigan’s defense.
One WMU field goal, cutting Michigan’s lead to 7-6, came after a costly Underwood interception late in the first half. Later on, the Broncos went ahead 9-7 with a field goal at the end of a 20-play, 71-yard drive that spanned 14 minutes.
The win matters, but mostly because of the alternative. Despite the late miracles, this feels like a faceplant that will be very, very difficult to overcome and will threaten to define Whittingham’s entire first season. A big test against No. 9 Oklahoma comes next week.
Worse yet, this could be the canary in the coal mine for an out-of-nowhere hire after the terrible end to former coach Sherrone Moore’s two seasons.
Until the final play, Michigan gained just 201 yards on 4.8 yards per snap. The offense turned the ball over three times and converted just once on third down. Overall, WMU held the ball for over 38 minutes.
After the opening drive and before his final toss, Underwood went 6 of 16 for 62 yards. With the Wolverines pinned in their own territory with under two minutes to go, he fumbled while scrambling to give the ball and the win to WMU.
His obvious lack of growth after an offseason under the new staff suggests Underwood's issues with pocket and game management could be baked into his profile as a player.
This does damage to the hope that Whittingham’s decadeslong touch at Utah would travel to Michigan. Likewise with the thought that he and offensive coordinator Jason Beck could do for Underwood what they did for Utah quarterback Devon Dampier.
And barring a rapid turnaround and major improvement, this may just be the beginning. After Oklahoma comes to town, Michigan’s conference slate includes No. 22 Iowa, No. 17 Penn State, No. 6 Indiana, No. 2 Oregon and No. 1 Ohio State.
This was nearly an unforgettable flop saved by a miracle. But things can — and maybe even will — get worse than this.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan saves Kyle Whittingham debut with unlikely Hail Mary against Western MIchigan
