EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Michigan pivoted between freshman starter Tommy Carr and sophomore Bryce Underwood in a planned quarterback tandem during the Wolverines’ 31-7 loss at No. 18 Oregon on Saturday.
Neither
one was very effective.
Carr played the first two series on offense before Underwood, the Wolverines’ former starter, entered and played the rest of the first half. Carr then played the first four series of the second half before Underwood took over for the final two.
Carr finished 4-of-12 passing for 45 yards and also ran for 43 yards. Underwood was 2 of 8 for 26 yards and rushed for 3 yards. The Wolverines’ 71 yards passing were their fewest all season and the fewest Oregon has allowed.
“When you saw Tommy’s play last week, it was really very similar to what Bryce’s was when we pulled Bryce several weeks ago,” Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said. “I thought Bryce deserved another opportunity, and so that was the sole reason, was giving Bryce another opportunity when Tommy’s game kind of went south on him the previous week.”
The plan, Whittingham said, was to pull Carr after two drives unless “something out of the ordinary” happened.
A scuffling Underwood, the Wolverines’ full-time starter as a touted true freshman last season, was benched at halftime of Michigan’s Oct. 17 game against Penn State after he threw two second-quarter interceptions.
Carr took over and played the rest of that game, running for a 12-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that helped seal a 21-18 victory. He started Michigan’s next three games — a 13-6 overtime loss to then-No. 6 Indiana, a 28-21 win at Rutgers and a 15-6 loss at home to rival Michigan State.
Carr was 1 of 5 for 8 yards in the first quarter Saturday before he was removed for the Wolverines’ third drive. He kept his helmet on as he stood on the sideline alongside third-string quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi throughout the first half.
“(The coaches) just said that both quarterbacks would play, that you’ve got to be ready when your name is called multiple times, that we’d switch off, and that you’ve just got to be ready to play,” Carr said.
Underwood, who has been used as a runner since getting benched, entered and managed the final five series of the half, including the Wolverines’ two-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. He was 2-of-6 passing for 26 yards at the break, and Michigan trailed 21-7.
After halftime, Michigan went back to Carr for four drives as it chased a comeback but never scored. Underwood replaced Carr again late in the fourth quarter.
Michigan's two third-quarter drives both resulted in turnovers on downs, including a 15-play, 9:47 drive that ended with Carr's incompletion on fourth-and-goal. Carr’s two fourth-quarter drives ended with fumbles, one by running back Bryson Kuzdzal and another by Carr on a scramble attempt.
Underwood’s penultimate drive, on which he threw two more passes — both incomplete — ended with a turnover on downs before his last series ended the game after one rush.
“We’re going to evaluate (at quarterback),” Whittingham said. “Coming off just watching it as it happened and unfolded, I’m not sure there’s a clear-cut direction we’re going to go based on that, but the film should tell us a lot more, and then we’ll make a decision at the beginning of next week about what we’re going to do.”
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