We all feel pretty frustrated and demoralized right now, as the Michigan Wolverines slump into their bye week at 3-2. The first loss felt unlucky, but maybe not completely unfair after the miraculous escape in Week 1, but there was really nothing to look at except into the mirror after last weekend’s catastrophe at Minnesota made it two straight losses to open up Big Ten play.
While fans are left licking their wounds during the off week, Kyle Whittingham has his work cut out for him. Surely this is not
what he ever envisioned upon taking over the Wolverines, even knowing all of the baggage he was inheriting. The veteran coach must now be willing to pull any lever that can help him get the team get back on track.
Even so, does any hope still remain? Does making a change at quarterback fix anything? Here is some mid-season fact or fiction.
Fact: Actually, yea, the season is kinda over
Sorry, but I just cannot see it. Maybe Michigan pulls off an upset against Indiana, Oregon, or even Ohio State. Maybe the defense is so good that even small improvements on offense flip these narrow losses into wins. Maybe the new scheme finally clicks and suddenly these early hiccups just miraculously go away. Crazier things have happened in college football — but I am not expecting to see them here.
Michigan just has too many flaws right now, which look somewhat obvious when considering the big picture. Last season was not really that impressive, and the returning players are essentially needing their memory wiped to operate under an actual coaching staff, a staff that also is not used to having to do so much damage control.
This schedule always made a shot at the College Football Playoff slim, but after three straight Big Ten Championships, going 8-4 with an upset or two is not really a successful season. That might have worked in 2018, when multiple top-25 wins and a New Year’s Six appearance felt pretty good, but the bar is much higher now. So unless the Wolverines somehow get to 9-3 with multiple CFP-worthy wins, this year is donezo; there are no moral victories here.
Fiction: Bryce Underwood is the offense’s biggest problem
More often than not, an Underwood start ends up feeling more discouraging than positive, but I really think that Michigan fans and the national media alike are missing the root issue here. Yes, the sophomore had a very rough fourth quarter against Minnesota, and certainly his stats this season are not blowing anyone away. However, he has absolutely shown real progress and is not the sole reason this offense is sputtering.
For Michigan to be so bad running the ball is absolutely mind-boggling. This team was 14th in rushing YPG and 12th in YPC last season, yet suddenly is around 100th in both nationally despite a returning offensive line and Jordan Marshall, plus the generational talent Savion Hiter? Watching each snap gives me motion sickness, rhino sickness, whatever other sickness you can imagine. This is a scheme problem.
Maybe one could argue that the run game regression only feels so bad because Underwood needs so much help, or that the run game is struggling because defenses have nothing to fear over the top. I reject these hypotheses given the rough quarterbacks Michigan has featured who have still allowed for successful run games — including a freshman Underwood! So while the quarterback play remains below average, much more blame should be placed on the play-calling and scheme that has somehow neutered the unquestionable strength of this program.
