Well, it’s been another week. The Wolverines are 3-2 after dropping back-to-back games to Iowa and Minnesota. Now this team has a bye week and a chance to prepare for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, 3-2 is just not where you want to be at this point in the season. Michigan football plays a tough schedule this year and still has games against Indiana, Oregon, and rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. They’ve also got to face a vastly improved UCLA. If they can’t manage wins against also-struggling
Penn State and Rutgers, it’s honestly at the point where bowl eligibility might not be on the table. That’s not a good start to the Kyle Whittingham era.
We asked for your questions this week on The Feed, so let’s answer a few of them now.
On how the Wolverines can attack the bye week
captainCC11: How do Michigan and KW “win” the bye week this week?
A few days have passed since captainCC11 has asked this question, and I’d say so far, this team is not winning the bye week. First, you’ve got TE Zack Marshall sharing his thoughts on the loss in a group chat, then having to apologize on social media to the team for his actions. Then you’ve got the team getting roasted on social media for sharing that they were watching an early screening of a Netflix movie. Personally, everyone needs a little downtime, and I don’t care so much about them taking a break and watching a movie together. It’s just not a great look coming off a pretty lackluster performance against Minnesota, and a disappointing loss to Iowa the week before.
While it looks “not good” from the outside, hopefully the team is focusing up on the practice field. Many of the players have said they practice better than they play, so let’s hope they take this week to figure out why that production isn’t translating. Along with that, using this time to have some of the offensive linemen really heal up could be great for the rest of the season.
On the quarterbacking, or lack thereof
Adamsrocks: Might Carr want to sit this year out for development?
It’s possible, but I also think that QB Tommy Carr comes from a family of competitors and would probably take the opportunity to play. We know his brother CJ Carr started as a redshirt freshman after sitting behind Riley Leonard, so it’s possible Carr is just waiting to develop more. But also, former head coach Lloyd Carr had to start multiple true freshmen at one point, including QB Chad Henne. If Carr doesn’t get starting snaps, it’s probably more complex than just Carr wanting to sit out the year.
David Lewis 2: What’s your opinion about starting Carr vs. PSU? Could they play both in the game as Harb’s did with JJ and McNamara? Also, if they did that, and they want to use that wildcat so much, how bout putting BU in the backfield so the D had to be at least a little honest?
In 2024, I wanted RB Donovan Edwards throwing more deep passes to help with our limited quarterback room, so I’m willing to support any sort of weird plays that the offense wants to try to get things on track.
When it comes to the QB Bryce Underwood/Carr comparisons to J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara (2021), it feels a little different. While they did let McCarthy make some passes, they usually brought him in because of his threat as a runner; that wouldn’t necessarily be the case with Carr/Underwood. I’m still on the fence about starting Carr, but I do think throwing him in for a few snaps on a drive here and there might actually really help this team. The offense is so stagnant right now; a change feels like it’d be nice, but it also doesn’t feel like changing starting quarterbacks is a decision that coaches can easily undo. If they want to start Carr, I’m not sure they can try it out and then go back to Underwood. Although, given Underwood’s performances as a starter, maybe he doesn’t have as much leverage transferring out as we once thought.
Natty2023: What do the practices look like for Carr this week? Does he have increased reps?
Head coach Kyle Whittingham said they’re going to consider a lot of things in the bye week, so I’d bet they’re giving Carr some extra reps with the starting unit.
On the state of the program
SonicsAaron: Is this a culture problem brewing? How can this attitude problem be fixed?
Given the Zack Marshall messages this week, it doesn’t look like the team’s in the best headspace. While Marshall is just one player, it’s tough to see how there aren’t a few other players on the team questioning decisions by their teammates and coaches. It’s a large roster, and players are people. Honestly, winning some games would probably improve morale a bit.
On the special teams focus during the bye week
I’d like to apologize to Walk ons for not finding the best way to summarize the question from The Feed, but I thought the question from them regarding special teams was interesting. The question essentially asked if the coaches would focus on blocking and creating lanes on returns for special teams to try to get a big return, maybe even a touchdown.
From what I’ve seen from special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs, I can definitely see them trying out some different things on special teams. For the kickoff unit, it’s clear RB Bryson Kuzdzal wants to provide that big spark on special teams. Originally, I was going to say I don’t know that this strategy would be worth it, because it puts an already struggling offense in a bad position if Kuzdzal can’t get to the 25-yard line. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought, why not focus on getting points anywhere you can. The defense has helped turn the tables in each game by giving a short field or by putting points on the board. The offense is clearly struggling, and the risk might be worth it, at least this season.
The punt unit has looked great in some games, and then you’ve had a couple of muffs on the return from WR Andrew Marsh. I’d imagine they’re looking to help him make better plays. He’s been explosive in games before; it’s nearly impossible to deny that, but this season, he’s had more missteps. The issues to fix there don’t seem as big as the ones on offense.
