ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan football offensive coordinator Jason Beck has been under fire since Week 1 this season, and though there have been signs of life for the Wolverine offense, though the maize and blue eclipsed their meager yardage total from the Minnesota game earlier in the season, the 15-6 loss to Michigan State featured a particularly moribund offensive attack.
The Wolverines finished with 192 yards and were only 2-for-10 on third downs. After giving up five sacks, Michigan only had 54 total rushing yards. The only touchdown came late in the game, with only a minute and 35 seconds remaining. At no point did the offense feel like it was capable of driving the field and scoring a touchdown.
Even still, Kyle Whittingham is not ready
to pull the trigger on ousting Beck from his role. Asked in the postgame if he would move on from Beck, he says that the plan is to reevaluate after the season.
"Not right now. As I'm sitting here at this podium, no," Whittingham said. "But at some point we've got to have results. I mean, it's a result-driven business. And it's a bottom-line business. And we're going to die with everything after the season and determine what the best course of action is. But not right here, right now."
The final three games this year are likely the most difficult. The Michigan offense will face the No. 7 defense in UCLA, the No. 10 defense in Ohio State, and the No. 53 defense in Oregon. Two of the games are on the road. And MSU shut down the Wolverine offense, despite being the No. 64 defense, and being extremely shorthanded and playing a slew of backups.
Beck is the highest-paid offensive coordinator across all of football, including the NFL, and reportedly has a $9 million buyout.
Against Penn State earlier this year, the offense came alive when Whittingham and Beck moved off Bryce Underwood and inserted true freshman Tommy Carr. When Carr struggled in this game, however, the staff did not choose to reinsert Underwood -- who had zero snaps this game.
Whittingham says it was discussed, and ultimately the staff chose to keep going with Carr. Though he admits, they probably should have given Underwood some opportunity.
"That was a conversation, whether or not Bryce should have gone in," Whittingham said. "That was late in the third quarter -- should that switch we made? And it just felt like it wasn't going to be the answer. We should have done that. In hindsight, we should have done that.
"But, you know, we've got some serious issues. And, well, like I said, going to work tomorrow. I don't know what else to say other than not gonna just give up on the season. We've got three games left. Like I said, we've got some kids in that locker room, we've got a lot of pride and a lot of want to. And we've just got to find a way to get back on track."
Up next, Michigan faces Oregon in Eugene. Then hosts undefeated UCLA before going to Columbus to face 6-3 Ohio State.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham addresses Jason Beck's future after Michigan loss
