It's going to be interesting this weekend when Michigan football hosts Indiana, given that the offense came alive with the quarterback switch from Bryce Underwood to Tommy Carr in the second half vs. Penn State. Given that the defense has been solid, if not elite (the Wolverines have the top-rated defense in yards per play), it should keep the game interesting, but if the offense can suddenly move? That could be a game-changer.
On the ESPN College GameDay podcast on Wednesday, Dan Wetzel discussed the change, and noted that, in the wide-open Big Ten, the Wolverines aren't exactly out of it.
"Michigan team that looked totally dead in the water until halftime of last week and may still be," Wetzel said. "But if Tommy Carr came in, they moved the offense
-- he's still a true freshman, I'm not expecting a ton out of this, I don't expect this to happen. But if that sparks it -- there's no doubt that Michigan's got a defense, they've got some running backs. They could get this thing going and be at least a tough team to beat. Can spring some upsets, if not still -- conceivably, I mean, it's on the table and get to 10-2. So there's all sorts of different possibilities. And the Big Ten can make a really interesting race just in that league."
That said, Wetzel does believe that the maize and blue will get their third loss this week with the Hoosiers coming to town. But, he does think that the game will be a bit closer than people would have thought just a few short weeks ago.
"I'm intrigued as anything about what Michigan does at quarterback," Wetzel said. "Will both guys play: Underwood and Carr? Will they play both at the same time? You know, Utah, I said, Utah runs a two-quarterback system. That's where Whittingham came from. There was a definite spark and some competency and, like, reading run options and RPOs and different things, coming into a game and then starting a game or two different things. There's Whittingham trying to be coy about who's going to start.
"How does Underwood respond to all of this? He was a very good teammate on the sideline. Does he come back if he gets back in the game and make some plays? So I'm very interested in what Michigan does. And I think they haven't been interesting all year because they haven't been able to do anything offensively, but I think they're interesting.
"I think this is the worst possible opponent they could be playing is Indiana. They need a couple of turnovers. They need some penalties. They need a returned kick a bunch and keep this game low scoring to make it work. And I don't think Indiana is going to give them that. So I'll take the Hoosiers, but fascinating game for the Wolverines, no matter how the result ends up."
Rece Davis agrees on all counts. But he thinks this could be a game where the maize and blue find at least some semblance of identity, but can't quite get over the hump of beating the defending national champion.
"It's a great opportunity for Michigan, for sure," Davis said. "A great opportunity for Kyle Whittingham to sort of reestablish some confidence in the fan base, but the spot is wrong. The team is wrong that they're facing. I can't see Michigan with Tommy Carr or Bryce Underwood based on what we've seen from them offensively, doing enough to have a chance to win the game. They'll need some mistakes from Indiana. That's uncharacteristic.
"I would assume even if Hoover isn't able to go full speed, they certainly don't have a guy that's experienced at Indiana, but I think their backup is Grant Wilson. I believe he's played, you know, he's an older guy. They'll have them coached up and ready. I think Indiana sort of methodically wins the game. I don't think they blow them out. It's going to be like a lot of the Michigan games we've seen and probably a lot like, maybe not quite as dramatic, but in final score, probably something somewhat similar to what we saw in Bloomington on Saturday between Indiana and Ohio State. I'll take the Hoosiers to roll."
Michigan and Indiana kick off at 12:10 p.m. EDT, with the game set to be broadcast on Fox.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN analysts predict Michigan-Indiana, weigh in on Tommy Carr
