Michigan is sticking with Bryce Underwood as its starting quarterback and offensive coordinator Jason Beck as its playcaller following an open week, coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday. Both will remain in their roles despite the offense's struggles through the first five games of the season.
The concern is most visible after Michigan's 20-14 loss at Minnesota on Oct. 3, when the offense generated just one score, 180 yards and committed three turnovers. Whittingham called the performance "unacceptable" and said some "tough decisions" could lie ahead. "Jason will call plays and Bryce is our guy, and we'll move forward," he said.
Backup quarterback Tommy Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, received about half of the reps with the first-team offense last week, a plan that was always in place during the open week, Whittingham said. Carr has played only briefly, completing both of his pass attempts in the blowout win against UTEP.
Underwood, a second-year starter in his first year with Whittingham, is completing 59.3% of his passes with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He has been effective as a runner, with 212 yards and two scores. Whittingham pointed to turnover margin as the team's biggest problem, saying, "We continue to lose the turnover margin, we'll continue to lose, period, cut and dried." Michigan hosts Penn State this Saturday.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing