Well, that didn’t go so well, did it?
Kyle Whittingham made his highly anticipated coaching redux in Michigan Saturday, and before the game ended, some fans were chanting “Fire Kyle,” making it the shortest honeymoon this side of a Kardashian.
The Wolverines defeated — and we’ll use that term loosely here — Western Michigan, 13-12, but only if you believe the official (made-up) version. The game was won on the first play after the game ended. If you ignore all the shenanigans with the clock, it was really a 12-7 loss. The ending of that game is still being examined like it was an episode of “CSI.” JJ Buchanan, one of the five players Whittingham took with him from Utah to Michigan, caught the game-“winning” touchdown with negative one second left in the game.
Whittingham’s debut game drew a lot of attention and a week’s worth of headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. If there’s such a thing as a moral victory, then this was a moral loss.
It is a sign of just how far things have devolved at Michigan that fans stormed the field after beating a Mid-American Conference team they were favored to beat by 27 points.
Just like that, the Wolverines are out of the top 25, and that’s not exactly what the school had in mind when they brought in Whittingham from Utah.
It’s much too early to make pronouncements, but if Whittingham went to Michigan to prove himself at the highest level of the sport, as some have surmised, he’s got a lot of work to do, or so it would appear after Saturday’s faux win.
The other thing that was made clear on Saturday: Whittingham is still Whittingham. During his two decades at Utah, Whittingham’s MO was physicality, defense and a running game, which is to be expected from a former linebacker and defensive coordinator. His offenses were serviceable but conservative and lackluster, especially in an era when passing was in vogue. Quarterbacks rarely thrived under Whittingham (to wit; all the team’s receiving and passing records are decades old).
Offense was always Utah’s weakest point. Whittingham went through nearly a dozen offensive coordinators and at least one of them complained that it was difficult to call plays with him looking over their shoulder — do I call the play I think we should run, or the one I think he wants me to run?
On Saturday, the Wolverines looked a lot like those Utes. They gave up only 12 points — four field goals. They scored only two touchdowns — but really only one. Take away that last touchdown and they had only 229 yards of total offense.
Bryce Underwood completed just 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, one interception and one sort-of touchdown. He looks like a Ute quarterback, all right — a weak passer, a strong runner. Whittingham did not recruit Underwood — he inherited him — and now he has to figure out what to do with him. Whittingham said, “I’m not saying that Bryce played a bad game,” but everyone else did. Whittingham continued: “This isn’t on Bryce Underwood. It’s on me, and I’ve got to figure out a way to have these guys better prepared.”
Underwood was a big disappointment last season, as well. But in the new world of college football, it’s not easy to bench a player who was given a $12.5 million NIL deal.
Eric Weddle, a former player under Whittingham at Utah and a former All-Pro NFL player, foresaw all of this last spring. After watching Michigan practice while his son was on an official recruiting visit at the school, he gave a brutally honest assessment of Underwood:
“Don’t be surprised if the backup’s playing early because that Underwood kid, I don’t think he can throw or play quarterback.” In a subsequent interview, he doubled down on his comments, saying, “Prove me wrong.”
So far, he hasn’t.
Whittingham has praised the play of Underwood’s freshman backup, Tommy Carr. He has the bloodlines. Carr’s brother, CJ, is the starting quarterback at Notre Dame and the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. His paternal grandfather, Lloyd Carr, is a former Michigan head coach. His maternal grandfather, Tom Curtis, was a former All-American safety at Michigan who won a Super Bowl. His father, Jason, is a former backup quarterback at Michigan.
Whittingham might be turning to Carr soon.
Whittingham claimed his first win on Saturday, it just doesn’t feel like it. The MAC appealed to overturn the outcome of the game on behalf of Western Michigan, but the NCAA said there are no rules that would enable it to do so. So the 13-12 win stands.
We won’t have to wait long to know where Whittingham and his new team stands. No. 11 Oklahoma is coming to town this weekend, and before the season is finished they will meet No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon and No. 1 Ohio State. Welcome to the Big Ten.
