Michigan State did more than hand Michigan a loss. The 15-6 defeat pushed Dave Portnoy to call for major changes, with the Barstool Sports founder demanding that head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck be fired. The longtime Wolverines supporter made his frustration clear after watching Michigan’s offense struggle through the rivalry loss.
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“Fire Kyle Whittingham. Fire Jason Beck. This is the lowest, most embarrassing Michigan Football game I have had in my lifetime. What an absolute joke of a football team,” Portnoy posted on X on November 8.
This wasn’t the only thing Portnoy posted; he unleashed his frustration in a video as well after the Wolverines dropped down to a 5-4 record.
“Get them out of here,” Portnoy said in the video. “Let’s start with the obvious. Kyle Whittingham, gone. Get him out of here. Jason Beck, gone. Fire him. Get him out of here…I don’t like to say that, but…they don’t belong here.”
Michigan State defeated Michigan 15-6 in a surprising upset, making the result particularly painful because of the historic rivalry between the two teams. Several things contributed to Michigan’s poor performance, but for Portnoy, it was the coaching decisions. Tommy Carr threw two interceptions in the game. Underwood, meanwhile, never got an opportunity to take the field. This frustrated the fans because Carr was struggling, and they wanted to see whether Underwood could provide a spark.
Michigan State had the edge in nearly every key offensive category. The Spartans committed zero turnovers, outgained the Wolverines by 50 passing yards (188) and more than doubled their rushing production, 110-54. The gap was just as clear in total offense, with Michigan managing only 192 yards compared to Michigan State’s near-300.
QB2 Tommy Carr failed to provide the spark Michigan needed after stepping in at quarterback, finishing without a passing touchdown and throwing two interceptions.
The Wolverines’ offense never found its footing, turning the ball over four times while failing to force a single takeaway. That costly combination proved decisive as Michigan fell 15-6 to Michigan State, surrendering the Paul Bunyan Trophy for the first time since 2021.
“I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but, like, this is so pathetic,” he said in the same video. “Like, I’m watching this team, and I just want to puke and just be disgusted. I can’t even. They’re so bad. And I really don’t blame the players, but, like, how do you not even give Underwood a shot to come in there?”
Whittingham’s debut season with the Wolverines is going worse than expected, and his hiring of Jason Beck has been criticised even more. The offensive plays aren’t creative, effective, or producing results. Michigan doesn’t seem to have a clear style of attacking opponents.