There is a thin line between backing your starting quarterback and ignoring what everyone on the field sees. Michigan found itself walking that line after barely scraping past Western Michigan 13-12. It took a wild, last-second touchdown pass from Bryce Underwood to J.J. Buchanan to avoid disaster. But for 59 minutes, the offense looked completely lost.
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That’s where Mark Ingram comes in with a concern. The former Alabama RB and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner offered Kyle Whittingham a direct warning on The Triple Option. If Bryce Underwood continues to struggle while another QB looks capable of moving the offense, he believes the issue could spread tension in the locker room.
“If I’m a defensive team and I’m holding this offense up and I’m doing my job and my offense is stagnant, there’s going to be tension,” he said. “If there is a second quarterback that can give them a chance to win, the players are talking about it, and you will lose the locker room if you don’t put that player in, if he can give us a chance to win.”
That is a strong statement after one game. But the problem for Michigan is that Bryce Underwood isn’t performing like a former No. 1 overall player and a current $3.2 million-worth sophomore. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, threw an interception, and finished with a 52.9 QBR. He also fumbled late, setting up another Western Michigan scoring drive. Still, he did save Michigan in the end.
With one second restored to the clock after replay review, Bryce Underwood launched the winning 47-yard touchdown to Buchanan. The play turned what looked like a stunning home upset into one of the luckiest wins Michigan will have all season. Kyle Whittingham isn’t handing the QB the job indefinitely, though.
“He’s our quarterback right now,” he said, per Brad Galli. “It’s not something that’s infinite. We need to see improvement with a bunch of stuff… It’s not just Bryce’s job that’s set in concrete. Nobody’s job is.”
There is a genuine alternative sitting behind Bryce Underwood. Freshman Tommy Carr won the backup job after a strong spring, beating out Colorado State transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 143 yards and added 59 rushing yards in Michigan’s spring game. And Kyle Whittingham has been openly impressed as he recalled the spring showing.
“He was a good decision-maker, very poised,” he said on Monday. “Really is much more of an athletic runner than you would think, just watching him. He can make you miss. He doesn’t have blazing speed, but he has the ability to make people miss.”
Michigan fans have seen this movie before. Back in 1998, head coach Lloyd Carr tried juggling highly touted freshman Drew Henson alongside veteran Tom Brady. Sticking too long with an unproven star while the offense sputtered caused real friction inside the building until Brady finally took total command.
Whittingham knows that when a locker room senses a disconnect between hype and output, history usually repeats itself fast.
Tommy Carr currently gets about 20% of the practice snaps, compared with roughly 80% for Bryce Underwood. That split is normal, according to Kyle Whittingham. But that can change quickly when Saturdays continue to expose problems.
And now Oklahoma is coming to Ann Arbor. This game will be the measuring stick. If Bryce Underwood settles down, moves the offense, and looks like the QB Michigan expected him to become, things could calm down. If the mistakes continue, however, Kyle Whittingham will have to decide how long patience can survive when the locker room starts asking the same question Mark Ingram already raised.