Michigan fans spent the weekend waiting for any sign that something would change on offense. When head coach Kyle Whittingham stepped to the podium during a Monday presser, many expected an answer. What he gave them has set off a wave of anger that keeps growing.
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“Kyle Whittingham not making a change in play caller at this time: ‘Now’s the time of year where, you know, you’re seeing head coaches lose their jobs, play callers being demoted … I don’t think it’s time to panic,’” reported Detroit Free Press’s Tony Garcia on X.
So Jason Beck keeps his play-calling job. The decision comes after a 13-6 overtime loss to No. 6 Indiana. It was Michigan’s third loss in four weeks and left the Wolverines down 4-3. Michigan travels to Rutgers on October 31.
Whittingham’s tone after the Indiana game was similar and even defended their performance.
“Right now it’s not the time to panic. We’re a play away from 6-1 or 7-0,” Whittingham said. “If that’s the number 6 team in the country, then we’re a pretty good football team, even though we’re sitting here at 4-3.”
“That’s our challenge. That’s my challenge. That’s Jason’s challenge. And it’s squarely on our shoulders,” Whittingham added, taking responsibility. He also admitted he has the power to step in. “I can overrule anything in the whole program… It circles back to me.”
The numbers explain why fans are so upset. Michigan managed 224 total yards and just 3.0 yards per play against Indiana. It went 6 of 20 on third down and ran 42 times for only 57 yards. The Wolverines did not score a touchdown. Quarterback Tommy Carr, who started after Bryce Underwood was benched, completed 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards with one interception.
Facing third-and-goal from Indiana’s 1-yard line, trailing 6-0, Michigan did not sneak the quarterback or hand off to Jordan Marshall. Instead, it called a play-action pass. Carr was sacked for a 13-yard loss, and Michigan then missed a 32-yard field goal. Whittingham admitted it was a poor call, but by that time damage had been done, and this one play infuriated fans further.
After Whittingham’s Monday presser and the decision on playcalling, fans didn’t hold back in the comment section of Garcia.
“The highest-paid OC in the country couldn’t score a single touchdown, 0 touchdowns on 4 red zone attempts. Get the f*** outta here,” one wrote. Another posted a short and blunt verdict: “This dude is beyond lost.”
“F*** YOU. We haven’t lost to Iowa, MINN and IU in the same season in 60 F***ING YEARS. It’s absolutely time panic,” one fan wrote. That disastrous historical claim comes from the fact that it’s actually the truth, marking the low point for Michigan.
One fan also wrote a parody of Whittingham’s press conference. It is satire, not something the coach said. It reads: “We’re 4-3 and would be 7-0 if we just scored 21 points a game. But even though we just had our lowest point total at home in 20 years and nothing has changed to our approach is 2 months, this isn’t the time to panic. Our goal of missing a bowl game is still well within reach.”
“Panicking would have been after a couple weeks. We have more than half a season of work to look at,” another fan wrote in a different light, but focused on preparation.
Part of the anger comes from Beck’s background, as he was hired after helping turn Utah’s offense from near the bottom of the FBS into a top-five unit in one season. Michigan pays him an average of $3 million a year. Yet that success has not carried over, so far.
The frustration is sharper because the defense is doing its part. Under Jay Hill, Michigan held Indiana to 212 total yards and six points through regulation. Indiana did not score a touchdown until overtime. That kind of effort should have been enough, but the offense crumbled.
Whittingham is probably betting that patience is the answer, though a lot of Michigan fans clearly think that bet is running out of time.