The Michigan Wolverines are now 5-5 after losing 31-7 to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday.
Here are the key takeaways from Michigan’s loss.
Horrible passing offense
Why not have a bad passing game with one quarterback when you can have a bad passing game with two quarterbacks? Tommy Carr started the game, but Bryce Underwood took some pressure off him after two drives and was downright awful. Underwood was 2 of 8 for 26 yards while Carr was 4 of 12 for 45 yards with a lost fumble.
Michigan’s passing offense is anemic, Michigan’s offensive line is horrible in pass protection, and Michigan’s wideouts don’t get open enough. Granted, the removal of JJ Buchanan early in this one hurt the passing offense, but this was one of the worst in the country, even at full strength.
Worst defensive effort of the season
This was bound to happen – a game where Michigan’s defense had stretches of looking bad. Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola separated Jyaire Hill and Smith Snowden, going 20 of 28 for 341 yards with four touchdowns. Raiola had three long touchdown runs – 60 yards, 59 and 49.
Running back Dierre Hill Jr. also had a day, totaling 98 yards on 21 carries. Michigan’s defense rarely had answers in this case. They kept games close throughout the season, and it was bound to happen – the bottom eventually fell out and the collective energy/cohesiveness wasn’t there.
Kyle Whittingham to be fired soon
A video that Clayton Sayfie took from the press box really sums up the coach that is Kyle Whittingham – a coach who says he doesn’t like to micromanage. As Michigan’s defense huddled before its second drive of the game, Whittingham was 30 yards away from the group and further away from the players and coaches.
Whittingham is detached from what is happening. Whether in play-to-play mode or in the form of a team group, he is neither engaged nor communicative. Whittingham is not a motivator and is not much of a coach. He’s just…there.
Whittingham has been a good coach in the past, but there’s no reason to believe that the version of Whittingham we see at Michigan is about to do a 180 and change things for the rest of this season or next.
The sooner Michigan recognizes that this hire didn’t work out and isn’t a good fit, the better for Whittingham and the football program. Whittingham doesn’t understand Michigan’s traditions and he doesn’t realize there’s an urgency and hunger to win now, not later.
Whittingham promised he would find a solution in Michigan, but it’s an empty promise that’s bound to be broken. Kyle Whittingham can no longer coach at an adequate level, and believing that roster additions or a better offensive coordinator will greatly alter the trajectory of this team seems like a risky exercise. The evidence continues to mount that Whittingham is a significant part of the problem, and if he sticks around in 2027, it will only delay the inevitable: his firing.
Michigan is 5-5 and on its way to 5-7 with games remaining against UCLA and Ohio State. Is it already time to say enough is enough?
Gn sports
