Former Alabama coach Nick Saban used Saturday’s College GameDay broadcast to single out Michigan as the Big Ten’s biggest letdown, hours before the 3-2 Wolverines host Penn State in a meeting of two teams without a conference win.
“The disappointment for me is Michigan,” Saban said. “They haven’t found a way to utilize the personnel they have on offense, including Bryce Underwood, yet. If they could figure that out, they have the best defense in the Big Ten.”
Michigan’s offense stalls under Kyle Whittingham
“If they could just play offense and score a few more points, they’re going to have a chance to get it turned around, but they’ve been a disappointment,” Saban added.
Michigan opened the season No. 16 in the AP poll and fell out after needing a disputed last-second Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan 13-12. A 17-10 win over then-No. 11 Oklahoma brought the Wolverines back, but they’ve since lost 20-19 at home to Iowa on the final play and 20-14 at Minnesota, their first road loss to the Gophers since 1977.
Outside a 52-point game against UTEP, Michigan hasn’t reached 20 points, and it managed 180 total yards at Minnesota. “I’ve been in this profession 40-some years, and this is the biggest challenge I’ve had,” Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said after that loss.
How good is Michigan’s defense?
Saban’s praise of the defense holds up. Michigan hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game, and the Wolverines have held all five opponents under 140 rushing yards and 3.5 yards per carry. The defense ranks third nationally in expected points added per play allowed, per GameOnPaper, while the offense sits 69th.
The offense keeps undercutting that work. Michigan ranks 122nd nationally in turnover margin and gave the ball away three times at Minnesota, including once on special teams.
Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood has five touchdown passes, four interceptions and three lost fumbles, and he’s been sacked eight times. At Minnesota, the Detroit native completed 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards with two interceptions.
Bryce Underwood keeps the starting job
Whittingham didn’t overhaul the offense during the bye week. “Jason is calling plays and Bryce is our guy,” Whittingham said Monday, keeping offensive coordinator Jason Beck on the play sheet. Backup Tommy Carr took half of the first-team reps by design, though, and Whittingham said Carr could see a series or two if it improves Michigan’s chances.
Underwood fell outside the top 8 in this week’s Big Ten quarterback rankings, while Penn State’s Rocco Becht landed at No. 8 with 11 touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Penn State arrives at 3-3 and 0-3 in Big Ten play under first-year coach Matt Campbell, and its offense has its own problems on the ground. “We’re a run game without an identity,” Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said this week.
Penn State at Michigan kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS from Michigan Stadium. A loss would drop the Wolverines to 0-3 in Big Ten play with Indiana visiting Ann Arbor on Oct. 24.
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