While it's not official and likely won't be until the first offensive snap of the game against Indiana, Michigan is prepared to make a quarterback change this weekend. After moving to Tommy Carr in the second half against Penn State, the Wolverines are moving away from Bryce Underwood.
Michigan was staring 3-3 right in the face after trailing in the first half and Underwood tossing two interceptions. But Carr came in to begin the second half and led three touchdown drives to propel Michigan.
Fox analyst and former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn raised the question of what this season would've looked like if Michigan had made the move to switch to Carr earlier than it did.
"How effective could this offense be if this move was made earlier," Quinn asked. "Underwood acted as the consummate pro throughout the game, congratulating Carr every step of the way, but you have to wonder if he has a future in Ann Arbor?"
Lack of growth from Underwood
Michigan lost two games in a row this season to both Iowa and Minnesota. It's hard to paint Underwood in a bad light against Iowa. Arguably, he played his best football as a Wolverine in that loss. He was a few yards away from throwing for his career high, and his lone interception was a miscommunication with Andrew Marsh.
But Underwood played poorly against Minnesota and reverted to old habits. Michigan had chances to beat the Gophers, but the offense continued to make mistakes.
The issue with this hypothetical is that we haven't had a big enough sample size to see what Carr can and can't do. But one thing we do know is that Carr provided a spark against Penn State, and if the Wolverines hadn't made the move to put in the true freshman, Michigan likely wouldn't have won that game.
"But here's the truth: The change had to be made due to the lack of growth from Underwood," Quinn said. "I was impressed with Carr this past Saturday as he immediately provided a spark to an offense that’s been anemic...Michigan only asked Carr to throw eight times in the game, but his impact was immediate."
Carr's first start is far from easy
If Michigan was ever going to give Carr a chance this season, we don't think that the Wolverines wanted to make it Week 8. But with how well he played in the second half against Penn State — not turning the ball over — Michigan really doesn't have a choice.
However, his first start comes against an angry Indiana team that suffered its first loss since 2024. On top of that, the Hoosiers' defensive line wreaks havoc. The Hoosiers have 24 sacks this season, which ranks No. 4 in college football. Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines will have plenty of stunts up his sleeve to try and rattle Carr in his first start.
"Keep an eye on how much pressure Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines brings against Carr," said Quinn. "Haines has ramped up his blitz rate over the past couple of weeks, which could spell trouble for the Wolverines."
Michigan's initial injury report shows several offensive linemen either OUT or Questionable for the game. The Wolverines only have a few days to get healthy for this big-time showdown.
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