ANN ARBOR — When to make an in-game change at quarterback is usually obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said the offensive staff made the decision to bench starting quarterback Bryce Underwood after throwing two interceptions in the first half against Penn State and giving freshman backup Tommy Carr the keys in the second half.
Michigan had 80 yards of offense, no points and two turnovers in the first half, and the team was booed heading into the tunnel at halftime. There was a buzz after halftime when Carr practiced taking snaps from starting center Jake Guarnera before leading the offense. Michigan got its first Big Ten win of the season, 21-18, over Penn State, on Saturday, Oct. 17, and now Whittingham has a decision to make going forward about the quarterback position.
“I supported it,” Whittingham said of the offensive staff’s choice to move to Carr. “I'm not gonna say I was against it but they said, ‘Hey, thinking about making changes.’ Whatever we gotta do. I think that the timing was probably about as good as it could have been.
“People say, 'Well you should have gone to Tommy sooner.' No, I don't think so. I think that how this has unfolded has given Bryce an opportunity to prove himself and, again, I'm not sitting here making a decision going forward who it's gonna be because it was not just Bryce Underwood in the first half that wasn't playing at the top of their game.”
Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck handled the conversation with Underwood at halftime. Underwood, a team captain, was the nation’s top-rated recruit in the 2025 class. He has started every game since last season.
“Bryce couldn't handle it any better,” Whittingham said. “He was out there helping Tommy and talking to him between series. I love Bryce Underwood. He's a stand-up guy. He's competitive. He's got a ton of want-to and he's got such a great personality. Just a pleasant guy to be around. It could have gone one of two ways — you either just clam up and put your head down and sulk or you can be a positive, and he chose that route. That was great to see how he responded.”
Underwood was 5 of 11 for 43 yards and two interceptions. He has six interceptions this season and two fumbles. Carr was 5 of 7 for 47 yards, and he had four carries for 36 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run that gave the Wolverines their final score.
“It was awesome,” Carr said of taking over in the second half. “Just to look at the crowd cheering, walk into that in the middle of the field and be up there with my (team), it was a great experience. And to get that first snap, complete the first pass got me feeling good and ready and continued with that momentum.”
Carr said he has prepared for this moment since Day 1. How did he imagine it might be?
“There were a lot of different ways that it could have played out, but all I imagined is getting out there and getting the win and that's what happened,” he said. “All that matters at the end of the day is if we get the win, and that's what we did.”
Bryce Underwood was hyped for Tommy Carr in @UMichFootball's win over Penn State 🙌 pic.twitter.com/R8NrFkX6Ys
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 17, 2026
Whittingham wasn’t prepared to make a decision about the starting quarterback job until he evaluates the film. He was asked if this is now an open competition for the position. Michigan (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten), plays defending national champion Indiana on Oct. 24 at Michigan Stadium. The Hoosiers are coming off a 19-15 loss to Ohio State.
“I'll have a better answer on Monday in the press conference,” Whittingham said. “As far as that now, I say that we don't want to tip our hand to Indiana necessarily. We will know exactly what the plan is on Monday. How much of that we'll let out of the bag we'll see. That will be definitely decided by then.”
The move to Carr was made to give the offense a desperately needed spark.
“He responded very well,” Whittingham said of Carr. “He wasn't perfect. There's some things he obviously needs to get better at. He had some key runs for us. That option there for that final touchdown, that was a great run and a great job by him baiting the defense and faking the pitch. He took care of the football. He had no turnovers in the second half. He did a nice job.”
Since spring practice, Whittingham has heaped praise on Carr, particularly his work ethic. Older brother CJ Carr is the starting quarterback for Notre Dame, and his grandfathers have significant Michigan ties. Lloyd Carr was the program’s head coach for 13 seasons and led the Wolverines to the 1997 AP national championship, and Tom Curtis was an All-American defensive back at Michigan after a stellar high school career in Ohio as a quarterback.
“He's always prepared,” Whittingham said of Carr. “I walk by that quarterback room 12 times, 15 times a day, (and) he's in there pretty much every second he doesn't have class. He's in there watching film. He's very prepared when his number was called.”
This isn’t the first time a backup quarterback has come into a game and given the team a lift. Maybe it was Carr that gave the offense the spark it needed, maybe it was the offensive players deciding at halftime they needed to get it together and start running the ball successfully, which it did, finishing with 211 yards.
“I don't know how much of it related to Tommy, but I know after the first half, none of us were feeling like we went out there playing how we were supposed to be playing,” said running back Bryson Kuzdzal, who scored on a 43-yard run to give Michigan a 7-3 lead. “Maybe Tommy had something to do with it. Maybe it was just the team coming together and finally deciding to play hard.
“But something happened, and we came out a different team.”
Rod Moore update
Safety and three-time captain Rod Moore left the field on a cart with 8:20 left in the third quarter just after making a diving interception that set up the Wolverines’ first score against Penn State.
Moore seemed to be favoring his lower right leg as he was helped to the on-field medical tent. Moore missed the 2024 season after tearing a knee ligament and had subsequent surgeries. He played in three games last season and was cleared before this season to be full go.
“Should be OK,” Whittingham said. “It's nothing major. I say OK, (but) will he be ready for the next game? That's debatable but it's nothing that's long term.”
Bracy’s big game
Safety Chris Bracy, who transferred from Memphis before the season, was hugely impactful in Michigan’s win, particularly in the second half. After Moore’s interception, Bracy also had an interception on Penn State’s next possession that led to another Michigan touchdown.
Bracy also had a strip-sack recovered by Enow Etta to give Michigan the ball at the Penn State 13-yard line, which led to Carr's winning touchdown. Bracy was third on the team with eight tackles.
“Chris is a real playmaker,” Whittingham said. “Has been ever since Game 1. He seems to be gaining momentum each week as he gets more comfortable in the scheme. It was a really good pick up for us in the portal back in January. I think he's playing as well as any safety in the Big Ten as far as I can see. I haven't seen every single one of them, but he's a playmaker and very instinctive. Takes great angles to the ball. He's a very sound tackler. He's got a great attitude. He's very competitive. He works hard in practice. Works his tail off in practice. It doesn't surprise me that he has the results he does on Saturdays.”
Guarnera guts out start
Guarnera was listed as a game-time decision when the Big Ten availability report came out two hours before the game, but he started and played the entire game.
“He was 100% gutting it out,” right tackle Blake Frazier said. “Everybody's got something going on at this point in the season, and so I'm super proud of him. He was training all week to make sure that he was giving himself the best opportunity to be out there with us today. He was playing through some stuff for sure, and he played a great game and obviously, that big touchdown run by (Kuzdzal), he had a great block on that, so Jake’s always going to be Jake.”
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Whittingham explains why Michigan benched Underwood, made QB change