Kyle Whittingham doubled down on his postgame remarks concerning Michigan's starting quarterback against Indiana. He hinted on Saturday, following the Wolverines' 21-18 win over Penn State, that he might not tip his hand on who starts for Michigan this weekend.
Despite Tommy Carr coming in for the second half and sparking Michigan's offense, Whittingham declined to name Carr, or Bryce Underwood, for that matter, the starting quarterback against the Hoosiers.
"Well, we saw good stuff out of what Tommy did in that second half, and we know exactly what we're doing and the plan going forward,' said Whittingham. "We're not going to tip our hand to the opponent, but we have a good plan in place, and that's about all I can say on that right now."
Whittingham said it without saying it
As both the players and Whittingham said on Saturday, Carr provided a spark. Michigan had 80 yards of offense in the first half and the Wolverines were trailing 3-0. Carr came into the game, completed his first pass to JJ Buchanan, and then led three scoring drives.
Carr didn't necessarily 'wow' anyone with his arm. He was efficient enough, throwing for 47 yards on 5-for-7 completions. But it was the spark he created.
"Yeah, it's happened, and you've seen it happen before in football, you know, when the backup guy comes in, and everyone gets a little bit of energy and excitement, and so it's something that I've personally seen happen," said Whittingham on Monday.
And the key to the switch from Underwood to Carr was because of turnovers. It's been an issue for Underwood all season, and Penn State was the culmination. While neither was purely Underwood's fault, he did throw two interceptions in the first half.
On Monday, Whittingham said turnovers would have a big impact on his decision regarding who Michigan's starter was going to be. And with Underwood throwing six interceptions compared to five touchdown passes — we have an answer.
"Big impact," Whittingham said of turnovers being a factor. "You've got to take care of the football, and you've got to take it away on defense, and if you're not doing that, it's a pattern, it's consistent, and you've got to take whatever measures you've got to take to try to get it corrected."
Don't expect two QBs, and Underwood needs to stay ready
One theory that I personally had, talking to a colleague after the game, was that Michigan could play two QBs against Indiana. At Utah, the Utes played both Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, but that's not something Whittingham is a fan of, apparently. So if it is Carr who draws the start, Underwood will take on the backup role, but will need to stay ready.
"It's not — it's something that has worked for some people through the years," said Whittingham. "I've never been big on it, and I don't know if, I think percentage-wise, you hear the old adage: if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one. Everyone's heard that thing, so we'll see what happens, but as far as teams I've coached, it's never been a really prevalent thing for us."
We have to give credit to Underwood for how he took the news on Saturday. Obviously, he likely wasn't happy. He's been Michigan's starting quarterback, but as a leader and captain of the team, he supported Carr the entire time. He was the first player out there to celebrate with Carr and he should continue to lead regardless.
And Whittingham wouldn't think twice about putting Underwood back into the game if it meant he was the Wolverines' best option.
"Well, if we do that, then if we do that, and we have a guy, Bryce, which we go back to, I have full confidence that he would handle that very well, based on everything I know about him, and everything I've seen," said Whittingham. "I don't think he would flinch. I think he'd go right back in and start competing. Maybe he's the starter who knows. I don't know. I do know."
Fans will likely find out minutes before kickoff on Saturday who the Wolverines are starting, but expect it to be No. 14.
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