Kyle Whittingham Puts Bryce Underwood on Notice After Abysmal Performance
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Bryce Underwood delivered when Michigan absolutely had to have him Saturday night.
Kyle Whittingham also made it clear Monday that one miraculous throw does not buy his quarterback unlimited patience.
Following Michigan’s ugly 13-12 escape against Western Michigan, Whittingham was asked how much runway Underwood has as he continues developing. His answer was considerably sharper than the usual “we believe in our guy” material.
“He’s our QB right now. It’s not something that’s infinite,” Whittingham said. “At some point, we’ve got to turn a corner and we’ve got to see improvement.
“As we do with a bunch of stuff, we’ve got to see improvement out of the coaches. It’s not just on Bryce. It’s not just Bryce’s job that is not absolutely set in concrete.
“Nobody’s is. You’ve got to perform week in and week out. Become somebody that we feel is playing at a level that we can win with.
“That goes far beyond Bryce. It goes throughout the whole team. What you’ve done lately is very important in football.”
There are two important pieces to that quote.
First, Whittingham specifically made sure this wasn’t dumped entirely on Underwood. He already took responsibility after the Western Michigan game for Michigan’s inability to establish an offensive rhythm, something we covered in Whittingham’s blunt postgame assessment.
But then there are those first three words.
“It’s not infinite.”
That isn’t exactly a warm blanket for Michigan’s sophomore quarterback.
Underwood opened Saturday 5-for-5 and scored Michigan’s first touchdown, then struggled badly for most of the remaining game. He finished 12-of-22 for 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while also losing a fourth-quarter fumble that helped Western Michigan take a 12-7 lead. His 47-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan with one second remaining saved Michigan from a disastrous opening loss. Michigan’s official postgame notes confirm Underwood’s final passing line and the winning connection with Buchanan.
The underlying evaluation was even uglier. Underwood received a 35.8 overall PFF grade, reportedly the worst of his Michigan career, after a game in which his decision-making and ball security repeatedly put the Wolverines in trouble.
Whittingham had previously insisted Underwood made dramatic progress during fall camp. After Saturday, he called the quarterback’s performance “not outstanding” while stressing that the entire offense shared responsibility for the mess.
Now comes the interesting part.
Michigan has already identified freshman Tommy Carr as its No. 2 quarterback, so Whittingham isn’t operating without another option behind Underwood. That does not mean a quarterback change is imminent, and Whittingham certainly did not say one was coming. But naming a clear QB2 matters a little more when the head coach starts publicly saying the starter’s runway isn’t infinite.
And Michigan’s next opponent isn’t particularly interested in providing Underwood a comfortable environment to work through things.
No. 10 Oklahoma arrives in Ann Arbor Saturday after opening its season with a 51-0 demolition of UTEP. The Sooners scored on their first eight possessions and held the Miners to 198 total yards.
That makes Whittingham’s final sentence the one that matters most.
Michigan hopes to see improvement from Game 1 to Game 2.
Against Oklahoma, hope probably isn’t going to be enough.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos