Curt Cignetti Isn’t Waiting for Michigan to Name a Starter

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

There is still no official word on the Michigan starting quarterback for Saturday. Head coach Kyle Whittingham declined to name one at his Monday press conference, four days out from hosting the No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers. Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti was not nearly as careful.

Asked about the matchup Monday, Cignetti said he expects to see true freshman Tommy Carr, who replaced Bryce Underwood out of halftime in Michigan’s 21-18 win over Penn State.

“You can see what you need to see in the second half of Penn State, in my opinion, which I watched,” Cignetti said. “I’d assume it would be him. There could be two quarterbacks on the field at the same time. That would not surprise me. They did a lot of that at Utah, and the other guy (Underwood) can make plays. So, schematically, they didn’t change a whole lot in the second half.”

Tommy Carr Replaced Bryce Underwood in the Second Half for Michigan

Michigan trailed 3-0 when Carr took over to start the third quarter. The freshman completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and ran four times for 36 yards, including the 12-yard touchdown with 2:58 left that stood up as the game-winner. He led three second-half touchdown drives in all.

What Indiana Expects From the Michigan Starting Quarterback

The second half of Cignetti’s answer is the part worth sitting with. He said he would not be surprised to see Carr and Underwood on the field at the same time, and he pointed at Whittingham’s old job as the reason. Whittingham spent two decades as Utah’s head coach before Michigan hired him last December, so Indiana is preparing for wrinkles it can already pull up on tape.

It would not be a surprise to see Carr starting over Underwood on Saturday, and that is what Indiana is preparing for. Going back to Underwood is the call that would raise eyebrows.

Michigan (4-2) and Indiana (6-1) kick off at noon ET Saturday at Michigan Stadium, with Fox carrying the game.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos