Former Coach Urges Michigan to Sit Bryce Underwood

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The conversation surrounding Bryce Underwood has officially gone somewhere Michigan probably hoped it wouldn’t.

After another ugly offensive performance in Michigan’s 20-14 loss to Minnesota, former college head coach and current CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel says it may be time for Kyle Whittingham to make the biggest move possible: put Underwood on the bench.

That is quite a change from just a few weeks ago, when Michigan remained committed to Bryce Underwood as its starting quarterback. Now, with Michigan sitting at 3-2 and its offense searching desperately for answers, Neuheisel believes a temporary change could actually benefit both the Wolverines and their highly touted sophomore quarterback.

Rick Neuheisel Says Michigan Should Sit Bryce Underwood

Neuheisel did not dance around the subject following Michigan’s loss in Minneapolis. He believes Underwood could benefit from watching rather than trying to fight his way through Michigan’s offensive mess every Saturday.

“I think it’s time to sit him down,” Neuheisel said on CBS Sports’ postgame show. He later added, “He needs to watch it from the sideline.”

That is going to get some attention in Ann Arbor.

Underwood certainly gave critics ammunition Saturday as he completed just 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, while taking three sacks.

Michigan finished with only 180 total yards, including 79 rushing yards. The Wolverines’ offense scored just seven points, with Nathaniel Staehling providing Michigan’s other touchdown on a 79-yard interception return.

That is not exactly the offensive explosion everyone envisioned when Underwood arrived in Ann Arbor.

But Michigan’s Problem Is Bigger Than Underwood

Here is where things get complicated.

Benching Underwood might create a spark, but pretending he is solely responsible for Michigan’s problems would be awfully convenient. The offensive line has struggled, the running game has disappeared for stretches, and offensive coordinator Jason Beck has yet to consistently put Michigan’s playmakers in advantageous situations.

Whittingham knows it, too. After the Minnesota loss, he described his first season at Michigan as perhaps the biggest coaching challenge of his career and acknowledged that changes could be coming during the bye week.

That makes the timing of Neuheisel’s comments especially interesting. Michigan has two weeks before hosting Penn State on Oct. 17, which gives Whittingham and his staff a legitimate window to reconsider personnel, play-calling and perhaps even the quarterback position.

Whittingham Has a Massive Decision to Make

Underwood remains one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in college football, and Michigan has invested heavily in his development. Sitting him after five games would be a dramatic decision, particularly when the alternative would likely involve turning to another inexperienced quarterback.

But Michigan also cannot pretend everything is fine.

The Wolverines have failed to score 20 points in four of their first five games, and consecutive Big Ten losses have changed the conversation surrounding this season considerably. What once looked like a team ironing out some early-season wrinkles now looks like a team searching for an offensive identity.

Maybe Neuheisel is right and watching from the sideline would help Underwood reset. Maybe Michigan sticks with its quarterback and uses the bye week to fix everything around him.

Either way, Whittingham has reached the point where doing nothing may be the most difficult option of all.

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