Seven games into Kyle Whittingham’s tenure as head coach in Ann Arbor, one thing is clear: he and offensive coordinator Jason Beck are failing in spectacular fashion. The Michigan offense is averaging 20.2 points per game, its worst mark since the dismal 2008 season under Rich Rodriguez, and a full touchdown less than a season ago under Sherrone Moore.
Even more frustrating is the fact that the defense under Jay Hill is one of the best in America. Hill’s unit has not allowed more than 20 points in a game all season, yet here Michigan sits with three losses in seven games. Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium against Indiana felt like a breaking point. Michigan lost 13-6 in overtime in game in which Indiana did not have a drive longer than 32 yards. The Hoosiers scored six points in regulation, all in the first half off of two Tommy Carr turnovers in Michigan territory. Indiana had eleven possessions in that span: seven punts (three three-and-outs), an interception, a missed field goal (on a 27-yard drive before halftime), and two made field goals on drives of 24 and five yards. Josh Hoover went 8/18 for 81 yards passing and attempted only one pass in the second half, which Zeke Berry intercepted. In short, the Michigan defense put on an absolute clinic.
None of it matters thanks to the offense, for which the blame lies with Jason Beck and Kyle Whittingham. I was high on Beck entering the season; his success at New Mexico and Utah with Devon Dampier seemed translatable to Michigan with Bryce Underwood. Oh, how wrong I was, and today confirmed it.
Tommy Carr had a rough debut, especially in the first half, but it is hard to put any of the blame on him given the situation he was thrown into. For a true freshman making his first career start, he showed poise late in the game to keep Michigan in it against an excellent Indiana defense. He did not deliver some magical spark that some fans wished for, to no surprise. Benching Bryce Underwood was the correct decision, but it is not surprising that Carr struggled.
Jason Beck is the main problem
With much of the same personnel as in 2025, the offense lacks any form of identity except Jason Beck’s stubbornness and arrogance. His insistence upon running the ball east-west despite having exactly zero success doing so all season is baffling. Beck’s playcalling is legitimately mind-blowingly terrible at times. On third-and-goal at the one-yard line, one would think lining up and running the ball up the middle would be the logical play. Instead, Beck dialed up a play action designed to throw the ball to offensive lineman Manuel Biegel. Needless to say, that call failed miserably. Quite possibly the worst play call I have ever seen.
That is nothing to say of the repeated outside runs, wildcat formation, and RHINO package, none of which are effective. Michigan had the ball inside the Indiana 13-yard line four times; it scored a grand total of six points. Beck routinely puts the offense behind the sticks and does not cater to the strengths the unit may have. Jordan Marshall is a power back. Under no circumstances should a bulk of his carries be going outside. The offensive line is not built for that style of play, nor are the backs. The trio of Marshall, Savion Hiter, and Bryson Kuzdzal combined to run the ball 26 times for a paltry 52 yards today. Keep in mind, Marshall rushed for 932 yards and 6.2 yards per carry in 2025. This season, he is averaging 4.2 per pop. But Beck stubbornly and arrogantly refuses to adapt.
To say Michigan merely has a bad offense is an understatement. Out of 138 FBS teams, it ranks 125th in yards per game, 116th in points per game, and 125th in passing yards per game. In the last three games, the offense has had 27 possessions that did not begin after a takeaway. In those 27, the offense has punted 17 times, thrown five interceptions, fumbled once, and scored a grand total of three points. THREE POINTS IN 27 POSSESSIONS. That is unfathomable. Remember, Jason Beck is the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the country at $3 million per season. All for a bottom-five offense in the Power Four.
Clearly, Jason Beck is the number one problem in Ann Arbor. But Kyle Whittingham is to blame for that continuing. After all, Whittingham, when asked about the disastrous 3rd-and-goal pass fiasco, said, “No, that was not a good call at that point in time. Do I have the ability to overrule? I can overrule anything in the whole program. And so, like I said, it circles back to me. But it was a very disappointing outcome and a call that I know Jason wishes he had back because it really was damaging.”
So, if Whittingham has the ability to overrule, then why does he allow Beck to continually sabotage the offense with nonsensical playcalling? Your answer is as good as mine. That wasn’t Whittingham’s only postgame quote that didn’t exactly inspire confidence in his leadership. Referencing Indiana, he said, “If that’s the No. 6 team in the country, then we’re pretty good. We’re a pretty good football team, even though we’re sitting here at, what, 4-3.”
Well, coach, that is not how things work. A pretty good football team does not have an offense ranked outside the top 100 in the country. Michigan does not do moral victories or justifying poor performance. The expectation is to play at a high level and win games. If Michigan had even a below-average, but not bottom-of-the-barrel offense, it would be 6-1 or 7-0 and in the race to win the Big Ten championship. That is the most frustrating part. Give this team the offense of 2025 under Chip Lindsay, a unit that could at least run the ball, and this season would be on a much different path.
What happens next?
The obvious answer is to fire Jason Beck. His refusal to adapt the offense after seven games and two starting quarterbacks is justification to admit the hire did not work out as hoped and move on. I doubt Kyle Whittingham will do that, and therein lies the problem. Whittingham never seems to have the answers when questioned about the performance of his team. He lacks the fire he once had at Utah. Just look at the sideline; he spends much of the game stoic, not showing any energy. There is a lack of attention to detail. At the end of the first half, he called a timeout with 23 seconds to go before kicking a field goal (which missed) instead of letting the clock run down. Indiana got the ball back with a chance to score. Whittingham’s overall game management leaves a lot to be desired.
Whittingham has to decide if he wants to tie his fate to Jason Beck. With five games to go, Michigan’s season is effectively over (in terms of making the CFP), but the schedule is not as challenging as it once appeared. Oregon is a mess without Dante Moore, Julian Sayin is out for Ohio State, UCLA is without its starting quarterback, and Rutgers and Michigan State are terrible. Michigan has a defense capable of winning any game. But, as we have witnessed all season, it has an offense capable of losing any game. The College Football Playoff is out of the question, but a strong end to the season should not be.
Clearly, Jason Beck is not going to change his ways. Does Kyle Whittingham want to stay tied to Beck and potentially risk being a one-and-done himself? While I have my own doubts that U-M leadership (or what exists of it at present) would elect to move on from Whittingham after one season, the new athletic director, once hired, could have different ideas if things don’t change. Whittingham has shown nothing to inspire confidence in his leadership of the program. Yes, the defense is elite, and he did nail the hire of Jay Hill. But the issues far outweigh the positives. Jason Beck and Kyle Whittingham are failing at Michigan. It is not too late for Whittingham to right the ship, but the first step has to be replacing his OC. Nothing will change until that point. If it isn’t soon, Michigan football is heading down a dark path.
Photo via MGoBlog
