Former Michigan Coach Biff Poggi Urges Patience With Coaches, Wolverines in 2026

Despite a 4-3 record, Poggi insists fans remain patient.

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Michigan had several chances to beat Indiana this past weekend. The Wolverines' defense played as well as they could and only gave up six points in regulation. The issue was that Michigan's offense could only muster six points as well. Tommy Carr turned the ball over twice and kicker Trey Butkowski missed two field goals.

But there appears to be a larger issue than Carr or the Wolverines' offensive players: it's the play calling. Following Michigan's 13-6 overtime loss to the Hoosiers, fans really came after offensive coordinator Jason Beck on social media.

However, former Michigan coach and Big Ten analyst, Biff Poggi, went to X (Twitter) and asked that the fanbase remain loyal and urged patience with the coaching staff and players.

"To all of my Michigan friends. First, GoBLUE. Second, no one is getting fired. Please relax. The team is 4-3. It is a new staff, a very good staff. The worst thing we can do as Michigan supporters is abandon the players and coaches when they struggle. It is exactly at this time that they need us most. Let’s see some support for all the coaches and players," Poggi wrote.

Offensive woes are upsetting

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After limiting Indiana to 212 yards on Saturday, Michigan now has the No. 2 ranked defense in the country. The Wolverines could very easily have a top-five defense when the season is over, but the offense is on pace to be as bad as the 2008 offense under Rich Rodriguez.

Through eight weeks, Michigan has the No. 130 offense in the country, gaining 300 yards per game. Rival Michigan State is the only Power Four program that has a worse offense than the Wolverines, and MSU has been dealing with quarterback injuries — while Michigan is on its second quarterback.

Michigan benched Bryce Underwood, which, in retrospect, might be a scapegoat move with how poorly the offense played on Saturday. It doesn't matter who Michigan trots out there right now when the scheme and calls aren't matching the personnel.

The worst possible call

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Butkowski missing two field goals, I suppose, cost Michigan the game. But the Wolverines had more opportunities than just making two field goals.

The one call that everyone will remember in the loss on Saturday was when the Wolverines had the ball third-and-one on IU's one-yard line. Instead of putting Underwood into the game for a quarterback sneak, or trusting your running back to gain one yard under center, Jason Beck called for a naked bootleg. The edge was unblocked and came storming down for a 13-yard sack.

Instead of having two chances of scoring a touchdown, Michigan took a big snap, which resulted in zero points — Butkowski missed the field goal.

Kyle Whittingham took the brunt of the blame, but he did say it was a 'damning call'. Michigan has just five games left and barring some drastic chance, it doesn't appear that anything will get better in 2026. It's hard to fault the fanbase for having their frustrations with the coaching staff.

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