Should Michigan Football Bench Bryce Underwood for Tommy Carr Against Penn State?

It’s hard to say that a team has hit rock bottom this early in the season, but it’s even harder to imagine a lower spot for the Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan does not lose to Minnesota. Literally. Before Saturday’s 20-14 loss to the Gophers, Michigan had not lost to Minnesota on the road since 1977. In their last 20 games against the Gophers, Michigan had won 18 of them.

Again, Michigan does not lose to Minnesota. They did on Saturday, and they did so with a putrid offensive performance.

They had less than 200 total yards. Their run game was non existent. Their passing game was worse. Bryce Underwood, after three weeks of improvement following the worst game of his career in the season opener against Western Michigan, was dreadful.

He only got over the century mark in passing yards late in the fourth quarter. His final pass of the game was closer to the fans in the stands than it was to his intended receiver.

There’s little question that Underwood and the offense embarrassed themselves while falling to 0-2 in conference play for the first time in nearly 50 years.

As is the case with most losses in Michigan, it was accompanied by questions as to whether Michigan should turn to their backup quarterback.

Former Washington coach Rick Neuheisel, now a contributor for CBS Sports, added fuel to that fire with his post game comments.

"I think it's time to sit him down. I think if I was involved in that decision, I think I would say it's best for Bryce,” Neuheisel said. “He needs to watch it from the sideline and see if he can grow and learn more about what's happening on the other side of the ball. And for the football team and the fanbase, I think they need to see a change.”

It’s true, Underwood has underwhelmed to this point after being anointed the savior of the program when he flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan during the winter of the 2024 season.

It’s also true that Underwood had progressed for three consecutive weeks before Saturday’s dud against Minnesota.

To bench Underwood for Tommy Carr, despite calls for his job, would be incredibly premature.

The Backup Always Wins

The backup quarterback is often the most popular person on a team who does not have an established starter. Sometimes the unknown is seen as better than what is known. That’s especially true when a team is unsuccessful.

Shane Morris was the man who’d save the program as the backup to Devin Gardner. Devin Gardner was the backup who would save the program from Denard Robinson. Drew Henson was the backup who’d save the program as the backup to Tom Brady.

Bryce Underwood SAILS IT on fourth down and @GopherFootball takes over! pic.twitter.com/oBiuEPlebc
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 3, 2026

The list goes continues well beyond the names mentioned.

Tommy Carr is just the next quarterback in a long list of alleged saviors, who likely could not fix the situation around them either.

Why It Cannot Be Carr

Carr cannot be the answer to Michigan’s problems for a multitude of reasons. The biggest reason is that Carr is a true freshman. One of the reasons that Underwood’s growth has been stunted early in his career was that he was tossed into a bad situation as a true freshman. He was asked to be the savior of an offense that was largely unsalvageable.

It remains to be seen if Michigan’s offense is unable to be saved at the moment, but what do they do well right now?

They struggle to block in the run game, which leads to running backs having limited holes to run through. That’s led to Underwood being a big part of Michigan’s run game, which is a dynamic that Carr cannot provide to the same magnitude.

Their passing game has two receivers who do all of the heavy lifting, and little else looks easy. If a freshman is going to enter the lineup, you want to have players that he can lean on, along with some core concepts.

Michigan has players, but not the concepts. Jason Beck has struggled to meld his scheme to the players that he has on the field.

Oct 3, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) steps back to pass against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Carr may very well be the quarterback of the future in Ann Arbor. Shoving him onto the field now for a team that looks like a lot of the teams Brady Hoke put on the field, that future cannot be premature.

Take a Deep Breath

Yes, it’s true the modern landscape of college football does not allow for much patience. It’s also true that Underwood is a young player who had looked better each of the last three weeks.

Putting a new quarterback on the field who has done nothing of note outside of the spring game, would do little other than give a scalp on the wall to blood thirsty fans and pundits who pounce at the first chance to provide negative analysis.

Yes, Underwood needs to be better, but he is still very talented. Giving him a chance after the bye week with some adjustments from the coaching staff is a worthwhile endeavor.

Sign up for the Michigan Wolverines on SI newsletter for more free coverage

Add us as a preferred source on Google