The Biggest Decision Kyle Whittingham Got Wrong Against Western Michigan

What did Kyle Whittingham decide, and why was it wrong?

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kyle Whittingham's first game as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines did not go as planned. They needed a literal last-second hail mary to beat Western Michigan at home. Michigan needs to improve, and do so very quickly with Oklahoma on deck next week. Let's dive into what coaching decision Kyle Whittingham got wrong this week, and what it means as the Wolverines attempt to move forward.

The Decision: To unequivocally back Bryce Underwood as Michigan's starting quarterback

On the outside, backing Bryce Underwood in advance of this season made sense. He was a 5-star recruit, and not just that, he was the top rated player overall in the class of 2025. His player comparisons then were Cam Newton, Vince Young, and Jayden Daniels. His freshman season at Michigan didn't go well, but it was easy to assign blame for that elsewhere with everything that was going on with the football program last season behind the scenes, as well as not even having a dedicated quarterback coach last year.

However; this first game of his sophomore season showed essentially all the bad habits he displayed last season. He still looks overwhelmed in the pocket, and he still doesn't make good decisions either. It was such a rough first game for him that it makes you wonder what he's looked like in practice this fall camp. He was receiving high praise from his coaches and teammates for his performance in fall camp, and even third party observers who'd been at practice were saying he looked improved. What we saw on Saturday against Western Michigan was none of that. In fact it was such a reversion to what he looked like last season, that it makes you really question if people were being honest in their assessments of him in practice.

If Bryce Underwood looks much better in practices than he does in games, that's also something that needs to be considered. Maybe he's just a really difficult player to evaluate because when the bullets aren't live, he plays differently. In my experience, that's not something you can't coach a player into or out of. Players are either gamers or they're not, it really is that simple. Some love the bright lights and it helps them elevate their play, and some shrink when the lights come on. So far in my opinion, Bryce Underwood looks like the latter.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood exits the field with Director of Player Personnel Ron Bellamy after 13-12 win over Western Michigan | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

How Michigan can move forward

It's getting to the point in his career when decision like this need to be made. He's had a full year of starting experience already, he's had a full off-season working with quarterback coaches and his own teammates. He has a quarterback coach now that can devote his time to helping him improve. If he doesn't start to show real progress in games, it will be time to think about making a move.

The good news for Michigan fans is that I think Kyle Whittingham knows all of this. When asked about Underwood in his press conference this morning, Whittingham said "He's our quarterback for now, It's not something that's infinite. We need to see improvement. "

The decision to back him so unequivocally heading into this season looks like a mistake so far, and for Bryce Underwood, the clock may be ticking.

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