Michigan Coach Kyle Whittingham Drops Honest Thoughts on Dylan Raiola's Turnaround

The No. 23 Oregon Ducks picked up a monumental 41-28 victory on the road against the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes. As they return home to Autzen Stadium, the Ducks will see a struggling Michigan Wolverines side that is in a similar situation to what Oregon found itself in several weeks prior.

Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham spoke to the media on Monday after the program parted ways with former offensive coordinator Jason Beck over the weekend. The Wolverines have struggled to find consistent quarterback play and offensive production – a strikingly similar situation to where the Ducks were after their Oct. 24 loss to Illinois.

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham looks on before a play against Penn State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan Coach Kyle Whittingham Praises Oregon Quarterback Play

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the program parted ways with offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer back on Oct. 25. Since then, the Ducks have won back-to-back games against top-25 opponents.

Whittingham responded to a question about what’s been different about the Ducks since their change.

“Yeah, just the quarterback's playing much better. You know, that's the biggest difference is the quarterback has become much more efficient the last few games, and that was really the issue prior,” Whittingham said. “But I'll tell you what, they're a talented football team, and they got talent across the board throughout the whole roster. But that's been the biggest difference is the efficiency of the quarterback play in the last couple weeks.”

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, left, talks to Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola before a touchdown play as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 7, 2026, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

With assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson now heading play-calling efforts, Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola has had his most consistent string of performances in an Oregon uniform.

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Raiola threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns on 71 percent completion against then-ranked No. 20 Northwestern at home. He then followed that up with 257 yards and two touchdowns on 257 yards at Ohio State. Raiola hasn’t been sacked and hasn’t turned the ball over in his last two games.

Michigan Wolverines’ Own Quarterback Situation in Flux

Raiola enters the Saturday matchup against the Wolverines with three consecutive starts. Raiola and quarterback Brock Thomas traded starts and snaps under center in the two games after starter Dante Moore’s concussion in Week 4 against the USC Trojans.

While Michigan’s quarterback situation isn’t due to injury, the Wolverines have also seen two quarterbacks hashing it out for the starting job.

Former five-star recruit Bryce Underwood recorded five passing touchdowns for 924 yards, along with two rushing touchdowns and 222 yards entering the Oregon game. But with six interceptions, eight sacks and a 53.4 percent completion rate, Underwood was benched at halftime against Penn State on Oct. 17.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) warms up ahead of the game between Michigan and Indiana at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Freshman Tommy Carr ended up replacing him and helping the Wolverines to a 21-18 victory. Carr is up to two passing touchdowns and 641 yards on 67 percent completion, with 95 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground heading to Eugene.

Still, Carr has a 1-2 record in his two starts, throwing three interceptions and getting sacks 11 times this season. The 15-6 loss at home against the Michigan State Spartans has his starting role in question.

“To be determined,” Whittingham said about Saturday’s starter. “But there was consideration about you know whether to insert Bryce and try to create something, and after discussion, it was determined that you know stay the course with what we had in that particular game. But going forward, we'll take a look at everything again and see what gives us the best chance to win. As it always comes down to that.”

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