Michigan decided to do the drastic thing and bench former 5-star quarterback prospect Bryce Underwood at halftime of the Wolverines’ Week 7 game against Penn State in Ann Arbor.
So, in front of the home fans who had such high hopes for the prized Detroit native, Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham decided enough was enough with the Wolverines being shut out by the Nittany Lions in the first 30 minutes of the game. To that point, Penn State had a 3-0 lead at The Big House and Underwood was struggling yet again.
The sophomore was 5 of 11 for just 43 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Underwood carried the ball 3 times for 11 yards, and Whittingham was in search of a spark in the second half, so he decided to go with true freshman Tommy Carr.
Michigan had just 80 yards of total offense in the first half with Underwood at the controls, and it’s been a big-time struggle all season as a ranked Wolverines team came into Saturday with an 0-2 Big Ten record and a 3-2 overall mark that could’ve been even worse if not for that Hail Mary victory over Western Michigan in Week 1.
Whittingham’s team came into Week 7 on a 2-game losing streak, falling to Iowa and Minnesota to open Big Ten play. Underwood has struggled right along with his team. He came into Saturday with 881 yards passing, 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, so with Saturday’s poor first half included Underwood now has more interceptions (6) than TDs this season.
Underwood’s 54.7 QBR ranked 75th in the country coming into Week 7, and the first 30 minutes of Saturday’s game surely did nothing to help that QBR.
So, Whittingham made the change he needed to make, going with the freshman Carr against the Nittany Lions as Michigan looks to get its offense on track in the middle of the season.
With Michigan and Penn State just trying to survive amid expectations, the chase is on throughout college football to make the College Football Playoff. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the best odds to make it into the 12-team field when the dust settles:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
