U-M coach gives Underwood tepid backing as QB1

U-M coach gives Underwood tepid backing as QB1 --> Skip to main content Skip to navigation MenuESPN scores NFLNBAMLBNCAAFSoccerTennisNHLMore SportsBoxingNCAACricketF1FIBAGamingGolfHorseLLWSMMANASCARNLLNBA G LeagueNBA Summer LeagueNCAAMNCAAWNWSLOlympicsPLLRacingRN BBRN FBRugbyBananasSports BettingTGLUFLWNBAMen's World CupWWEProfessional WrestlingEditionsWhere to WatchFantasyWatch NCAAFHomeScoresScheduleStandingsStatsTeamsRankingsRecruitingWhere To WatchFootball Power IndexTotal QBRSP+ RankingsPlayer RankingsFuturesOddsCFP BracketCollege GameDayClass RankingsAwardsSEC NetworkTickets U-M coach gives Underwood tepid backing as QB1Michigan Wolverines17mAdam RittenbergNo. 9 Ole Miss squeaks by Louisville on late FGOle Miss Rebels11hMark SchlabachIrish pull away, take down Badgers at LambeauWisconsin Badgers12hAdam RittenbergWMU prez: B1G's replay process could improveWestern Michigan Broncos14hJake TrotterJohnson, Onye injured in Notre Dame's 41-13 winNotre Dame Fighting Irish12hAdam RittenbergNo. 17 UW pulls out Apple Cup win vs. WSU15hCarsello rejoins N'western after hospitalizationNorthwestern Wildcats17hDrama, delay doesn't dampen Kiffin's LSU debutLSU Tigers1dHeather Dinich'Shipwrecked': Alabama's East Carolina jab leads Week 1 college football trollsSan José State Spartans21hESPN StaffCan Pete Golding get Ole Miss out from Lane Kiffin's shadow?Ole Miss Rebels1dDavid Hale'I've never seen it like this': Welcome to the Lane Kiffin ShowLSU Tigers1dDavid HaleU-M wins on controversial finish; B1G backs reviewMichigan Wolverines2d'Shipwrecked': Alabama's East Carolina jab leads Week 1 college football trollsSan José State Spartans21hESPN Staff'I Will Always Love You': Tennessee holds multiple tributes for Dolly PartonTennessee Volunteers2dKalan HooksNever too early for a hot seat: Which coaches could be in line for big job openingsMinnesota Golden Gophers7dAdam RittenbergAt Virginia Tech, what does success look like for James Franklin?Virginia Tech Hokies3dAndrea AdelsonLet's predict the NFL draft -- eight months early: Kiper's 10 big preseason takesTexas Longhorns3dMel Kiper Jr.Kyle Whittingham: Bryce Underwood is Michigan's QB1 'right now'playMichigan's Whittingham on Underwood: 'He's our QB right now' (0:39) Michigan will continue to start Bryce Underwood at quarterback despite struggles in the season opener, although coach Kyle Whittingham added Monday, "At some point, we've got to turn a corner." Underwood, the former national No. 1 overall recruit, began his second season as Michigan's starter and first under Whittingham by completing 12 of 20 passes Saturday against Western Michigan, including a 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown to JJ Buchanan as time expired to secure a 13-12 win. Big Ten replay officials ruled one second remained for Underwood's final heave after a previous Hail Mary attempt sailed beyond the end zone, which appeared to end the game as the clock on the NBC television broadcast showed zeroes. After engineering an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game, Underwood and the Wolverines did not score again until the final play. Underwood started throughout 2025 as a true freshman, passing for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and was a top priority for Whittingham to retain after Michigan hired him as coach in December. "He's our QB right now," Whittingham said. "It's not something that's infinite. At some point, we've got to turn a corner, and we've got to see improvement, as we've got to do with a bunch of stuff. We've got to see improvement out of the coaches. It's not just on Bryce, and it's not just Bryce's job that is not absolutely set in concrete. Nobody's is." Underwood drew strong reviews from Whittingham and Michigan's offensive assistants during training camp, showing clear improvement in their eyes following a shakier spring. But his strides didn't translate to the WMU game. "It's unfortunate, disappointing, because we see him every day and he's been very sharp all through fall camp," Whittingham said. "So, I don't have a great explanation right now, other than we hope to see improvement between Game 1 and Game 2 in the live action. There's nobody who wants to be great more so than Bryce." This week, Michigan hosts No. 10 Oklahoma, which limited Underwood to 9-of-24 passing for 142 yards in a 24-13 Sooners win last year in Norman. Michigan has named freshman Tommy Carr, the grandson of former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr and younger brother of Notre Dame starting quarterback CJ Carr, as its backup quarterback. Whittingham said Tommy Carr has taken a few practice reps with the starting offense.

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Source: ESPN

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