Michigan's offense has been the wrong kind of offensive this season.
The Wolverines are 130th in total offense, 123rd in yards per play, 101st in rushing, 111th in yards per carry, 118th in passing efficiency, second-to-last in explosives (one ahead of Michigan State) and, most importantly, 118th in scoring. Name an offensive statistic, and Michigan probably ranks 100th or lower in it.
On Saturday, another excellent defensive effort -- Michigan leads the nation in yards per play allowed -- was betrayed by anemic offense. The Wolverines mustered just six points in an overtime loss to No. 4 Indiana, and one of their two field goal drives traveled all of two yards. That alone might've been enough, but turnovers by true freshman quarterback Tommy Carr on Michigan's end of the field allowed Indiana to kick its two field goals (their only points in regulation) by traveling 29 yards combined. (Not directly related to the offense, Michigan also missed two field goals). Needing a touchdown in overtime, Michigan moved the ball 12 yards in eight plays.
Carr performed about as expected for a true freshman making his second start against the nation's No. 2 yards per play defense. The bigger problem is that he was in the game in the first place. Sophomore Bryce Underwood was benched the week prior, having thrown six interceptions to five touchdowns through the first half of the season. He hasn't been great at any point this season, but Underwood was actively getting worse the longer he played; against Minnesota and Penn State, he was a combined 15-of-32 for 144 yards with no touchdowns and four picks.
Things just haven't clicked under offensive coordinator Jason Beck, but head coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday that now is not the time to change coordinators.
Kyle Whittingham not making a change in play caller at this time: “Now's the time of year where, you know, you're seeing head coaches lose their jobs, play callers being demoted … I don’t think it’s time to panic.” pic.twitter.com/lChP9BUPy8
— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) October 26, 2026
And, really, what else is he going to say? He brought Beck to Ann Arbor for a reason, and a wholesale change at this juncture is likely to set the program back even further.
The most concerning thing Whittingham said Monday was that Michigan is "a play away from 6-1 or 7-0." While technically true, Michigan is also a play away from 2-5, and would undoubtedly be so today if not for Jay Hill's defense. The Western Michigan win needs no explanation. The Michigan offense traveled all of six yards to notch the winning score against Oklahoma. The Wolverines' 14 points in the Minnesota loss came on a 34-yard drive after an interception and a 79-yard pick six. All three of their touchdowns in the Penn State win came off of turnovers, two of which required drives of 43 and 13 yards. One of the aforementioned two field goals on Saturday came off a turnover.
It's not that Michigan averages 20.3 points per game, it's that they average 20.3 points with significant help from their defense. Here's the list of every Michigan touchdown drive of 50 yards or longer this season, excluding the UTEP game:
1. 11 plays, 75 yards vs. Western Michigan
2. 6 plays, 75 yards vs. Western Michigan (the Hail Mary drive)
3. 6 plays, 91 yards vs. Oklahoma
4. 9 plays, 89 yards vs. Iowa
5. 6 plays, 75 yards vs. Iowa
6. 11 plays, 74 yards vs. Penn State
That's six, in six games against defenses ranked higher than 134th in scoring defense, and one in the last three weeks. The Wolverines should win rock fights against Rutgers and Michigan State to ensure one of the nation's best defenses doesn't miss a bowl game, but it could get ugly from there. The Wolverines close with Oregon (Dante Moore is likely back by then), No. 7 UCLA and No. 2 Ohio State -- both of whom rank among the top 10 nationally in scoring defense.
The interesting wrinkle here is that, while Whittingham filled his staff with Utah/BYU guys, he doesn't have a long history with Beck. The 2025 season at Utah was their first together. Beck spent 2024 at New Mexico, 2023 at Syracuse -- his first season as a Division I coordinator. Still, Beck is a former BYU quarterback and is a part of the Beehive State Coaching Fraternity, of which Whittingham is the long-serving president. With Devon Dampier at the helm, Beck's units finished fourth in yards per play at UNM in '24 and 18th at Utah in '25.
Finding the next Dampier in the portal -- or tailoring an offense around what Carr can do -- is Michigan's best path forward. But it's not going to happen by Saturday.