Whittingham: 'Everything's in Play' as Michigan Reviews Offense During Bye Week

A 180-yard offensive day in a 20-14 loss to Minnesota dropped Michigan to 3-2, and Kyle Whittingham says the bye-week review covers players and coaches alike.

Michigan fell to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play with a 20-14 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, the team's second defeat in a row. The Wolverines generated only 180 yards of total offense, and head coach Kyle Whittingham made clear the upcoming bye week will bring a hard look at what has gone wrong.

The numbers were bleak across the board: 101 yards passing, 79 rushing, 11 first downs, a 3-for-10 showing on third down and 22 minutes, 24 seconds of possession. Quarterback Bryce Underwood completed 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, a 36.1 QBR. Michigan averaged 2.8 yards per carry, scored nothing after halftime and watched Minnesota reclaim the Little Brown Jug.

The performance was a steep drop from a week earlier, when Underwood threw for a career-high 276 yards and Michigan piled up 429 yards in a narrow loss to Iowa. This time the offense barely functioned. "We might have to make some tough decisions here. We'll see," Whittingham said, calling the results to this point "unacceptable."

Asked what tough decisions could mean, Whittingham pointed to "who the guys are that give us the best chance to win," and when pressed on whether that applied only to players, he widened the lens. "Coaches are always being evaluated. Everything's in play," he said, adding that panic accomplishes nothing with seven games left and a chance to right the ship. He did not announce a staff change or say offensive coordinator Jason Beck would lose play-calling duties, but the offense will sit at the center of the review.

Whittingham defended Beck's background, saying "his track record is outstanding" and that no one is more frustrated than the coordinator, while planning to sit down with the entire offense for input. Quarterback is part of the discussion too. Asked whether he considered turning to Tommy Carr against Minnesota, Whittingham said the staff continually evaluates which players give Michigan the best chance to win and determined Underwood remained that option on Saturday.

The offensive line was thin, with starting tackle Andrew Sprague among eight Wolverines ruled out for the game. Whittingham said the program now must sort out whether the protection problems came from breakdowns up front, coverage sacks, Underwood holding the ball too long or some combination of the three.

Michigan's defense did its part for as long as it could. Smith Snowden intercepted Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey, Nathaniel Staehling returned another interception 79 yards for a touchdown, and the Golden Gophers were held to 262 yards and 20 points despite three Michigan turnovers. The Wolverines led 14-7 at the break before Minnesota scored the final 13 points, and Whittingham acknowledged the defense eventually broke after nearly 38 minutes on the field.

The loss also carried some history. Michigan had opened the week as an 8.5-point road favorite, but Minnesota beat the Wolverines for the first time since 2014 and won the meeting in Minneapolis for the first time since 1977.

Michigan now has two weeks before Penn State visits Michigan Stadium on Oct. 17. Whittingham, with more than 40 years in coaching, called the situation perhaps the biggest challenge of his career and promised answers will come, though he gave no timetable. At 3-2 with seven games remaining, he insisted nothing is mathematically lost.