Michigan's Offensive Identity Emerges After Close Loss to Iowa
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Michigan Wolverines may have lost a heartbreaker to Iowa on Saturday, but head coach Kyle Whittingham sees real progress in his team's offense, particularly from sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood.
The 20-19 last-second defeat stung, but Whittingham pointed to Underwood's best performance of the season as evidence the offense is finally finding its footing against one of the nation's top defenses.
Underwood Shines Against Elite Iowa Defense
Underwood completed 17 of 28 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns against an Iowa squad that entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring and total defense.
Whittingham praised the young quarterback's development, noting improved pocket presence and decision-making.
I thought he threw the ball very well, going through his progressions, getting the ball out in time, not holding it excessively. He's doing a better job of not getting skittish in the pocket, and he's got more confidence in his offensive line to stand in there and go through his reads.
Offensive Coordinator Adjusts Scheme to Quarterback's Strengths
After a sluggish drop-back passing performance in Week 1 against Western Michigan, offensive coordinator Jason Beck has shifted the game plan to feature more bootlegs and sprint-outs, allowing Underwood to throw on the move and simplify his reads.
Whittingham confirmed this approach is intentional, saying the coaching staff identified Underwood's mobility as a key asset during film study last season.
He throws very well on the move. We saw that on tape last year. Moving the launch point and letting him have some throws on the run appear to be his strength. That's proven to still be the case. That's just playing to his strengths.
What Is Michigan's Offensive Identity?
When asked last week to define the offense's identity, Beck sidestepped the question. Whittingham offered a clearer answer Monday.
We're a spread attack, heavy RPO, not a lot of drop back passes, mainly play action, on the move, sprint-out type thing. Zone scheme, gap scheme, heavy in the run game. Right now, that seems to be who we are.
The Wolverines recorded six passing plays of 20-plus yards and totaled 153 rushing yards against Iowa, though they averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.
Red Zone Struggles Remain a Concern
Despite the overall improvement, Michigan managed only 10 points on four red-zone trips. One possession ended in an interception following a miscommunication between Underwood and receiver Andrew Marsh. Another stalled on a fourth-and-1 attempt from the Iowa 18-yard line.
Whittingham was candid about the play-calling on that critical fourth down.
Don't like the call. Jason Beck didn't like the call. He readily admits that. We've got to do a better job coaching. In the red zone we've got to execute better. I think we're at about 58% touchdowns right now in the red zone, which isn't good enough. We need to be at 70%. That's our benchmark.
Looking Ahead to Minnesota
Michigan faces a Minnesota defense ranked 25th nationally in total defense, which held Washington to 279 yards last week.
Despite the challenges ahead, Whittingham remains optimistic about the offense's trajectory.
Offensively, we're still finding who we are, but again, we seem to be getting better. I thought Bryce played his best game of the season overall. I thought Jordan Marshall was at his best. Two receivers went over 100 yards each. The offensive line, I think the run game was blocked up pretty good.
Whittingham emphasized the steady improvement, noting the Iowa defense was among the stingiest Michigan will face all season.
I know we're heading in the right direction. That's barring any setbacks going forward, but so far we've seen a steady improvement. Again, that was a very stingy defense, at least through the first three games of the season. So it was good to see the production that we had.
The Wolverines will look to build on these offensive gains when they travel to Minnesota this Saturday.