The Michigan Wolverines return from their bye week to try and right the ship. At 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play, there is a huge uphill climb to get back into any sort of national conversation after brutal losses to Iowa and Minnesota. They'll attempt to get back in the win column this weekend at The Big House vs Penn State.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham met with the media on Monday morning for his weekly press conference to preview this week's game. Here are some key things he had to say:
The Wolverines have had sophomore wide receiver Andrew Marsh return punts so far this year, but after muffing two punts so far this season, a change is set to be made ahead of Penn State. However, Whittingham revealed that the dropped punts aren't necessarily the main reason why that change is being made now.
"We'll have a different returner back there, and that's due to a couple of reasons, it's not just putting the ball in the ground, but some injury reasons," Whittingham said.
Whittingham wouldn't say who the new returner will be this weekend, but hopefully whatever Marsh is dealing with isn't serious and he is able to suit up and at least play on offense this weekend.
When asked about what he learned about his team over the bye week, Whittingham said it's a resilient group.
"They had a really good bye week practice-wise on the field Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and they bounced back and had outstanding practices," Whittingham said. "They had good energy, good attitude."
Whittingham also described the team as a "tough group of young men" that has a lot of "want to" and that there is a lot of football left to be played still.
One of the main things Whittingham is hoping the team can correct moving forward is the turnover margin, citing the three turnovers in the Minnesota game as to a big reason why the Wolverines lost the game. "We have got to start turning the ball over less and taking it away more, plain and simple." Michigan has nine total turnovers so far in 2026, tied for second-last in the Big Ten.
Not that this is a shock to anyone, but Jason Beck remains Michigan's play caller on offense and Bryce Underwood will continue to be the starting quarterback. However, Whittingham did say that freshman Tommy Carr got some good reps this past week during the bye, including some with the first-team offense.
Even with some difficulties on offense with the rhino position, Whittingham said the Wolverines are going to be sticking with it for the most part, saying it's been a big part of Beck's offenses over the years. He also believes the offense fits the personnel well, but came back to the issue with turnovers, saying "nothing else matters if you lose the turnover margin."
Offensive lineman Andrew Babalola will be able to start practicing this week, Whittingham said. Still no updates on right tackle Andrew Sprague, who has been out since Week 3.
When asked about tight end Zack Marshall and the leaked text messages regarding his criticism of the offense and Beck, namely, Whittingham said it was a "lapse in judgment" and that Marshall apologized "profusely to myself and the team." Sounds like it's water under the bridge at this point and the team is wanting to move on from that.
Some guys that stood out to Whittingham during the bye week include edge rushers Tariq Boney and Carter Meadows, running back Savion Hiter, quarterback Tommy Carr (had reps with the first-team by design) and tight end Hogan Hansen.
While Underwood is still the undisputed starting quarterback, Whittingham did say that Carr could get some playing time if he believes a series or two featuring Carr at quarterback would give the team the best chance to win. Do with that information what you will.
Whittingham was also asked if the way the team prepares for games will change given how the season has gone thus far. His response: "No, no, the preparation has worked really good for 20 something years, winning championships. … It's only natural when you hit a tough spot to question everything you're doing. You evaluate and take a good hard in-depth look, but you believe in what you're doing, which we do."
Even though the offensive line hasn't lived up to its potential this year, Whittingham isn't worried about the position group led by Jim Harding. Whittingham believes the offensive line will look better by the end of the season as opposed to how they've played so far. "He's a guy that I have a lot of faith in," Whittingham said of Harding. He also said they have played musical chairs a bit when it comes to the starting lineup up front, but despite all the injuries, he still believes in Harding and the group as a whole to eventually turn things around.
