It didn't really come as a surprise on Monday when Kyle Whittingham chose not to announce who the starting quarterback would be for Michigan's upcoming matchup against Indiana. Whittingham is playing this strategically, not wanting to show his hand to the Hoosiers, but Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is smarter than that.
After benching Bryce Underwood for Tommy Carr and then going on to win the game on Saturday, it feels like it is a no-brainer that Carr will be the quarterback going forward. Whittingham said that while the decision has been made, he isn't going to give that away to the opponent, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that it is probably going to be Carr.
Cignetti spoke about Michigan in his Monday presser, and even he isn't fooled by Whittingham's tactics. Of course, Indiana will need to game plan for both quarterbacks, but it would probably be more surprising if Whittingham goes with Underwood over Carr. Cignetti is making plans for every possibility.
"You can see what you need to see in the second half of Penn State, in my opinion, which I watched. I’d assume it would be him," Cignetti said. "It could be two quarterbacks on the field at the same time. That would not surprise me. They did that at Utah. And the other guy can make plays. Schematically, they didn’t change a whole lot in the second half."
Indiana HC Curt Cignetti on if he will prepare for both quarterbacks at #Michigan and if he will watch high school film of freshman QB Tommy Carr this week:
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) October 19, 2026
“You can see what you need to see in the second half of Penn State, in my opinion, which I watched. I’d assume it would be… pic.twitter.com/s0liEGXzr3
Tommy Carr would face a completely difference defense if he starts against Indiana
It's not always easy to be thrown into the game at a moment's notice, even coming out of halftime with a little more time to prepare. All things considered, Carr did a great job stepping into the game and working in stride with the offense.
Was it perfect? No. Did it look messy at times? Yes. It's not like Carr was going to hit the field and put on a Heisman Trophy-winning performance, especially with the problems this Michigan offense has struggled with, but he did what needed to be done to get the Wolverines the win.
Now, if Carr is the starter against Indiana, which all signs point to being the case, he is going to face a defense that is a night-and-day difference from Penn State's. While Indiana's offense didn't look the greatest against Ohio State in Week 7, the Hoosier defense held up in a big way.
The Hoosiers currently have the No. 4 defense in the country, allowing just 12.9 points per game to opponents and 270.6 average yards per game. The Hoosiers are also fourth in the nation in sacks with 24, and against a struggling Michigan offensive line, that could be a problem.
If Carr is handed the reins of the offense against Indiana, he will need to work fast in the pocket, getting through reads quickly and getting the ball out fast. When it comes to scrambling, Carr will need to think quickly about how to get out of pressure and either run the ball himself or throw on the run.
Luckily, there is only a half of film on Carr, and offensive coordinator Jason Beck didn't really showcase much of what he could really do. Cignetti will really only have that half, a couple of drives from the UTEP game, and high school film to see what Carr can do, which could end up working in Michigan's favor, but only if Beck works to Carr's strengths.
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