After the Western Michigan game, there was a lot of debate on whether or not Kyle Whittingham was actually the right fit in Ann Arbor. Then, after the Oklahoma upset, it was the exact opposite, and Whittingham was everything the Wolverines needed.
So, which one is it? Well, it is a little bit of both. The Western Michigan game was messy and simply didn't make any sense, but it was the first game of his tenure in Ann Arbor. Then things got rolling against Oklahoma, and Whittingham got his first marquee win in the Maize and Blue. That win was a crucial turning point for the Wolverines, one that Joel Klatt believes won the "culture tug-of-war" for Whittingham.
"I think Kyle Whittingham won the culture tug-of-war at Michigan last week," Klatt said.
"I think Kyle Whittingham won the culture tug-of-war at Michigan last week."@colincowherd & @joelklatt discuss if Michigan is turning the corner after upsetting Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/LMBzvB18w3
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 17, 2026
So, what does that mean? Well, Whittingham has a style of football he is known for, and that is being physical, running the football in order to open up the pass game when needed, and playing bully ball on defense. We saw one half of that, the defensive half, against Western Michigan, but we saw all of it vs. Oklahoma.
Kyle Whittingham is making Michigan adapt to him, not the other way around
It's not like Michigan is a stranger to running the ball. The Wolverines have had more rushing yards than passing yards the last two seasons. That could be the same this season as well, with the way the offense is running the ball - or should I say, Bryce Underwood is running the ball.
With a quarterback who is 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, you can run the ball really well, and Whittingham knows that. In Underwood's freshman season, he rushed for only 392 yards, but that was mostly when scrambling after the offensive line broke down. Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck are choosing more run-option plays for Underwood, and it's working.
Against Western Michigan, Underwood again was running more out of necessity rather than because of the play that was called. That resulted in nine carries for 47 rushing yards and a touchdown. Against Oklahoma, Underwood ran the ball 18 times for 87 yards and a touchdown, but it also opened up the passing game.
This isn't a huge change for the Wolverines, but enough of one that it involved a lot of growing pains for the offense in Week 1 vs. Western Michigan. As Klatt said, Whittingham won the culture tug-of-war against Oklahoma because his team played his style of football instead of what they had been used to in the past.
Klatt even referenced other great coaches who struggled in their first season or had games that just didn't make sense, like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and even Urban Meyer, and they went on to have, or still have, very successful careers. So, Whittingham could go on to have a lot of success at Michigan, just like he did at Utah with this style of play.
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