Kyle Whittingham's debut at Michigan was nothing like anyone expected, or probably what he expected either. Michigan's miracle comeback saved what could have been a horrible narrative about Whittingham being the wrong guy for the job in Ann Arbor, but he was still nowhere near happy with his team's performance.
After the crowd rushed the field for Michigan's improbable comeback win, the team hit the locker room, and Whittingham himself said there was no celebrating going on. The Wolverines are well aware that it was not a performance anyone will want to remember, and Whittingham is the first one to take it on the chin.
"This game will go down in Michigan history — I don't know if it'll be positive history," Whittingham said. "We have a lot of things to fix. We didn't stop the run, run the ball well, or win the turnover margin, get enough first downs. All of that is squarely on my shoulders."
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham postgame: "This game will go down in Michigan history — I don't know if it'll be positive history.”
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) September 6, 2026
"We have a lot of things to fix. We didn't stop the run, run the ball well, or win the turnover margin, get enough first downs. All of that is… pic.twitter.com/x7A5B9AzvE
As a head coach, it is Whittingham's job to take this on his shoulders. It could have been a lot worse if he had praised his team for fighting back and winning the game, but he was actually the first one to call them out and now take the blame for not having his guys as ready as he thought he did.
Michigan desperately needs to go back to the drawing board after disaster offensive performance
It almost makes you wonder if Whittingham and his staff should get their eyes checked, because how in the world was there so much hype coming out of fall camp for Michigan's offense? The first drive was stellar, but it was probably scripted all offseason, and the offense played its role well.
When it came to following play calls and executing in real time, the offense looked more lost than someone walking through a corn maze with their eyes closed. Underwood struggled to get through his reads, keep his feet quiet, and even protect the future, throwing into dangerous situations.
Even the run game looked bland at times, and where in the heck was Savion Hiter? There was a lot of talk about Hiter seeing the field a lot, even early in the season, but he was harder to find than a needle in a haystack at times. With only 106 rushing yards, it is hard to believe the amount of buzz that came out of fall camp with both running backs running the ball and Underwood using his legs well.
Next up is No. 10 Oklahoma, who accomplished their blowout win over UTEP on Friday night. The Sooners may not have looked perfect either, and Brent Venables might have been concerned before watching Michigan play, but now the concern lies on Michigan's side. How will Michigan's offense perform against a marginally better defense next week?
It looks like it is back to the drawing board for Whittingham and Michigan's offense because if they come out and look like that against Oklahoma, even a miracle Hail Mary, or as some are calling it, Bail Mary, won't save the Wolverines from a loss.
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