Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham is taking the quarterback position week by week. Quarterback Bryce Underwood did not play well in a 13-12 Week 1 win over the Western Michigan Broncos.

He completed 54.5% of his passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Underwood also rushed for 47 yards on nine carries and a touchdown, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. If he were to struggle again against No. 11 Oklahoma at home on Saturday, would Whittingham pull the plug and bench Underwood for Tommy Carr?

Kyle Whittingham Is Not Guaranteeing Bryce Underwood Anything

Whittingham was asked about the job at his weekly press conference at Schembechler Hall on Monday. Underwood, he said, is “our QB right now” and is “not absolutely set in concrete,” and the runway he has is “not something that’s infinite.” The head coach would not put a timeline on it, but he did say every quarterback eventually reaches the point where a staff has to look at an alternative.

Michigan’s Backup Options Are Not Better

Andrew Khan, who covers the Wolverines for MLive and co-hosts the Wolverine Confidential podcast, does not see an obvious alternative on the roster. One of the hottest topics of the week is the future of Underwood as the starting quarterback for this program, and Khan said,

“It’s not like there’s a veteran pushing him. Fans always love the backup quarterback because he’s an unknown and they can just project whatever they want and just think he’s going to be great. But in this case it’s not a great option, I think, to turn to.”

Fans are going to be disappointed again if Underwood struggles against Oklahoma and Whittingham decides to keep him as the starter. Carr, though, is a true freshman and the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. Handing him the offense against a top-15 opponent carries its own risk. Underwood is a sophomore, and the far more likely path is that he works through the struggles in real time.