The Michigan Insider

Michigan’s defense played well enough to beat Indiana. Its offense barely gave it a chance. The result was a maddening 13-6 overtime loss at Michigan Stadium that raised even more questions about the Wolverines’ offensive direction. On this edition of The Michigan Insider’s Monday Morning Quarterback, presented by Golden Limousine International, Sam Webb is joined by former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson and special guest, former Wolverine defensive lineman Will Heininger, for a revealing breakdown of what went wrong and what must change. Patterson dissects Tommy Carr’s uneven first start, including his two costly turnovers, missed opportunities, and the lack of offensive support that made life even tougher against Indiana’s formidable defense. Heininger offers a pointed assessment of Michigan’s struggles in the trenches, the continued reliance on the ineffective Rhino package, and the disastrous 3rd & 1 bootleg that wasted the Wolverines’ best scoring opportunity. The conversation also puts Kyle Whittingham’s game management under the microscope, questioning whether he needs to take greater control of critical offensive decisions. With Rutgers up next, the trio explores practical solutions, from more creative passing concepts and increased tight end involvement to a collaborative approach to offensive game-planning. They also tackle the growing quarterback controversy, explaining why another quick change could compound Michigan’s problems rather than solve them. With a defense capable of keeping the Wolverines competitive against anyone, can Whittingham and his staff finally find an offensive formula that gives Michigan a chance to win?
(00:00) – Shea Patterson and Will Heininger Break Down Michigan’s Loss to Indiana
(02:45) – Shea Says Carr Made Freshman Mistakes but Did Not Receive Enough Help
(04:59) – Michigan’s Goal-Line Boot Becomes the Defining Offensive Mistake
(08:51) – Heininger Calls the Goal-Line Decision “Malpractice”
(12:40) – Michigan’s Passing Game Continues to Leave Carr Without Answers
(14:45) – Sam Says Michigan Is Not Taking Advantage of Its Receiving Talent
(16:17) – Heininger Says Tight Ends Would Give Michigan More Flexibility Than Rhino
(18:37) – Rhino Is Not Producing the Physical Advantage It Is Supposed to Provide
(21:21) – Heininger Says Michigan Looked Unprepared for Indiana’s D-Line Movement
(28:10) – Heininger Says Whittingham Must Take Control in High-Leverage Situations
(33:49) – Shea Says Michigan Has to Identify What It Actually Does Well
(38:12) – Shea Calls for More Rub Routes, Mesh and Receiver Stacks
(39:16) – Shea Explains How Michigan Can Attack Quarters Coverage
(41:05) – Heininger Wants Michigan to Make Defenses Cover the Entire Width of the Field
(45:09) – Shea Confirms Michigan Should Have Identified Indiana’s Boot Responsibility
(48:19) – Shea Says Michigan Should Not Immediately Go Back to Bryce
(49:19) – Sam Says Changing Quarterbacks Again Would Ignore the Real Problems
(51:28) – Shea Says Eventually a Quarterback Has to Claim the Job
(53:21) – Michigan Finally Begins Using the Tight Ends More
(54:28) – Sam Says Indiana May Have Provided the Clearest Argument Yet for Less Rhino
(56:07) – Michigan May Need to Give Andrew Babalola an Opportunity
(58:29) – Michigan’s Second-Half Play Action Shows an Answer Worth Building On
(59:44) – Sam Pushes Back on the Quarterback Job Being Publicly “TBD”
(1:03:44) – Sam Says Michigan Has Not Shown Enough to Judge Carr’s Deep Passing
(1:05:11) – Sam Says the Quarterback Change Was Justified but Did Not Fix the Offense
(1:07:59) – Michigan May Need a More Collaborative Offensive Approach
(1:10:28) – Sam: Michigan Should Consider Calling Trusted Coaches Outside the Building
(1:14:00) – Portal Concerns Become Another Reason Michigan Needs Offensive Progress
(1:16:39) – Sam Says Carr Should Get the Rutgers Start

In this episode, Zach Shaw and Steve Lorenz break down the Michigan football team's 13-6 overtime loss to No. 6 Indiana, and the big-picture impact the defeat has on the Wolverines' season.
They open with a look at Michigan's offense in the game, in the latest rough showing for offensive coordinator Jason Beck and his players. They discuss what went wrong for the Wolverines in the loss to Indiana, particularly with the run game, play-calling and failing to finish drives. They discuss how to assess Beck's performance so far, and how to factor in Michigan's youth, turnover luck and the financial cost in deciding the fate of Beck's job.
In the second half of the episode, they discuss what went well for Michigan's defense in the game, including standout performances that kept the game close. They also discuss the squandered opportunity the Wolverines had this season given their championship-caliber defense, which of Michigan's three losses should Wolverine fans be most angry about, and how much Michigan players are on "quit watch" after a third loss.

Michigan's defense did everything necessary to beat Indiana. Its offense did almost nothing to reward that effort, turning a potential signature victory into a bitter 13-6 overtime loss at Michigan Stadium. In The Michigan Insider's postgame recap, Sam Webb and Josh Newkirk break down how Michigan wasted a brilliant defensive performance orchestrated by Jay Hill, whose aggressive play-calling and standout efforts from Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, and the rest of the unit repeatedly gave the Wolverines opportunities to seize control. The conversation turns to the offense's continued dysfunction, with sharp criticism of coordinator Jason Beck's play-calling, the persistent reliance on the Rhino package, costly red-zone failures, and an alarming inability to scheme receivers open. Webb and Newkirk also examine freshman quarterback Tommy Carr's rocky first half and late-game resilience, explaining why his struggles further exposed the deeper offensive problems that existed long before the quarterback change from Bryce Underwood. They also question the disconnect between head coach Kyle Whittingham and his offensive staff on critical play calls, and whether Michigan needs to seek outside input to fix an attack that continues to undermine an otherwise outstanding defense. With another winnable game slipping away, the discussion delivers a pointed assessment of where the responsibility lies, why the quarterback change alone was never going to solve Michigan's problems, and what must change before the Wolverines face Rutgers.
(00:00) Michigan Loses 13-6 to Indiana in Overtime
(00:36) Michigan’s Defense Squanders a Brilliant Effort Against Indiana’s Receivers
(01:59) Sam Says the Offense’s Problems Go Well Beyond the Quarterback
(03:06) The Third-and-Goal Rhino Call Whittingham Called a Bad Call
(04:44) Sam on How Heavy Personnel Limits Michigan’s Passing Game
(06:02) Tommy Carr Improves From Week One, but the Loss Isn’t on Him
(07:26) Michigan Can’t Scheme Receivers Open, Even Without Rhino
(08:21) The Halftime Play-Action Adjustment and the Need for More Shot Plays
(10:37) Why Does Michigan Keep Using Rhino: Stubbornness or Inability?
(11:06) Red-Zone Failures and a Lack of Ways to Get Guys Open
(13:12) The Lack of Tight End Involvement
(14:00) Michigan’s Passing Game Has to Help Its Run Game
(15:33) Should Michigan Seek Outside Help on Offense?
(16:23) The Frustration of Letting a Winnable Game Slip Away
(16:47) Musts Coming Out of the Game: No More Calls Whittingham Doesn’t Like
(17:57) The Quarterback Change Exposes the Passing Game’s Problems
(18:19) Tommy Carr’s Rough Start and His Recovery
(19:08) This Game Isn’t About Tommy vs. Bryce
(21:00) How Other Teams Scheme Receivers Open With Motion and Stacks
(23:13) Coaches Calling Coaches: The Ryan Day and Urban Meyer Example
(24:22) Jay Hill’s Game Plan and the Corner Blitz
(25:28) Who Whittingham Should Call for Offensive Help
(27:34) Is Rhino Stubbornness or Desperation?
(28:06) Missing Both Starting Tackles Doesn’t Explain the Ineptitude
(28:47) The Third-and-One Call That Could Have Won the Game
(29:39) Defensive Shoutouts: Suge, Zeke Barry, Snowden, Bracy and Jay Hill
(30:34) Tommy Carr’s Recovery and the Plays Where Nobody Was Open
(31:35) Sam Closes by Looking Ahead to Rutgers

Michigan looked like a different team when Tommy Carr took over at quarterback. What does the Wolverines’ dramatic change in energy, physicality, and emotion reveal about the locker room and its leadership? On this episode of Steady Droppin Dimes, presented by Golden Limousine International, The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb is joined by former Michigan football captain Jarrett Irons and former Wolverines point guard Daniel Horton to examine the Tommy Carr effect, the pressure that comes with becoming Michigan’s starting quarterback, and why a fresh start elsewhere might be best for Bryce Underwood. The conversation shifts to the hardwood with an early look at Michigan basketball’s national championship defense and whether the Detroit Pistons can contend in a loaded Eastern Conference reshaped by blockbuster moves.
(00:00) – Jarrett Irons Returns After Michigan’s Season-Saving Win
(04:07) – Irons Says Michigan’s Players Clearly Responded to Tommy Carr
(07:40) – Carr’s Poise Under Pressure Impresses Sam and Irons
(09:30) – Irons Says Leadership Is Built Through Relationships
(13:36) – Sam and Irons Discuss Bryce’s Bye-Week Training Trip
(18:49) – Sam Says Bryce May Have Been Given Too Much Leadership Responsibility Too Soon
(22:07) – Sam Rejects the Idea That Michigan Deliberately Sabotaged Bryce
(25:12) – Bryce’s Inability to Recover From Adversity Becomes the Bigger Concern
(28:56) – Michigan Must Build on the Concepts That Have Actually Worked
(32:22) – Irons Says Great Coaches Fit the Scheme to Their Players
(35:21) – Irons Says Carr Has Clearly Earned Respect Inside the Locker Room
(37:07) – The Panel Discusses What Comes Next for Bryce Underwood
(43:03) – Horton Says Carr Has a Chance to Establish His Own Michigan Legacy
(44:59) – Horton Pushes Back Against Overhyping Carr’s Penn State Performance
(49:26) – Irons Says Carr Helped Save Michigan’s Season but Cannot Do It Alone
(51:07) – Carr’s Moxie and Sibling Rivalry Become Part of the Discussion
(55:47) – Irons and Horton Explain How Their Football Families Shaped Them
(58:33) – Irons Says Michigan Does Not Need Carr to Be a Savior Against Indiana
(1:02:44) – Sam and Horton Debate How Much Carr Actually Showed
(1:07:36) – Sam Lays Out the Offensive Blueprint He Wants Against Indiana
(1:11:55) – Horton Says Michigan’s Quarterback Problem Has Been Bigger Than One Player
(1:15:08) – Carr Has at Least Proven the Stage Is Not Too Big
(1:19:09) – Michigan Basketball Returns With a Different Championship Roster
(1:22:01) – Michigan’s Development Will Determine Its Championship Ceiling
(1:24:20) – Horton Says Elliot Cadeau Can Become a National Player of the Year Candidate
(1:25:33) – Horton Calls Michigan’s Backcourt One of the Best in the Country
(1:27:22) – Horton Expects Roddy Gayle to Play Like a Veteran
(1:28:30) – Michigan’s Biggest Basketball Question May Be Frontcourt Physicality
(1:29:58) – Sam and Horton Discuss the Pistons’ Place in the Eastern Conference
(1:32:58) – Horton Says Detroit’s Growth Has to Come From Within
(1:35:42) – Carr’s Familiarity With Michigan Reinforces Confidence in His Composure
(1:36:15) – Sam Says Player Movement and NIL Donor Changes Are Now Normal
(1:38:07) – Michigan Will Likely Explore the Quarterback Portal
(1:42:02) – Horton Likes Michigan’s Backup Point Guard Options
(1:42:43) – Horton Likes Yaxel Lendeborg Learning From Draymond Green
(1:44:53) – Detroit Still Needs Another Offensive Creator Beside Cade Cunningham
(1:46:48) – Michigan Women’s Basketball Preview Is Coming
(1:48:50) – End of Show

In this episode, Zach Shaw and Steve Lorenz break down the Michigan football team’s upcoming home matchup against No. 6 Indiana, and the keys for the Wolverines to pull off the upset in Ann Arbor.
They open with a look at the keys for Michigan’s offense. They discuss the Wolverines switching to Tommy Carr as starting quarterback, the importance of avoiding turnovers, why getting the ball out quick might be an asset in this matchup and other opportunities for Michigan to have success moving the football.
In the second half of the episode, they look at the keys for the Wolverines’ defense, including the value of pressure and forcing Josh hoover into uncomfortable throws and situations, the threats that Charlies Becker and Nick Marsh present, the Hoosiers’ run game in recent weeks and more.
They close with their final thoughts on the matchup, and score predictions for the game.