Kyle Whittingham has coached football for more than four decades. He spent more than 20 years as a head coach at Utah, navigated conference changes, rebuilt rosters and dealt with just about everything the profession can throw at a coach.

Five games into his Michigan tenure, Whittingham says what he is dealing with in Ann Arbor might top them all.

Following Michigan’s stunning 20-14 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, Whittingham made a striking admission when asked whether he is still trying to figure out exactly what kind of football team he has.

“I’m still trying to figure it out,” Whittingham said. “I’ve been in this profession 40-plus years, and this is maybe the biggest challenge I’ve had.”

Considering Whittingham’s résumé, that is no throwaway comment.

Whittingham Searching for Answers at Michigan

Michigan entered the season with expectations of competing near the top of the Big Ten. Instead, the Wolverines are 3-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play after consecutive losses to Iowa and Minnesota.

Saturday’s performance made the situation even more troubling.

According to the official Michigan box score, the Wolverines generated just 180 total yards, including 101 passing and 79 rushing. Michigan finished with 11 first downs, averaged 2.8 yards per carry, committed three turnovers and possessed the football for only 22:24.

Bryce Underwood completed 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards with two interceptions. Jordan Marshall led Michigan with 50 rushing yards and scored the offense’s only touchdown, while the Wolverines failed to score at all after halftime.

That offensive ineffectiveness is at the center of Whittingham’s frustration.

“And we will get it figured out, I promise you that,” Whittingham said. “I’m not sure what the timeline is, but I promise you we’ll get it figured out at some juncture. But right now we have a lot of answers that we’ve got to come up with, because we’ve got so many deficiencies.”

Michigan’s Defense Is Keeping It Alive

The remarkable part is that Michigan still had every opportunity to leave Minneapolis with a victory.

Smith Snowden intercepted Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey in the first quarter, giving Michigan possession at the Minnesota 34 and eventually setting up Marshall’s five-yard touchdown run. Nathaniel Staehling later delivered the biggest play of the afternoon, returning another Lindsey interception 79 yards for a touchdown to give Michigan a 14-7 halftime lead.

That meant Michigan’s defense was directly responsible for seven points and created the short field that produced the other seven.

The Wolverines still lost.

Michigan did not score in the second half, while Minnesota put up 13 unanswered points and finished with a massive 37:36-to-22:24 advantage in time of possession. The Gophers reclaimed the Little Brown Jug for the first time since 2014 and beat Michigan in Minneapolis for the first time since 1977.

Whittingham acknowledged that Michigan’s defense has largely done its job.

“There’s been a lot of good things going on in defense, but it gets to the point where they just can’t hold up anymore,” Whittingham said. “And unfortunately that reached that point in the second half today.”

That is a difficult formula to sustain.

Whittingham Says Michigan Has a ‘Disconnect’

Perhaps the most concerning aspect for Michigan’s head coach is that he cannot simply point to poor preparation.

Whittingham said Michigan has practiced well throughout the season. He praised the players’ work ethic and said the Wolverines are running a “tight ship,” yet the preparation Michigan sees during the week has repeatedly failed to translate to Saturdays.

“There’s a disconnect,” Whittingham said. “There’s something going on from the Monday through Friday to what’s going on on Saturdays.”

Whittingham returned to that word when discussing why the first five games have looked so different from what he anticipated during the spring and fall camp.

“It wasn’t what I envisioned, I can tell you that,” Whittingham said. “But there’s a disconnect. I keep going back to that word. There’s something that is not putting us in, you know, to allow us to function at our best. We’re not hitting on all cylinders right now.”

That mystery is what makes Whittingham’s “biggest challenge” comment so revealing.

Michigan does not appear to have a simple problem with a simple fix.

Michigan Has Two Weeks to Find Something

Whittingham’s task becomes even more urgent when considering what lies ahead.

Michigan gets a desperately needed bye before returning to Michigan Stadium on Oct. 17 against Penn State. The Wolverines have seven regular-season games remaining, meaning there is still enough time to dramatically change the trajectory of the season.

But Whittingham already indicated the bye could involve some uncomfortable conversations. He said “everything’s in play” as Michigan evaluates potential changes and described the current offensive results as “unacceptable.”

That evaluation figures to include offensive coordinator Jason Beck, personnel usage and an offense that has now failed to reach 20 points in four of Michigan’s first five games.

The Wolverines have also gone from a heartbreaking last-second loss against Iowa to an afternoon in Minneapolis where they could barely move the football.

For a coach who has spent more than 40 years in the profession, Whittingham has seen plenty.

Apparently, he has never seen anything quite like the challenge currently waiting for him in Ann Arbor.

Source: Yahoo Sports