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“Sedated on the Sidelines”: Michigan Alum Extremely Angry Over Kyle Whittingham’s Antics Despite Urgent Damage-Control Attempt
Kyle Whittingham ©Credits: IMAGO
Kyle Whittingham ©Credits: IMAGO

Dave Portnoy has had enough of Michigan’s embarrassing collapse under Kyle Whittingham. A humiliating 15-6 loss to Michigan State only fueled his outrage. The Spartans entered the Big House riding a six-game losing streak without a single conference win, yet walked out with the Paul Bunyan Trophy and bragging rights. For Michigan, it was another disastrous setback, and Whittingham is running out of excuses.

Dave Portnoy’s reaction went beyond the usual postgame frustration. On Wake Up Barstool, he took particular issue with Kyle Whittingham’s apparent lack of emotion during games. He even suggested the former Utah coach looked like he would rather be watching daytime television than dealing with Michigan’s problems.

Portnoy acknowledged Kyle Whittingham’s previous success at Utah but questioned whether the Michigan job had exposed a completely different side of the coach. He also pointed to Utah’s current success as part of his argument that the Wolverines made the wrong move.

The QB situation offered another reason for frustration, although Dave Portnoy wasn’t blaming the players. Tommy Carr threw two interceptions against Michigan State, while Bryce Underwood never got onto the field. But when asked whether the QBs deserved the blame, he made his thoughts clear.

“100% not on Carr,” he said. “It wasn’t on Underwood either. It’s on that nitwit Jason Beck.”

He had already made his feelings about Jason Beck known in a separate video after Michigan slipped to 5-4.

“Get them out of here,” he said. “Let’s start with the obvious. Kyle Whittingham, gone. Get him out of here. Jason Beck, gone. Fire him. Get him out of here.”

Jason Beck’s offense had little to show for itself. Michigan managed just 192 total yards all afternoon. The Spartans gained 298 yards, including 110 rushing and 188 passing. The Wolverines finished with only 54 rushing yards on 26 carries and committed four turnovers, including two interceptions and two lost fumbles. Then came a sideline moment that didn’t sit well with Michigan fans.

Trailing 15-0 with 2:46 left, the Wolverines faced fourth-and-21. Michigan State called a timeout. While the Spartans huddled with their coaches, cameras caught Kyle Whittingham standing on the other sideline, staring into space with his headset microphone pushed up.

Fans quickly picked up on the moment. Michigan converted the fourth down, with Tommy Carr hitting Travis Johnson for 21 yards. Savion Hiter scored from a yard out a few plays later, but the failed two-point try ended any real comeback hopes.

There was, however, an immediate attempt to address at least one part of the problem. Michigan fired Jason Beck on Sunday, November 8, one day after the defeat. OL coach Jim Harding was appointed interim OC, giving the Wolverines a new voice to oversee an offense that had badly lost its way.

Michigan was scoring just 19.6 points per game, 126th nationally, while averaging 5.01 yards per play. Paying a coordinator reportedly earning $3 million a year, with a buyout potentially reaching $10.1 million, makes this an expensive change.

“The results have not matched our desired outcome, and I felt that a change in leadership was required for our offense,” Kyle Whittingham said. “We need to put our offensive players and the entire team in the best possible position to be successful.”

But removing one coordinator doesn’t automatically fix everything. Michigan is now 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play, a far cry from the expectations surrounding Kyle Whittingham’s arrival. The remaining schedule offers little comfort, either.

Dave Portnoy got one of his wishes. Jason Beck is gone, but Kyle Whittingham is still there. And that’s where his anger remains. Losing to a struggling Michigan State team at home was bad enough. Now the coach is facing questions that won’t disappear with one firing.

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