Michigan Wolverines Quarterback Situation Is A Mess
By Ryan Dunne
Sep 20, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (98) warms up before the game against the Utah Utes at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
After their embarrassing 30-14 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, more and more questions continue to grow about the Michigan Wolverines and where do they go from here.
Even if head coach Brady Hoke is fired, that doesn’t solve the problem of who should be the starting quarterback.
Before this porous game happened, I stated that quarterback Devin Gardner should remain the starter.
Hoke didn’t take my advice and went with the sophomore quarterback Shane Morris to start under center.
More from Michigan Wolverines
- Betting Preview: Best Bets for Michigan vs. Ohio State Rivalry
- Michigan Coach Shockingly Fired as Sign-Stealing Scandal Continues
- Betting Preview: Best Bets for Michigan vs. Penn State
- Known Blowhard Paul Finebaum Makes Ridiculous Michigan Prediction about National Championship
- Michigan Wolverines New Betting Favorite to Win National Championship
Morris’s home debut didn’t go so well as he was 7 of 19 for 19 yards and an interception. Morris didn’t look so bad early in the contest, but as the game progressed from good to bad, so did he.
Morris didn’t look comfortable in the pocket on quite a few plays, he was forcing the ball into covered receivers, and he even fumbled the ball as well on a play where he was scrambling around in the pocket and the ball just slipped from his grasp.
He did show toughness after sustaining an ankle injury that would linger him in the second half, but there’s only so much punishment a quarterback can take and we have seen this story last year.
In 2013, Gardner would get hit numerous times due in large part of the offensive line not being able to protect him. So throughout games, you saw a beaten down quarterback and that’s what Morris looked like against the Gophers.
But back to the situation at quarterback.
Gardner needs to be the starter from this point on.
You could see he was upset about not being on the field throughout the game until he entered, I mean who wouldn’t be?
But once he entered, he provided a spark and maybe a sign that he can get the job done this season to make the team relevant.
I understand that Morris is supposedly the future, but he didn’t look like it today. So why put him out there and have him struggle instead of going with the senior who has been through this before and shows at times he has promise.
Long story short, Gardner needs to be the quarterback moving forward if the Michigan Wolverines want any chance of winning the Big Ten Conference this season.