Michigan football OC Jason Beck talks ‘chemistry’ needed on offense
Michigan football OC Jason Beck talks ‘chemistry’ needed on offense at Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.
Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham is adamant about what he wants − or needs − in a quarterback.
And that’s somebody who can run the football. Whittingham had that last season once Devon Dampier transferred from New Mexico to Utah, and speaking last week at Big Ten media days in Chicago, Whittingham said if anybody turns on the film of how he was used, “that’s what you’re going to see, is Bryce [Underwood] doing those things this year.”
“The college game, in my opinion, it’s got to have the QB run game as part of your offensive scheme,” Whittingham later said. “If you don’t, you’re missing the boat because there’s so much benefit that can be made from that quarterback running.”
A quick look at the numbers shows the two were utilized differently last season, most notably in rushing attempts. Dampier ran the ball 146 times for 835 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns across 12 games. Underwood, comparatively, ran 88 times for 392 yards (4.5) and four touchdowns in 13 games.
While most of Underwood’s season totals were worse, underlying figures show more similarities than expected.
Underwood forced 18 missed tackles on 88 rushes (20.5% forced missed tackle rate), while Dampier had 27 on 146 carries (18.5%), according to Pro Football Focus. Underwood also had 17 carries of 10 or more yards (19.3% of attempts), notably higher than Dampier ‘s 21 such rushes (14.4%), though Dampier did have the edge in first downs, moving the sticks on 45 of his carries (30.8%) while Underwood did so 22 times (25%).
While Dampier had more than twice as many rushing yards and touchdowns as Underwood, the efficiency was rather similar, with frequency responsible for much of the difference. Dampier ran the ball at least 10 times in 10 different games, while Underwood only had one game with more than nine carries: the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Texas, when he ran 14 times for 69 yards and a score.
It’s why U-M feels it has a quarterback capable of mirroring that production.
“[They’re] similar in they’re both athletic, they can use their feet as part of the run game to be a threat to the defense,” said offensive coordinator Jason Beck, comparing the two. “Different in that every quarterback has their own strengths, their own weaknesses, how they do things. Bryce is a big, physical kid. Devon was more quick, make you miss. But they’re both just a threat.
“They can pull it, they can create, if things are breaking down or things are covered, they can extend plays. So working scramble drill … is a big part of success we had with Devon and a big part of what we’re working on developing when things happen.”
While the main comparison point for the two that most people are eyeing is how Underwood will be utilized on the ground, it’s worth noting how Dampier was used through the air, too. Last season, Utah’s QB was certainly more efficient than Underwood, throwing more than twice as many touchdowns (24 vs. 11), essentially half as many interceptions (5 vs. 9), and more passing yards (2,490 vs. 2,428) despite one fewer attempt.
Some of this could be reasonably attributed to experience, but there were also slight differences in concepts and route depth. Underwood had more dropbacks in play-action (36.6%) than Dampier (32.5%) in the regular season and also threw significantly more screens (16.1%) than Dampier (8.1%).
Underwood also took fewer deep shots, with 56.4% of his attempts all year coming with 10 yards of the line of scrimmage or behind it, while 52.6% of Dampier’s attempts were on such throws. But overall, the attempts were pretty close − Underwood threw 55 passes of 20 yards or more, Dampier had 54; Underwood threw 79 passes between 10-19 yards downfield, Dampier had 82.
One major difference? Dampier’s pass-catchers dropped just eight passes all year compared to 28 for Underwood.
That’s why Underwood’s adjusted completion rate, per PFF, was higher than Dampier on passes of 0-9 yards (85.0% vs. 82.9%), and deep balls (36.4% vs. 31.5%). For perspective, if Underwood had 20 fewer drops, that would’ve been nearly an additional 150 yards (based on his average completion of 7.2 yards per throw) and his completion rate would’ve been 66.2%, higher than Dampier’s 63.5%.
Point is, the underlying numbers were surprisingly similar between Underwood and Dampier in 2025. It gives reason to believe things could improve for the U-M signal caller in his sophomore season, with a better system, fewer drops and more experience. But the main expected difference is how Underwood will be used in the rushing game.
There’s no doubt U-M will run Underwood more in 2026, but it will be pragmatic in how it does so.
“There’s a balance of how much you do it, who you’re playing, what the scheme is,” Beck said. “There’s a lot that goes into kind of being smart about that.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
