Kyle Whittingham makes major Michigan kicking decision after Trey Butkowski’s four misses put starting job at risk
Michigan improved to 5-3 after beating Rutgers, but the team needed a late touchdown to secure the win. Quarterback Tommy Carr threw for 266 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns, including the nine-yard score that gave Michigan the lead with 4:24 remaining. The Wolverines also struggled in other areas, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and committing seven penalties for 90 yards.
The timing makes this change important for the Wolverines. They also dropped two interceptions during Rutgers’ final drive. Missing field goals only added to the pressure in a game that could have been more comfortable for Michigan.
Butkowski also missed two field goals in Michigan’s 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana. Those attempts came from 53 and 32 yards. his recent record has become a concern Although he made a 26-yard field goal to send that game into overtime.
The problem is not limited to the Rutgers game.
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham has opened up the team’s kicking job after Trey Butkowski missed two field goals in the 28-21 win over Rutgers. The coach has confirmed that every kicker will get a chance to compete in practice this week, with the best performer starting against Michigan State on November 7. Against Rutgers, the sophomore missed a 48-yard attempt that went wide right and another from 35 yards that went wide left.
Whittingham has confirmed that the starting position will be decided by the kickers’ performances during practice this week, according to CBS Sports reporter Brice Marich.
The first miss had some help from the wind, according to Whittingham, but the coach was not happy with the shorter attempt. “Short one was disappointing,” Whittingham said after the game. The decision puts Butkowski’s place in the starting lineup at risk after several missed kicks. The latest decision follows a difficult two-game stretch for Trey Butkowski. “That’s something we need to make, and he needs to make. He knows that, and that was a big miss at the time. Now, that possibility has turned into an actual competition.