Michigan turned to backup quarterback Tommy Carr on Saturday in need of a spark after benching Bryce Underwood at halftime, and the true freshman delivered in rallying for a 21-18 win over Penn State.
Carr, the grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, punched in a 12-yard touchdown run with 2:58 remaining to help put away the Nittany Lions and secure the Wolverines' first Big Ten win under coach Kyle Whittingham.
Tommy Carr led three touchdown drives in the second half, each of them coming after Penn State turnovers. He finished with 47 passing yards and 38 rushing yards in his second career appearance.
"He was very prepared for when his number was called," Whittingham said, "and he responded very well."
Whittingham said Michigan coaches will decide by Monday whether Carr or Underwood will be the starter going forward, though Whittingham admitted he might not "tip our hand" before the Wolverines face defending national champ Indiana next Saturday.
Underwood struggled against the Nittany Lions, completing 5 of 11 passes for 43 yards, rushing for 11 yards and throwing two interceptions in a scoreless first half. His second turnover ended a potential scoring drive that had reached Penn State's 36-yard line in the final minute of the second quarter.
Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Whittingham was ready to make a change. The former three-star recruit made the most of the opportunity while his grandfather watched from a suite inside Michigan Stadium.
"Coach came up to me and said it was my time," Carr said. "I've prepared for this since Day 1, so I was ready, and my teammates had my back. We played a great second half and got the job done."
Michigan's rushing attack gained just 37 yards in the first half but eventually wore down the Nittany Lions with 174 yards after halftime, thanks in part to a season-high 78 yards from freshman Savion Hiter.
The Wolverines' defense helped flip Michigan's fortunes as well by intercepting two third-quarter passes from Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht. Chris Bracy delivered a third takeaway with five minutes left in the fourth, sacking Becht from behind and forcing a fumble with Michigan up 14-11 that would set up Carr's touchdown run.
Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 SC Next 300, is off to an inconsistent start in his first six games under Whittingham and new offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Underwood has thrown for 924 yards on 58% passing with seven total touchdowns and eight turnovers to start his sophomore campaign.
After Michigan opened Big Ten play with back-to-back losses to Iowa and Minnesota to drop to 3-2, Whittingham said earlier this week he was sticking with Underwood as his starter coming out of the team's bye week.
Whittingham said Underwood couldn't have handled the change any better and helped talk with Carr between series.
"I love Bryce Underwood," Whittingham said. "He's a stand-up guy. He's competitive. He's got a ton of want-to. He's got such a great personality, just a pleasant guy to be around. It could have gone one of two ways. You either just clam up and put your hand down and sulk, or you can be positive. He chose that route. That was great to see."
The top-ranked quarterback prospect from Belleville, Michigan, flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan in November 2024 and became the highest-rated offensive signee in Wolverine history.
Underwood started all 13 games for the Wolverines in 2025 and produced 2,428 passing yards, 392 rushing yards, 17 total touchdowns and 11 turnovers while leading a 9-4 season and a No. 21 finish in the AP Top 25.
With the win, Michigan avoided its first 0-3 start in Big Ten play since 1967. Whoever starts at quarterback going forward is in for another major challenge next week against an Indiana team that just had its 22-game winning streak snapped by Ohio State on Saturday.
"We will have a great idea when we all know exactly what the plan is on Monday," Whittingham said. "How much of that we'll let out of the bag, we'll see."