Sherrone Moore addresses quarterback issues following loss to Illinois

Chris Breiler | 4 Hours Ago

Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Heading into the bye week, the hope was that Michigan had found a legitimate QB1 in seventh year veteran Jack Tuttle. Although he had two critical turnovers in a loss to Washington two weeks ago, he also made some plays through the air that we hadn't seen from either Davis Warren or Alex Orji. But coming out of the bye week, Tuttle looked shaky - missing wide open targets and committing more turnovers.

In an embarrassing 21-7 loss to Illinois on Saturday, Tuttle finished the game completing 20-of-32 attempts for 208 yards and one interception. Tuttle also fumbled the ball twice, leading to another turnover. Following the game, head coach Sherrone Moore's disappointment in the QB play was evident.

Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

"Yeah, I mean, you can't turn the ball over," Moore said. "So, you know, you don't wanna go to four quarterbacks. You don't wanna have to go through this process. But you've got a guy that's — you've got to take care of the football. So we're gonna see what we've got to do, and we'll have that conversation as we go."

Although reluctant to make yet another quarterback change, Moore admitted that he would consider it in the upcoming week.

"Yeah, we'll just see. We'll see how the week goes. Guys have got to, we've just got to take care of the football. So we'll figure that out when we get back to Ann Arbor."

Through six quarters of play, Tuttle has now accounted for four total turnovers (2 interceptions and 2 fumbles). That's certainly disappointing from a seventh year veteran, and it will likely be the reason that Moore needs to go back to the drawing board for a starting QB next weekend. Do you go back to senior Davis Warren, a guy who had his own turnover issues? Do you go back to junior Alex Orji, a guy who struggled to find any rhythm through the air? Or do you stay the course with a veteran QB who has been a turnover machine in the last two games?

Regardless of what Moore decides to do at QB, it's clear that there are no quick fixes for this offense. Michigan's seven points on Saturday were the lowest point total for the Wolverines in a game since the 2014 season - Brady Hoke's last year in Ann Arbor. With numbers like that, it tells you everything you need to know about the current reality at Michigan.

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