WTKA Roundtable 10/8/2026: The Sophomore Slump

Things Discussed:

• Brian on the offense: The dysfunction is too great to be one thing. Media narrative that they're too perimeter-based isn't based in reality; they were an outside zone team last year. There isn't a one thing they can go to the lab and fix. Running base plays will probably help; too many constraint plays that are too easy to stuff.
• Don't see Beck scheming up any explosives. Part of that is it's because he doesn't repeat things that work enough to get a reaction. #1 thing that's hurting them are those explosives.
• Defensively they're fine. DEs were a little injured; Tariq Boney ran into an issue with long tackles if they get their hands on him because they don't call holding (except on Michigan) in this conference. A lot of the tackling issues were they were exhausted.
• Responding to Devin Gardner's assessment: It's wrong to say Bryce can't make zone reads. He's getting these right, even when they're complicated, except when Hiter clamps down, which is not speculation.
• Rhino: Gach is a 2nd year player who just moved here and doesn't know how to make the complicated reads yet. Sam: Teams are reacting to it belligerently. Lack of a counter. Seth: Problem is the Rhino is inviting safeties into the box to replace a linebacker who replaces a DE in complicated ways, and they don't have the experience yet to deal with that.
• Why is Rhino their most effective in YPC/YPA? Because they're not getting any explosives.
• Beck problem is he's not getting explosives. Ratio of meat & potatoes/fancy plays is totally out of whack—too much fancy and too many ways to diffuse them, so they're not getting guys in wrong positions. Michigan drives are stalling out inside the opponent's territory.
• Bryce problem is he falls apart when he gets uncomfortable. The Bryce hit + Marsh drop, Hiter clamp, Delay of Game sequence rattled him and he wasn't reading after that. Not uncommon for a 19-year-old quarterback. If you go Tommy you're just putting another freshman in.
• You can't bench Bryce right now. Sophomore Syndrome: Let's talk about Evan Link: he's a pretty good Big Ten left tackle now, and he was unplayable in Year 2. Bryce is Year 2.
• If they do use the Rhino what can they do to punish defenses? Slants to Buchanan and Marsh
• Where's Dagger? That would work great.