Michigan, reeling after two-straight losses to open Big Ten play, returns to action on Oct. 17 against Penn State at 3:30 p.m. at Michigan Stadium.

Kickoff times for the Oct. 16-17 games were announced Monday, Oct. 5 by the Big Ten, but the network for Michigan-Penn State will be determined after the upcoming weekend’s games.

The Wolverines, 3-2, 0-2 Big Ten, under head coach Kyle Whittingham, in his first season at Michigan after 21 as Utah head coach, have lost back-to-back league games to Iowa and at Minnesota to start the Big Ten season for the first time since 2014. They lost the Little Brown Jug to Minnesota last Saturday, Oct. 3, 20-14, but the Wolverines don’t have a game this weekend.

Penn State, now led by Matt Campbell, in his first season with the Nittany Lions after 10 years as Iowa State head coach, also is 3-2, 0-2. The Nittany Lions lost at home to Wisconsin and then at Northwestern. While Michigan has a bye this weekend, Penn State faces USC on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Beaver Stadium.

After the loss at Minnesota, Whittingham mentioned several times a “disconnect” with how the Wolverines practice and the lack of carry over into games. He said there would be tough decisions to make regarding players and coaches, but its clear the glaring issues are mostly on offense and also on special teams.

“Who the guys are that give us the best chance to win,” Whittingham said after the game when asked what kind of decisions he would make. “Coaches are always being evaluated. Everything’s in play. What you don’t want to do is panic. We’re 3-2. There are a few positive things. But we’ve got seven games left and we’ve got this opportunity to right the ship as much as we can.”

Michigan’s offense, coordinated by Jason Beck, and led by sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood, has sputtered this season. The Wolverines rank 122nd nationally, averaging 315.8 yards, and 105th in scoring with 23.0 points per game. Michigan’s run game has been “spotty”, Whittingham said, and is coming off a 79-yard performance at Minnesota. It ranks 100th nationally (135.0 per game) and Michigan is 111th in passing (180.8).

“We might have to make some tough decisions here. We’ll see,” Whittingham said. “Right now, to this point through this portion of the season, it’s unacceptable. The results are unacceptable right now.”

Also glaring this season are turnovers and penalties. Michigan is minus-four in turnover margin – that includes two fumbles on punt returns – and ranked tied for 114th in that category. They are tied for 110th in penalties averaging just under eight per game.

“I’ve been in this profession for 40-plus years, and this is the biggest challenge I’ve had,” Whittingham said. “We will get it figured out, I promise you that. I am not sure what the timeline is, but I promise you we will get it figured out.”

achengelis@detroitnews.com

@angelique

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Time, not TV, has been decided for Michigan/Penn State game

Reporting by Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect