ANN ARBOR — Michigan freshman Tommy Carr is making his first career start for the Wolverines against defending national champion Indiana.

Carr replaces starter Bryce Underwood, a sophomore who started the last 19 games, after giving the Wolverines a spark when he took over the offense in the second half a week ago against Penn State and help lead the team to three touchdowns and a 21-18 victory. Carr took snaps from starting center Jake Guarnera during pre-game warmups.

“Tommy’s our guy,” Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said on the pregame radio show in an interview with Doug Karsch, who handles play-by-play. “He had an outstanding second half last week, ran the offense very well, added some runs of his own that were really big during the course of that game. Bryce will be our backup, and that’s how we’re going.”

The Wolverines (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) play Indiana (6-1, 3-1) Saturday, Oct. 24, at Michigan Stadium. The Hoosiers are coming off a 19-15 loss to Ohio State.

Whittingham said Monday, Oct. 19, he had a plan regarding who will start for the Wolverines but did not share that decision, saying he didn’t want to give Indiana the information. The switch was made after halftime of the Penn State game when Michigan had 80 yards of offense and Underwood had two interceptions — he has six this season and two fumbles — and trailed 3-0. Carr started the second half and led three touchdown drives off three turnovers, and Whittingham said the freshman brought a noticeable spark to the team.

Carr was 5 of 7 for 47 yards, and he had four carries for 36 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run that gave the Wolverines their final score.

“He’s been continuing to grow ever since he got on campus,” Whittingham said of Carr. “We saw the growth through spring. He had a really good outing in the spring game, then when he came into fall camp, he picked up right where he left off and has gotten better each week. He’s a very poised, competitive young man, and he’s got that ‘it’ factor that you look for in a quarterback. He is really well-liked by his teammates.”

Karsch mentioned that Indiana’s defense, ranked No. 4 in scoring, will throw everything at the freshman quarterback.

“He’ll be ready,” Whittingham said.

Through six games, Underwood completed 58% of his passes for 924 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions. He also has 60 carries for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Carr, who played late in the UTEP blowout in Game 3, is 7 of 9 for 70 yards and a touchdown, and he has carried six times for 54 yards including a 12-yard touchdown he scored against Penn State.

Carr is the grandson of Lloyd Carr, Michigan’s head coach for 13 seasons, including the 1997 AP national championship season, and Tom Curtis, the former Michigan All-American defensive back. His older brother, CJ, is Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, and their father, Jason, is a former UM quarterback.

achengelis@detroitnews.com

@chengelis

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Freshman Tommy Carr to start for Michigan against Indiana

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

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect