The Michigan football team suffered a bad defeat on Saturday to Michigan State. The Wolverines lost, 15-6. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham puzzled at least one reporter with his reaction to the game.

That reporter was NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach. She was confused by what Whittingham said in his presser was after the game.

“I just,” Auerbach posted to X, formerly Twitter.

I just https://t.co/nfLLswhAl6

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 8, 2026

That post was in response to Whittingham's message to reporters postgame.

“It's my job as a coach to rally them back up and get them ready to compete for these last three games. … I don't know, are there any more trophies in these last three games? I don't think there's any more,” Whittingham said, per On3.

There could be many reasons for Auerbach's response, but one obvious reason is that Michigan still has Ohio State left on the schedule. Michigan and Ohio State is clearly a huge rivalry, and possibly the biggest rivalry in college football.

This is Whittingham's first season at Michigan. He came to Ann Arbor after spending many years at Utah, where he turned the Utes into a national power.

Article Continues Below

So far at Michigan, the head coach has struggled. Michigan is just 5-4 on the campaign. Whittingham's response is likely not going to sit well with many Wolverines fans.

This year has been so frustrating that some believe Whittingham might be one and done in Ann Arbor. That would certainly be a surprise, as Michigan doesn't usually fire coaches that quickly.

“Whittingham signed a five-year, $41 million contract this offseason to take over the Wolverines, which is a relative bargain for a program with deep pockets like Michigan. His buyout percentage is also quite low at 75% (one of the lowest in the Big Ten), which means the Wolverines could move on from Whittingham after just one season in charge for the price of $24.75 million,” CBS Sports reported.

Michigan next plays Oregon on Saturday.