Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham backed sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood on Monday but put the entire program on notice: perform or face changes.

"He's our QB right now, and you know, it's not something that's infinite … at some point, we've got to turn a corner, and we've got to see improvement," Whittingham said at his Monday, Sept. 7, press conference, according to The Michigan Daily, ESPN and the Chicago Tribune.

The comments came two days after No. 16 Michigan escaped Western Michigan 13-12 on a 47-yard Hail Mary from Underwood to sophomore wide receiver JJ Buchanan on the game's final play, according to The Michigan Daily. Big Ten replay officials had put one second back on the clock after a previous Hail Mary attempt appeared to expire the game, ESPN reported. Underwood completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards with two turnovers, including an interception to Broncos linebacker Dilon Moore just before halftime, the Daily reported.

Whittingham acknowledged mitigating factors. Saturday, Sept. 5, marked the start of Underwood's second year in college and his first game under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck's system. Strong practice performances, Whittingham said, simply did not transfer to the field. "It's unfortunate, disappointing, because we see him every day and he's been very sharp all through fall camp," Whittingham said, according to ESPN.

He spread the accountability beyond his quarterback. "It's not just on Bryce, and it's not just Bryce's job that is not absolutely set in concrete. Nobody's is," Whittingham said, per ESPN and the Chicago Tribune. Everyone, he said, has to perform week in and week out at a level Michigan can win with.

Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Tommy Carr is getting roughly 20% of first-team practice reps, with Underwood taking the rest. "It's about 80-20, getting the quarterback ready for a game, and that's pretty common. That's not out of the ordinary," Whittingham said, according to Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports. He called Carr a steady pocket presence who spends constant time in the film room, according to those same outlets.

Carr is the grandson of Lloyd Carr, who coached Michigan to the 1997 national championship, and the younger brother of Notre Dame starting quarterback CJ Carr, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Carr flashed his potential during Michigan's Spring Game in April, posting 143 passing yards and 59 rushing yards after Underwood had a limited outing. Whittingham declared Underwood the starter after that game, too.

The run game added to Monday's concerns. Michigan totaled just 108 rushing yards against Western Michigan, according to The Michigan Daily's postgame analysis. Whittingham said the offensive line's performance was "not bad" overall but that the run game lacked physicality and needs more downhill, north-south running rather than east-west movement, The Wolverine/On3 reported.

After Saturday's narrow escape, Underwood acknowledged his own shortcomings. He told reporters after the Sept. 5 game that his mistakes could have cost Michigan the win and that he needed to do better, according to The Michigan Daily's postgame coverage.

Whittingham said there is "a lot to fix" on offense and confirmed there's a heightened sense of urgency in the building heading into Oklahoma week — he said it was "absolutely" evident in the locker room after the game, according to Yahoo Sports.

No. 16 Michigan hosts No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Michigan Stadium, according to ESPN and MLive.