Michigan fans heckle Kyle Whittingham after 31-7 defeat at Oregon

Some Michigan supporters heckled head coach Kyle Whittingham after the Wolverines lost 31-7 at Oregon on Saturday, their fifth defeat of the season in Week 11 of his first year in charge.

Fans direct abuse at the coach

According to Yahoo! Sports, Whittingham was heckled outside the news conference room at Autzen Stadium as he walked back to the locker room. Taunts including "You (expletive) suck!" and "Go back to Utah" were aimed at him, and reporters nearby could hear them.

A video of the incident has since spread on social media, according to the report, and it also drew the attention of media members seated in the room.

A season unravelling

The defeat was Michigan's third in a matter of weeks and the third time they have been held to single figures on offence. They have lost five of their past seven games after opening the season 3-0, a run that included a 17-10 win over then-No. 10 Oklahoma.

Whittingham again named freshman Tommy Carr as the starting quarterback, but went back to sophomore Bryce Underwood after punts on the first two series. The change made little difference. Underwood was 2-of-8 for 26 yards with no touchdowns, while Carr finished 4-of-12 for 45 yards.

Michigan's only touchdown came from running back Savion Hiter, on a 70-yard run at the start of the second quarter.

Bowl hopes on the line

Michigan need a sixth win to become bowl-eligible, and the schedule is awkward. They host No. 4 UCLA next weekend, then visit No. 20 Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday, 28 November.

Failing to qualify would end a five-year run of bowl appearances. According to USA TODAY Sports, it would also be the first time since 2014 that Michigan have missed a bowl in a non-condensed COVID-19 season.

Criticism from inside the programme

Maize n Brew reports that former Michigan players, including Taylor Lewan, have begun to criticise Whittingham openly.

"Go back to Utah"