Sherrone Moore talks about benching Alex Orji and using Jack Tuttle

The Michigan Wolverines were in a desperate situation Saturday night against Washington, trailing 14-0 in the second quarter. And their head coach, Sherrone Moore, decided to make the move, shake things up and move to the bench at quarterback Alex Orji. He decided to make a backup Jack Tuttle in the game to see if he could spark their offense. It quickly paid off as Tuttle led the Wolverines with consecutive shots on goal late in the first half, cutting the deficit to 14-10 at halftime.

At halftime, the NBC sideline reporter updated everyone on why Moore had decided to make the switch and play the rest of the game with Tuttle.

“Consecutive shots on goal from Jack Tuttle ended the first half. I just asked Sherrone Moore why he ultimately decided to make this move at quarterback. He said it was easy, we needed a little push. And he provided that energy. He provided that spark. He practiced well all week. He’s healthy,” the NBC sideline reporter explained.

When did he know Tuttle would be ready to play against Washington? “We've known for a few weeks now, but it was finally time to put him in the game,” Sherrone Moore reported on NBC's broadcast.

In the limited action he saw in the first half, Tuttle completed three of four passes for 26 yards. As a runner, he had two runs for 14 yards. Michigan's offensive attack seemed to function much more effectively in the first half with Tuttle in the game.

According to Jason Avant, Orji handled the bench press well and hugged Jack Tuttle before entering the game. Tuttle has gotten limited reps for Michigan over the years, so Saturday isn't his first taste of action for the maize and blue. In 2023, he completed 15 of 17 passes for 130 yards and threw a touchdown. As a runner, he had four runs for 35 yards.

Tuttle has career stats of 1,031 yards, six touchdowns, six interceptions and a 59.8% completion percentage in 21 games. He spent four years at Indiana before transferring to Michigan before the 2023 season. Tuttle also began his career in Utah before the Hoosiers.

As a member of the 2018 class, Tuttle was a four-star recruit out of San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that takes into account all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 25 overall prospect in the state, the No. 14 quarterback in the class and the No. 163 overall prospect in the class.

Nick Kosko from On3 also contributed to this article.