2024-09-02 05:25:02
The Michigan Wolverines fought tooth and nail against a scrappy Fresno State team on Saturday night at the Big House, and ultimately came out with a 30-10 victory. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but it’s something to build off with the No. 4 team in the country in the Texas Longhorns coming to town next weekend.
And because it wasn’t pretty, there are likely some fans out there with some major overreactions to the Week 1 showing. Let’s go through some of these overreactions and see if there is any merit to them.
This offensive line is not the same caliber as the last three
The offensive line had, let’s just say, a rough first half of the game. New starting right guard Giovanni El-Hadi gave up a sack in the second quarter, and new starting center Dominick Giudice got pushed back on a third-and-one that resulted in Kalel Mullings getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Giudice split time with Greg Crippen after that, so it’ll be interesting to see how the line looks moving forward.
All in all, the Wolverines had 2.2 yards per carry at halftime, with Donovan Edwards having just five carries and three yards. It all evened out at the end of the game, with the team averaging 4.4 yards per rush, but the play of the line was a bit concerning.
However, I am definitely NOT going to say this line isn’t the same caliber as the lines from the past three seasons. Even the 2021 offensive line, which took home the Joe Moore Award, took time to mesh. I am optimistic Sherrone Moore and Grant Newsome will right the ship; whether it’s in time for Texas next week is a totally different question.
Answer: Overreaction
This U-M wideout room is the worst in a long time
So yeah…the wide receivers had a pretty bad game against Fresno State — six catches for 34 yards split between Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris and Kendrick Bell. There was also a dropped ball by Peyton O’Leary, and Fred Moore was targeted on a deep shot that resulted in an interception. The opportunities were there, but the players just couldn’t make any big time plays in this one.
Look, to say a position group is the worst at Michigan in a long time after Week 1 is clearly an overreaction. However, I do understand the concern about the position, and even share some of those feelings myself. We’ve seen flashes and big plays from Morris and Morgan in the past, so I am not worried in the slightest about those two, but everyone else is an unproven commodity. Michigan needs Morris and Morgan to bring their A-game every game, or this overreaction could turn into a factual statement.
Answer: An overreaction…for now
Colston Loveland will lead the team in yards/receptions
Loveland has been the most talked about tight end in American this offseason, and for good reason. He had a breakout sophomore campaign and is the only returning starter on offense for Michigan. He has everything you could possibly want in a tight end, which is why he is currently projected as a first-round pick in nest spring’s NFL Draft.
This is probably a fair reaction to have after last night’s game. Loveland is just a freak at the tight end position, catching pretty much every ball that came his way. He finished with eight catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. He is clearly the most reliable player in the receiving game, so if I were a Michigan quarterback, I would be eyeing him every play. It would not stun me if he led the team in receiving yards by a few hundred.
Answer: Not an overreaction
Michigan has 2 QBs, which means it has 0 QBs
Davis Warren got the start for Michigan, but it was Alex Orji coming off the bench to throw the first touchdown pass of the season. However, that was Orji’s only completion of the night and he only threw the ball one other time, which resulted in a poorly thrown ball that went right into the ground.
Despite Warren’s interception, I didn’t think he played that bad. Pro Football Focus also shares my sentiment, grading him out as the fourth-best offensive player in the game with a 69.7 overall grade. Warren went 15-of-25 for 118 yards, one touchdown and the one pick. He admitted in a postgame interview with Big Ten Network he had some nerves “here and there” — which is understandable considering everything he’s been through — so I will give him a bit of a pass for this game.
I’m skeptical to say Michigan doesn’t have a quarterback right now, but I can also see myself agreeing with this thought if the overall play of the position doesn’t increase by the time we really dive into the conference portion of the season.
Answer: Overreaction…for now
