The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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32 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2024 BY CHRIS BALAS M i c h i ga n h ea d coa c h Sherrone Moore and offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell made it clear this spring — they were ready to ride with the quarterbacks they had in their room despite their players' lack of experience. Many believed it was a risk, but Camp- bell, in particular, said they felt comfort- able that the guys on the roster would be at least as good as anyone they could get in the portal. Through three games, plenty have re- visited that April conversation with the coach and wondered if the staff might be having second thoughts. Moore, in fact, was asked about it after the Wol- verines struggled mightily offensively in a 31-12 home loss to Texas in Week 2. Starter Davis Warren completed 22 of 33 passes for 204 yards with 2 inter- ceptions, though one was the result of a wrong route, while junior Alex Orji ran twice for a loss of a yard. "There was a lot of change; a lot of things happened," Moore said when asked about portal possibilities. "The quarterbacks that we had here we felt pretty comfortable with, and those guys performed well in the spring and did a good job. Then, things happen in the portal where guys go different places. "We had a good bead on who we wanted to get and what we wanted to do, but for us to be successful and keep our culture and keep our team the right way, we have the quarterbacks we have here. We feel like we can win with our quarterbacks." Orji replaced Warren after the starter's third interception in a 28-18 win over Ar- kansas State, an inexplicable throw into traffic. At that point, Moore didn't really have a choice. It was Warren's sixth in- terception in three games, and while not all of them were on the quarterback — there were wrong routes and tipped balls, and Warren was hit on the arm on one of his throws thanks to sketchy blocking — ball protection needs to be better. One positive — Warren completed 66.7 percent of his passes through three games (48 of 72), and when he wasn't turning it over against Arkansas State, he completed all 11 of his other throws. Orji led a touchdown drive primarily on the ground against the Red Wolves, but the coaches have yet to turn him loose as a passer through three games. He'd completed 3 of 6 passes for 15 yards. Moore initially said the competition would continue into USC week, but it was on everyone to help make the offense better. In his Monday presser on Sept. 16, Moore announced that Orji would get the start against the Trojans. "Everybody has to perform at a good level and with detail, not turn the ball over, and do things to make us success- ful," he said. "… Everybody has to ex- ecute their jobs at a high level. "I wouldn't call it a quarterback issue. We're just going to go to work. We'll get better, as we did in the running game last week. We'll get better in the pass- ing game, and we'll continue to strive forward." Now, Michigan just needs to cut down on the turnovers. RUNNING GAME TAKES A STEP FORWARD The run game, meanwhile, has been hit and miss, though it took a huge step forward against Arkansas State. The Wol- verines ran for 301 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Granted, the Red Wolves have struggled against the run all year, but Moore was pleased with what he saw. "I want us to be a physical offense that's detailed and can score points. And for us to do that, we've got to be better running the football," he said. "We have to be more consistent … and when you get games like Texas versus really good teams, if you get behind and it becomes a throw game, that doesn't put you in the best position to win. That never has been a formula for us. "We've got to do a better job of estab- lishing that with play action, run action and stuff off of it." And they did. Graduate Kalel Mullings ran for 153 yards and averaged 10.2 yards per carry in the win over Arkansas State. Senior Donovan Edwards averaged 4.8, adding 82 yards. GROWING PAINS Michigan's Offense Is Still Looking For An Identity After Three Games Behind a brand-new group of starters on the offensive line, quarterback Davis Warren struggled to find a consistent rhythm, posting 6 interceptions against just 2 passing TDs in the first three games. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL