The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 41 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Five Best Players 1. Junior tight end Colston Loveland Through two games, the Gooding, Idaho, native was the recipient of 16 of Michigan's 38 recep- tions, and then he caught 3 more passes before leaving the Sept. 14 win over Arkansas State early with an apparent injury. Per PFF, Loveland led the nation's tight ends in catches (19) and targets (24), totaling 187 receiving yards (fifth). A knock on the Wolverine offense is that it's been overly reliant on Loveland, but it takes a great player performing at a high level for it to be a gripe. 2. Junior kicker Dominic Zvada The Arkansas State transfer has been as ad- vertised and then some early in his Michigan career. Zvada started a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals, including making 3 from 50-plus yards. His 55-yarder versus Fresno State Aug. 31 is the sixth-longest in U-M history. He also knocked home a 53-yarder on opening night, meaning he and Quinn Nordin (2017 vs. Florida) are the only Wolverine kickers with multiple 50-plus yard field goals in the same game. Zvada has also been perfect with 7 made extra points. He's the Wol- verines' leading scorer with 22 points. 3. Graduate running back Kalel Mullings The former linebacker totaled 222 yards and 1 touchdown on 36 carries last season. He re- corded that same exact amount of rushing at- tempts (36) through three outings this year, showing how much his role has grown. Mullings averaged 7.5 yards per carry with 2 touchdowns in U-M's 2-1 start to the season. He posted a career-high 153 yards with 2 scores against Ar- kansas State Sept. 14, highlighted by three gains of 30-plus yards. The 6-foot-2, 233-pounder is a bruiser who prides himself on softening up the defense with his physicality. Most of his produc- tion has come after contact, too, with 216 of his yards being racked up after first touch and zero yards lost this season. 4. Junior cornerback Will Johnson Sometimes, the impact of a cornerback isn't indicated on the stat sheet with interceptions or pass breakups. Take Michigan's loss to Texas Sept. 7, for example, when the Longhorns found suc- cess through the air but were essentially limited to one side of the field. Quarterback Quinn Ew- ers avoided Johnson, targeting the man he was guarding just once, with that occurrence resulting in a 6-yard completion. Johnson has also made his presence felt with an 86-yard pick six against Fresno State and compiled 10 tackles, 1 stop for loss and 2 pass breakups thus far. 5. Senior edge Josaiah Stewart Stewart has been Michigan's most explosive pass rusher, totaling team highs in pressures (7) and sacks (2), adding 10 total stops (7 solo) and 3.5 tackles for loss. Both of his sacks came against Fresno State Aug. 31, marking the second multi- sack performance of his U-M career. Key Moment While Michigan built an early lead and the game was hardly ever in doubt, a key point in the season came when senior quarterback Davis Warren tossed his third interception of the game and sixth of the season in the third quarter of a 28-18 win over Arkansas State Sept. 14. Warren was benched, and junior Alex Orji was brought in. That caused uncertainty at the most important position in the sport heading into conference play. Best Highlight Junior cornerback Will Johnson allowed 5 re- ceptions for 83 yards in a 30-10 win over Fresno State Aug. 31, which was surprising given how the Detroit native has performed throughout his career. But all's well that ends well, and Johnson made his mark by jumping a short route, picking the ball off and returning it 86 yards for a touch- down to put U-M up 30-10 late in the fourth quarter. That was the sixth-longest interception returned for a score in Michigan history. Bold Prediction The Wolverines will start three different quar- terbacks this season. Warren had been the guy the first three games, but we'll say Orji will get his shot soon and graduate Jack Tuttle also opens a contest later on. He was listed as "questionable" for games against Texas and Arkansas State and appears to be getting healthier. — Clayton Sayfie Junior Colston Loveland led the nation's tight ends in catches (19) and targets (24) and was fifth in receiving yardage (187) after the first three games of the 2024 season. He left the Arkansas State game early with an apparent upper-body injury. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Superlatives For Michigan's Three Games From Aug. 31 To Sept. 14