Isaiah Hole
September 1, 2024 3:32 pm ET
Michigan football fans used to utter domination en route to three straight College Football Playoff appearances and a national championship last year didn’t exactly walk away impressed by what they saw on the field on Saturday in the 30-10 win over Fresno State. With Texas coming up next week, there is certainly much to improve upon for the maize and blue.
But did the national media see it the same way? After all, Oregon struggled mightily against weaker opposition in Week 1, and we’ve seen the perennial SEC powerhouses play down to their opponents from time to time (like Alabama last year against USF).
It turns out, the reviews aren’t particularly negative, but this season will certainly be of the “show me” variety. Still, a win is a win, and whatever happens next week will decide what the narrative of the season for the Wolverines will be.
Here is what the national media is saying about the win over Fresno State.
ESPN's David Hale
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Usually quick to dunk on Michigan, Hale abstained, instead noting the Wolverines won as they usually do — even if it took a little longer with a new-look team.
And what about Michigan? The defending champs went to battle without Harbaugh or J.J. McCarthy or a host of other players who won their rings before leaving for the NFL, but the Wolverines won anyway, using their trademarked brute force to upend Fresno State 30-10. Sure, Michigan found its replacement for McCarthy when Sherrone Moore put on a jacket he hadn’t worn in three years and found $20 andDavis Warrenin the pocket, but isn’t this exactly the formula we’d expect from the Wolverines? Same as it ever was.
CBS Sports' David Cobb
Cobb accurately highlighted exactly how the game went in what’s mostly a recap.
The final score does not indicate how close Michigan cut it against Fresno State. The Wolverines led just 16-10 in the fourth quarter after a 75-yard scoring drive from the Bulldogs made things dicey. The Wolverines struck back with their first touchdown since the game’s opening series and then sealed it with an 86-yard Will Johnson interception return for a touchdown. With Texas coming to town next week, Michigan has some kinks to iron out, especially on the offensive side. Davis Warren started at quarterback and went 15 of 25 for 118 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Alex Orji played but attempted just two passes and was used primarily as a runner. The Wolverines finished with just 269 total yards.
The Sporting News' Bill Bender
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Friend of the site Bill Bender was a little less optimistic, though he rightly put Oregon into the same category. There was a shaky nature to the game for the Wolverines and Bender couldn’t help noticing.
No. 9 Michigan was up 16-10 with 10 minutes remaining against Fresno State with a shaky offense that struggled with the quarterback combination of Davis Warren and Alex Orji. The Wolverines totaled 269 yards, and the line might move more in Texas’ favor ahead of that Week 2 showdown. Michigan has an elite defense, but will that be enough against a brutal schedule?
SI's Mike McDaniel
Photo: Isaiah Hole
McDaniel shared Bender’s concern, also lumping Michigan in with Oregon. However, unlike Oregon, Michigan’s early shakiness was expected.
For Michigan, this was somewhat expected, given the turnover on the coaching staff and across the roster following last year’s national championship. Even so, the Michigan quarterback situation appears to be a total mess. Former walk-on Davis Warren earned the starting nod over junior Alex Orji, a former four-star recruit, which probably says more about the staff’s lack of confidence in Orji throwing the football than anything else.
Warren completed 15 of his 25 passing attempts for a mere 118 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That was good enough on Saturday night to earn the Wolverines a 30–10 victory over Fresno State, but certainly won’t be good enough next Saturday when Michigan hosts the Texas Longhorns in the Big House.
NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Michigan had its own takeaway in Auerbach’s 10 college football takeaways, and she’s concerned about the offense and how long it took that side of the ball to find some momentum with Texas on deck.
This is a very different team than the one that won a national championship seven months ago. We knew that going into the season-opener, but it became extremely apparent when watching the new offense. It looked a lot harder for the Wolverines to run the ball with a totally new offensive line. It looked harder for the Wolverines to get the passing game going, too, which is to be expected with former walk-onDavis Warrenmaking his first career start (andAlex Orji, who had never completed a pass in a college football game, in spot duty). Eventually, Michigan figured some things out late in the game, and the defense played well, but this is a team that needs to get better fast, with No. 4 Texas up next week. Fresno State is a good Mountain West team, but it shouldn’t be able to push Michigan around at the line of scrimmage as much as it did. The Longhorns will be fast, physical and explosive. And the Wolverines will have to figure out how to keep up … or it’ll be a long day at the Big House next Saturday.
