Michigan earns season-opening win vs. Fresno State: Live updates recap
.png)
ANN ARBOR -- |A|
Michigan earned a season-opening |B|
win over Fresno State |C|
on Saturday night, 30-10 |D|
at Michigan Stadium. The |E|
defending national champions looked |F|
shaky offensively at times |G|
but found a way |H|
to get the win |J|
thanks to three long |K|
field goals, a strong |L|
defense, and two clutch |M|
interceptions. Michigan will need |O|
to play much better |P|
next week to beat |Q|
fourth-ranked Texas. Davis Warren |R|
got the start at |S|
quarterback and played the |U|
bulk of the game |V|
but Alex Orji saw |Y|
significant action as well. |Z|
Both players threw their |A|
first career touchdown pass |B|
-- Orji to open |C|
the scoring after a |D|
Zeke Berry interception, and |E|
Warren with 5:43 left |F|
in the fourth quarter. |G|
Will Johnson provided the |H|
exclamation point with an |J|
86-yard interception return for |K|
a touchdown. A drive-by-drive |L|
recap of the game |M|
is below. FOURTH QUARTER |O|
3:57: After a |S| couple of first downs, |U| Fresno State tries a |V| run on third and |Y| 18 and gets stuffed |Z| before punting. Michigan take |A| a knee and win |B| the game.
Michigan 30, |C| Fresno State 10
5:43: Needing |D| two touchdowns to win, |E| Fresno States first snap |F| results in an interception |G| by Quinten Johnson ... |H| except its overturned by |J| replay, as the nose |K| of the football touched |L| the turf before it |M| was corralled. Johnson had |O| to return the sunglasses |P| he wore in celebration. |Q| On the next step, |R| Makari Paige picks off |S| the pass ... and |U| this one is also |V| overturned thanks to a |Y| roughing the passer penalty |Z| on T.J. Guy -- |A| a very questionable call, |B| to be fair. Jaishawn |C| Barnham picked up an |D| unsportsmanlike conduct penalty too. |E| Thats 30 yards of |F| flags to move Fresno |G| State into Michigan territory. |H| The next official snap |J| drew a flag for |K| a facemask penalty on |L| Michigan. On a first |M| and 10 from the |O| Michigan 10, Fresno State |P| once again attacked Will |Q| Johnson, but this time |R| the All-American was ready: |S| He jumped the attempted |U| screen pass, picked it |V| off, and returned it |Y| 86 yards -- nobody |Z| had a chance to |A| catch him -- for |B| a touchdown to seal |C| the win.
Michigan 30, |D| Fresno State 10
10:00: Kalel |E| Mullings ran for 21 |F| and 15 yards on |G| consecutive snaps to move |H| Michigan down the field. |J| After another good run, |K| Davis Warren threw his |L| first career touchdown pass, |M| connecting with tight end |O| Colston Loveland from 18 |P| yards out.
Michigan 23, |Q| Fresno State 10
12:42: Running |R| out of time, Jalen |S| Moss makes a nice |U| catch down the sideline, |V| with Will Johnson defending, |Y| for 28 yards. Mikey |Z| Keene continued to sling |A| it, connecting on passes |B| while on the move. |C| He got the Bulldogs |D| into the red zone. |E| On third and 8, |F| Keene delivered under pressure |G| to Raylen Sharpe, who |H| made a Wolverine miss |J| and raced to the |K| end zone for a |L| 17-yard touchdown, Fresno States |M| first of the night. |O| Just like that, its |P| a one-score game at |Q| the Big House.
Michigan |R| 16, Fresno State 10
|S| dir="ltr">15:00: Continuing the drive from |U| the end of the |V| third, Michigan sticks with |Y| Davis at quarterback. He |Z| finds Semaj Morgan over |A| the middle on a |B| third and 6 to |C| move the chains. Orji |D| takes the next snap |E| and sprints left for |F| a short gain. He |G| stays in for a |H| pass and throws it |J| into the turf. Warrens |K| incompletion set up a |L| Zvada field goal from |M| 55 yards out -- |O| its good. Hes been |P| very impressive in his |Q| Michigan debut.
Michigan 16, |R| Fresno State 3
THIRD |S| QUARTER
How to watch |U| Michigan vs. Fresno State |V| (8/31/24): TV channel, kickoff |Y| time, live stream
1:10: With |Z| Davis Warren in at |A| quarterback, the Wolverines pick |B| up a first down |C| and will start the |D| fourth quarter on their |E| own 48, up 10 |F| points.
Michigan 13, Fresno |G| State 3
1:55: Deep in |H| their own territory, the |J| Bulldogs go three-and-out, with |K| Jaishawn Barham getting pressure |L| on the quarterback on |M| third down, forcing a |O| throw-away. Fresno STate punts, |P| giving Michigan solid field |Q| position.
Michigan 13, Fresno |R| State 3
5:20: Michigan used |S| both quarterbacks on this |U| drive. Alex Orji takes |V| the first snap of |Y| the drive and runs |Z| for a first down |A| in front of the |B| Michigan sideline, purely on |C| speed. Davis Warren replaced |D| him, then Orji came |E| back in on a |F| second and 10 from |G| the Michigan 32. He |H| picked up another first |J| down with his legs. |K| Warren couldnt pick up |L| another though, and Michigan |M| punts.
Michigan 13, Fresno |O| State 3
9:21: Fresno State |P| picks up a couple |Q| of first downs before |R| punting. Josaiah Stewart made |S| a big open-field tackle |U| on a short pass |V| on third down.
Michigan |Y| 13, Fresno State 3
|Z| dir="ltr">14:53: Michigans opening drive of |A| the second half starts |B| on its own 27. |C| Alex Orji got a |D| couple of snaps, keeping |E| it for a short |F| gain once and handing |G| off the other time. |H| Davis Warren completed a |J| couple of clutch throws |K| for first downs but |L| Michigan kept the ball |M| on the ground on |O| third and 17. It |P| set up a 53-yard |Q| field-goal attempt from Dominic |R| Zvada that had plenty |S| of distance.
Michigan 13, |U| Fresno State 3
HALFTIME: |V| Michigan 10, Fresno State |Y| 3
SECOND QUARTER
0:31 – |Z| Fresno State ran it |A| once to end the |B| half. It is outgaining |C| Michigan 97 yards to |D| 89 in the first |E| half, but the Wolverines |F| will receive the second-half |G| kickoff.
Michigan 10, Fresno |H| State 3
7:27 – The |J| Wolverines have made a |K| change at center, with |L| Greg Crippen replacing Dominick |M| Giudice, who was burned |O| for a sack on |P| the last drive. They |Q| were able to find |R| a rhythm early in |S| the drive, and it |U| started with a 12-yard |V| completion to redshirt freshman |Y| Kendrick Bell. Michigan fed |Z| Kalel Mullings three straight |A| carries, and each went |B| for 5 yards. Davis |C| Warren then threw two |D| darts to Colston Loveland |E| for 10 and 12 |F| yards, respectively. The team |G| was forced to settle |H| for a 45-yard field |J| goal after it was |K| behind the chains early |L| when Donovan Edwards was |M| tackled for a 2-yard |O| loss on first down. |P| On third-and-9, Edwards caught |Q| a pass out of |R| the backfield but lost |S| another 3 yards.
Michigan |U| 10, Fresno State 3
|V| dir="ltr">10:58 – Fresno State, starting |Y| at its 39 instead |Z| of the 49 because |A| of a penalty, finally |B| had some success throwing |C| the ball, and it |D| was when both of |E| Michigans starting corners were |F| on the sideline. Jalen |G| Moss had a highlight-reel |H| catch against Myles Pollard |J| for a 23-yard gain. |K| The Bulldogs had a |L| chance at six as |M| Mac Delena burned Will |O| Johnson on a slant-and-go, |P| but the pass was |Q| off the mark, leading |R| to an incompletion and |S| a 41-yard field goal.
|U| dir="ltr">Michigan 7, Fresno State |V| 3
12:42 – Michigans offense |Y| has been sluggish since |Z| its opening drive. Peyton |A| OLeary dropped an out-route |B| on first down, and |C| then Donovan Edwards was |D| stuffed for a 1-yard |E| loss on second down. |F| This new offensive line |G| hasnt played very well |H| either, and on third |J| down, Ezra Christensen had |K| an unabated path to |L| the quarterback, sacking Davis |M| Warren for a 9-yard |O| loss and leading to |P| a three-and-out. Michigan only |Q| has 42 yards of |R| offense.
Michigan 7, Fresno |S| State 0
14:09 – The |U| Bulldogs had great field |V| position, starting at their |Y| own 39, but Michigans |Z| defense bowed up and |A| forced a three-and-out. JaDen |B| McBurrows, the backup nickel, |C| had perfect coverage on |D| third-and-10 and was right |E| there to make a |F| tackle if the receiver |G| had made a catch |H| at the line of |J| scrimmage.
Michigan 7, Fresno |K| State 0
15:00 -- On |L| third-and-1, Michigan tried to |M| run it up the |O| middle with Kalel Mullings, |P| but he was met |Q| at the line of |R| scrimmage, leading to Tommy |S| Domans second punt of |U| the game.
Michigan 7, |V| Fresno State 0
FIRST |Y| QUARTER
1:10 – The Wolverines |Z| ran two plays before |A| the end of the |B| quarter and will have |C| a third-and-1 to begin |D| the second.
Michigan 7, |E| Fresno State 0
3:23 – |F| Fresno State picked up |G| one first down before |H| stalling out. Mikey Keene |J| has taken a few |K| deep shots tonight but |L| none of them have |M| came close to being |O| completed. The Wolverines have |P| had superb coverage all |Q| game. Keene is 5 |R| for 10 for 30 |S| yards.
Michigan 7, Fresno |U| State 0
3:40 – Michigan |V| started at the Fresno |Y| State 43, but the |Z| drive lasted just one |A| play. Davis Warren might |B| have put a little |C| too much air and |D| underthrew a deep post |E| route to Fredrick Moore, |F| and Cameron Lockridge undercut |G| the pass to pick |H| it off, returning it |J| to the FSU 35. |K| Warren is now 3 |L| of 4 for 16 |M| yards.
Michigan 7, Fresno |O| State 0
5:07 – Michigan |P| is wreaking havoc up |Q| front, generating constant pressure. |R| Mikey Keene hasnt looked |S| comfortable at all and |U| nearly threw a pick |V| on the second play |Y| of the drive. The |Z| Bulldogs went three-and-out after |A| Rayshaun Benny blasted Elijah |B| Gilliam, who caught a |C| pass out of the |D| back field but was |E| immediately tackled. FSU only |F| has 26 yards.
Michigan |G| 7, Fresno State 0
|H| dir="ltr">8:19 – Michigan started on |J| its own 27 after |K| the punt and had |L| a promising start to |M| the drive as Kalel |O| Mullings bulldozed straight ahead |P| for an 8-yard gain. |Q| Davis Warren was back |R| in at QB but |S| only had two pass |U| attempts on the drive |V| – two receiver screens |Y| that went for minimal |Z| gain, including one to |A| Tyler Morris that went |B| for 3 yards on |C| third-and-10, leading to a |D| punt.
Michigan 7, Fresno |E| State 0
11:03 – The |F| Bulldogs began at their |G| own 25 and had |H| one big play before |J| being forced to punt. |K| On a third-and-4, Will |L| Johnson tried to jump |M| a route but couldnt |O| get his hands on |P| the ball. The pass |Q| was caught by Jalen |R| Moss, who slipped away |S| from Johnson for a |U| 19-yard gain. Johnson made |V| up for it two |Y| plays later, stuffing Malik |Z| Sherrod for a 1-yard |A| gain, leading to a |B| third-and-long. Derrick Moore and |C| Josaiah Stewart both got |D| pressure on third down, |E| and it was Stewart |F| who came up with |G| the sack to force |H| a punt. Michigans scheme, |J| as expected, looks pretty |K| similar to last year |L| under new coordinator Wink |M| Martindale.
Michigan 7, Fresno |O| State 0
13:31 – The |P| Wolverines started at the |Q| FSU 31 after the |R| interception. Davis Warren started |S| at QB and connected |U| with Colston Loveland for |V| a 13-yard gain on |Y| the second play. On |Z| second-and-goal from the 3, |A| after Donovan Edwards was |B| stuffed on first down, |C| Alex Orji came in |D| at QB and hit |E| Edwards, who was in |F| motion pre-snap, for an |G| easy TD. A near |H| perfect start on both |J| sides of the ball |K| for the Wolverines. Orji, |L| a junior, had attempted |M| just one career pass |O| entering Saturday.
Michigan 7, |P| Fresno State 0
15:00 – |Q| Michigans defense picked up |R| right where it left |S| off last season. It |U| forced the Bulldogs into |V| a quick third-and-long, and |Y| pressure on QB Mikey |Z| Keene forced a high |A| throw on a slant |B| to an intended receiver, |C| and the ball was |D| tipped off his hands |E| and into the arms |F| of Zeke Berry for |G| an interception. Fresno State |H| opened the drive on |J| the 25 after a |K| touchback.
Michigan 0, Fresno |L| State 0
PREGAME UPDATES
|M| dir="ltr">- Quarterback Davis Warren |O| is taking reps with |P| the first-team offensive line |Q| in warmups and will |R| start, according to the |S| UM pregame radio show. |U| Jack Tuttle is listed |V| as out on the |Y| pregame availability report. Dominick |Z| Giudice, a former three-star |A| defensive lineman recruit who |B| moved to center in |C| December, and redshirt freshman |D| right tackle Evan Link |E| will start as well, |F| beating out Greg Crippen |G| and Andrew Gentry.
STORY: |H| Michigan starts Davis Warren |J| at QB in season |K| opener vs. Fresno State
|L| dir="ltr">*****
ANN ARBOR – |M| How will the Sherrone |O| Moore era begin at |P| Michigan?
We are about |Q| to find out as |R| the defending national champion |S| Wolverines kick off the |U| 2024 season under the |V| lights Saturday against Fresno |Y| State at Michigan Stadium. |Z| Kickoff is slated for |A| 7:30 p.m., and MLive |B| will be providing live |C| updates throughout. Continue to |D| refresh this page for |E| the latest.
Michigan ranks |F| 128 of 134 FBS |G| teams in terms of |H| returning production from 2023, |J| according to ESPNs SP+ |K| metrics. That isnt a |L| surprise given a program-record |M| 13 players were selected |O| in Aprils NFL draft, |P| but it also means |Q| the team has ample |R| holes to fill, namely |S| at quarterback.
Moore has |U| yet to name a |V| starter, but it will |Y| either be junior Alex |Z| Orji and former walk-on |A| Davis Warren, who have |B| combined to throw 15 |C| passes in their college |D| careers. The Wolverines will |E| put their 28-game regular-season |F| win streak on the |G| line against a Bulldogs |H| team that finished 9-4 |J| last year and is |K| expected to contend for |L| a Mountain West title |M| in 2024.
The strength |O| of their team is |P| their offense, led by |Q| quarterback Mikey Keene, who |R| completed 67.1% of his |S| passes and passed for |U| 2,976 yards and 24 |V| touchdowns in 2023. Like |Y| Michigan, Fresno State also |Z| has a new head |A| coach after Jeff Tedford |B| stepped down last month |C| because of health reasons.
|D| dir="ltr">Saturday is the first |E| meeting between the two |F| programs. Michigan has won |G| 13 of its past |H| 17 season openers.
|J|
data-empty="true">
.png)
