No. 9 Michigan begins defense of national title with 30-10 win over Fresno State
AP Sports Writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Sherrone Moore pumped his fist and screamed in the end zone, firing up fans in the Big House before his first game as Jim Harbaugh’s full-time replacement.
The defending national champions were sluggish on offense in much of Moore’s debut before making plays on both side of the ball to turn a closely contested game into a lopsided win.
Davis Warren and Alex Orji each threw a touchdown pass, Will Johnson returned an interception for a score and No. 9 Michigan beat Fresno State 30-10 on Saturday night.
The Wolverines (1-0) were breaking in new quarterbacks behind a revamped offensive line and Moore, whose enthusiasm was on full display before the game began.
“That’s just who I am,” he said. “Wear my emotions on my sleeve.
“I was excited, so I expressed it, but I was so excited to watch our boys play.”
The Bulldogs (0-1) came to play, trailing by just four points deep into the second quarter and 16-10 midway through the fourth before Michigan pulled away.
“It was going our way,” Fresno State interim coach Tim Skipper said. “I thought first half we controlled the line of scrimmage and did a good job on both sides of the ball.
“We had opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize. They have the heart of a champion and it just got out of hand at the end.”
Warren, who beat out Orji to start at quarterback, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland to give Michigan a 23-10 lead with 5:43 left.
Johnson picked off a pass on the ensuing possession and returned it 86 yards.
The game opened with Orji throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Warren, but the rest of the night didn’t go very smoothly for Moore’s team until late in the game.
Davis was 15 of 25 for 118 yards with a touchdown and an interception, a solid showing from a former walk-on who overcame leukemia in high school,
“Definitely was able to reflect on the people who helped me get here and my family and those people who supported me,” he said.
Loveland, a preseason All-America tight end, had a career-high eight catches and fell a yard short of another career high with 87 yards receiving.
Kalel Mullings had 92 yards rushing on 15 carries for the Wolverines.
Mikey Keene completed 22 of 36 passes for 238 yards with a 19-yard touchdown pass Raylen Sharpe in the fourth quarter that pulled the Bulldogs within six points and two interceptions.
Fresno State’s Jalen Moss had six catches for 97 yards, including a leaping, twisting catch on a sideline.
THE TAKEAWAY
Fresno State: Skipper may have improved his case to keep the job with a competitive showing, despite the final score.
“Proud of our guys, but no moral victories,” said Skipper, who was promoted in July after Jeff Tedford stepped down for health reasons.
Michigan: Six offensive linemen from last year’s team landed in NFL training camps this summer, turning a strength into a weakness. The Wolverines were unable to create holes for the running game and didn’t give their quarterbacks much time to throw until wearing down the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
AP poll voters may see the final score and keep Michigan in the same spot even after an uneven performance. The last time a national champion was ranked as low as the Wolverines were in the preseason poll was 2011, when Auburn was No. 23. Prior to that, the only time a defending champion was ranked worse than seventh was in 1991 when Colorado was No. 13 in the preseason.
UP NEXT
Fresno State: Plays Sacramento State, coming off a 42-24 loss to San Jose State, on Saturday at home.
Michigan: No. 4 Texas visits the Big House on Saturday after opening with a 52-0 win over Colorado State.
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