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MICHIGAN 24 | MICHIGAN STATE 17
Michigan’s day-one offense finally finds rhythm in rivalry win over Michigan State LYS GOLDMAN
Daily Sports Editor
B
efore leaving the podium during Saturday’s postgame press conferences, senior running back Donovan Edwards had one final point he needed to make. “One last thing that I do want to hit on, about this guy right here,” Edwards said, affectionately slapping the shoulder of the player beside him — senior quarterback Davis Warren. “I truly respect and I appreciate him, and he deserved the game that he had,” Edwards continued. “Especially being able to get his start back, to be able to lead this team to victory. Y’all better stop counting him out, man, because he’s shown time and time again that he overcomes adversity in his personal life and in the football world.” Edwards’ comment speaks volumes about Warren’s impact
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and the Michigan football team’s offensive circumstance — because on Saturday, eight weeks into the season and three quarterback changes later, the Wolverines found themselves right back at square one. Just like their first few games, Warren started while junior quarterback Alex Orji rotated in on designed plays. Michigan veered away from that identity in Week 4, but unproductive starts and an undisclosed injury in the quarterback room forced the Wolverines to revert back. And this time, under the lights against in-state rival Michigan State, they finally figured out how to make it work. Although the Spartans refused to go down easy — as expected in a rivalry game — Michigan (5-3 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) found a way to earn a much-needed victory, edging out Michigan State (4-4, 2-3), 24-17. “It was huge,” Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said. “I thought it was great. One, it’s the biggest game of the year in-state. So it means a lot for the program
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to keep (the Paul Bunyan Trophy) home here … But it was huge for our kids to get a victory and feel that confidence again. I love seeing the smiles on their faces in the locker room.” Although Michigan got the last laugh, it was the Spartans who struck first. They took an early 7-0 lead as the Wolverines struggled to move the ball for the majority of the first half. Michigan maintained possession for just one minute and 39 seconds in the opening quarter, gaining a single yard before going three-and-out to start the game. The Wolverines finally found a semblance of offense within the final three minutes of the first half. Driven by five completions from Warren and five rushes from Edwards, they strung together their first sustainable drive. To cap it off, Warren found junior tight end Colston Loveland wide open in the end zone and put six points on the board for Michigan. In a surprising turn of events, following a strip sack and field
goal, the Wolverines took a 9-7 lead into the locker room. Despite mustering just 15 total yards in the first quarter, Michigan suddenly had the upper hand — and from there, the Wolverines never relinquished it. Riding the momentum of those two straight scores, Michigan dug deeper into its playbook coming out of halftime. The Wolverines mixed in a few trick plays and continued to use Orji, who made his appearances productive with a 29-yard pickup and a rushing touchdown. While Michigan State was forced to settle for a field goal in response, Michigan’s reinvigorated offense kept rolling. Early in the fourth quarter, a lateral to Edwards created a clear path to the end zone for Loveland, who hauled in Edwards’ well-placed pass to score his second touchdown of the night. A successful two-point conversion — again, to Loveland — put the Wolverines up 24-10. “(Orji) got a touchdown, Dono got a touchdown and I got one,” Warren said. “So that was a
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pretty fun feeling. And I think it just shows like all of us as quarterbacks, we’re just trying to do whatever we can to help the team win football games.” Capitalizing on Michigan’s long-term tackling issues, Michigan State clawed its way back within one score midway through the final frame. The Spartans couldn’t complete the comeback, though, as quarterback Aidan Chiles’ final pass fell incomplete and the Wolverines took over on downs. With Orji under center, they rode out the remaining time to successfully retain the Paul Bunyan Trophy. A skirmish broke out after the final whistle — something that’s almost become commonplace in these rivalry matchups — but the outcome was already decided. Back in postgame press conferences, after making his final point about Warren, Edwards cheerfully headed back to the locker room. But Warren wasn’t the only Michigan quarterback that Edwards made sure to shout out.
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“(It) was no surprise to me, that he was the leader in rushes, with 64 yards with a 10.7 average,” Edwards said about Orji. “And it’s just the fact for me that during the game … I think it was our first play in together. He said, ‘Watch what God does.’ … Just him saying that, him having the game that he’s had today, and the impact that he had for us today. That’s how God works. I’m very grateful just to be able to look at the impact that Orj made in that game.” Edwards’ comment about Warren speaks volumes, and so does his about Orji. Because on Saturday, in what felt like a full circle moment, the Wolverines returned to their day-one offensive structure — except this time, with zero penalties and zero turnovers, it worked. So although the Wolverines entered the rivalry matchup back at square one, it now looks like they might’ve finally found a sustainable way forward.
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