No. 10 Michigan Wolverines football is heading into a Week 2 matchup with No. 3 Texas . Here’s a look around the media at what they’re saying before kickoff.
RELATED
• Three things we think: How much did Michigan save for Texas game?
• INSIDE THE FORT: Michigan prepares for Texas, intel on the Longhorns
Texas is a 7.5-point favorite this weekend, despite playing on the road, and the disparity at the quarterback position is a big reason why. That doesn’t matter to [senior quarterback] Davis Warren . From hospital beds to papaya juice to the scout team, he long ago overcame bigger odds than that.
“I tell kids all the time that are going through it, the kids who are missing school or feel like they are behind in their lives, ‘Hey this is going to make you 10 times stronger, 10 times tougher, 10 times more resilient, 10 times happier,’” Warren said.
“I don’t wake up and feel like I’m having a bad day.”
Especially on Saturday.
There’s a high flying offense coming to Ann Arbor for a huge, “Big Noon Saturday” matchup. It’ll pit the Michigan Wolverines against a top 5 ranked opponent, boasting an explosive offense with future NFL draft picks at offensive tackle, quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. The Wolverines will lean on their bruising run game, but their opponent knows it’s coming and is planning to trust in a talented secondary playing man coverage while they load the box with extra defenders in order to stop up that rushing attack.
The team coming to The Big House is favored by about a touchdown, a reflection of a deep well of talent and the extra work they’ve put in to beating Michigan in a high stakes game.
I’m referring of course to Michigan’s annual matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes, a game they’ve won three years in a row. One of the chief advantages for Michigan in this upcoming game against the Texas Longhorns is the fact they have played a game like this for several years in a row. The Michigan staffers left from the Jim Harbaugh regime and veteran players understand what sort of game it will be and how to win it.
Last season, Harbaugh was coaching the Wolverines during the week before those big games Moore won. Harbaugh was setting the overall game philosophy. He was identifying weaknesses, and he was setting an overall plan of attack for his entire team. That’s the role of a head coach: to set the big picture.
Harbaugh was like a chef, planning the menu and getting everything ready before letting somebody else bring it all together on game day.
Now, obviously, Harbaugh is gone. And this week will tell us so much more about Moore.
[Head coach Sherrone] Moore has to prove he can get his players throughout his program to clean up mistakes — here’s the positive about that: the most improvement always happens between the first and second games — while creating an overall three-phase strategy to pull an upset against what looks like a stronger team, getting the offense, defense and special teams units to complement each other.
The weird thing is, the Wolverines have won 29 straight regular-season games, 23 straight in the Big House, yet they’re 7-point underdogs, and the spread sky-rocketed instantly from 3.5. It’s the first time they haven’t been favored at home since 2021, when they finally vanquished Ohio State 42-27. Now they’re in the midst of a 41-3 streak over three-plus seasons, and no, all those victories weren’t just against East Carolina, Bowling Green, Hawaii, Connecticut and Ohio State, even if it seems that way.
Yet nobody is picking Michigan to win this game, and by “nobody” I mean “nobody but Desmond and Woodson.” It’s somehow both inexplicable and completely understandable. Instead of stomping the Fresno State Bulldogs last week, the Wolverines gently petted them. Many experts apparently noticed Jim Harbaugh departed under cover of darkness and took half an NFL team with him.
Sherrone “Not Interim” Moore has solid credentials and guided UM to huge victories when Harbaugh was sent to detention. The problem is, Harbaugh didn’t leave behind proven starters on the offensive line, in the quarterback room, or in the sign-decoding command center.
3 questions with Sam Khan Jr., The Athletic’s Texpert
Put yourself in the shoes of Michigan OC Kirk Campbell. How would you try to attack this Texas defense with a new starting quarterback and a new offensive line?
Don’t fear the Texas defensive front. Run right at it and make that unit prove it can stop the run game. Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton , the players who succeeded [ T’Vondre] Sweat and [ Byron] Murphy , are good, experienced players, but they aren’t as dominant as their predecessors — at least not yet. Michigan’s identity is the power run game. Stick with that until you have to adjust.
Colorado State didn’t run wild against the Longhorns last week, but the Rams did find some success as Justin Marshall finished with 106 yards and a 4.2 yards per carry average. Because of how explosive this Texas offense is, if I were Campbell, I’d aim to control the clock and minimize possessions. Grind it out and lean on your big men to win at the line of scrimmage.
The rain looks like it may hold off, but it’s going to feel like a crisp fall day in Ann Arbor with a high around 60 degrees. Derek Jete r will be on hand as honorary captain for Michigan while Matthew McConaughey is expected to make an appearance and represent Texas. ESPN’s “College GameDay” and Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” will add to an incredible environment as the defending national champions try to make an early season statement and fall just short.
The pick: Texas 23, U-M 19.
I think these five moneylines all have value according to my College Football Projection model — you can find my projections here — and I am going to place them in a round-robin parlay. These happen to be all underdogs.
The bets:
• Michigan moneyline (+225)
• Pitt moneyline (+110)
• San Jose State moneyline (+165)
• Tulsa moneyline (+225)
• UL Monroe moneyline (+400)
Nothing Michigan showed in its Week 1 victory over Fresno State suggested the Wolverines are going to be making many offensive outbursts in 2024. The Wolverines went eight straight possessions without a touchdown at one point against a Mountain West team. But Michigan still appears to have a pretty good defense. Texas quarterback’s Quinn Ewers ‘ chemistry with a new group of pass-catchers will be tested in one of the sport’s most hostile environments. Touchdowns will be rare for both teams.
Pick: Under 43
Michigan needs to start fast
Though Michigan was favored in the national championship game against Washington, many pundits appeared to favor the Huskies, noting the dominant offense with a top-flight receiving corps and elite offensive line. That lasted until [senior running back] Donovan Edwards rattled off two 40-plus yard touchdowns to put the Wolverines up 14-3 early in the game. From there, Washington was playing catch up.
Given the homefield advantage, Michigan needs to have a similar start, and certainly can’t afford the inverse. We’re not sure that Michigan was built to come back from a sizable deficit, but like last week, when the Wolverines opened with a turnover and then scored a touchdown off of a short field, the same would be crucial this week.
The post What they’re saying before Michigan football takes on Texas appeared first on On3 .
Most Popular
Comments / 0