Preview: Michigan vs. Fresno State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. FRESNO STATE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan finished #55 in rushing yards (169.1 yards/game) and #52 in yards per carry (4.5) in 2023. Those aren’t the world’s most impressive numbers, but the consistency with which Michigan pulled off its run game was. Whether it was a good opponent or a bad one, Michigan was willing and able to run the ball. The guy on the cover of NCAA ’25 is senior RB Donovan Edwards (119 carries, 497 yards, 5 TD last season), who had 41- and 46-yard touchdowns in the national championship game. He struggled for much of last year and was near the bottom of the Big Ten in yards per carry until the game against Washington. The backup is former LB Kalel Mullings, a 6’2″, 233-pounder who ran 36 times for 222 yards and 1 touchdown last year. Up front the Wolverines lost their top six linemen to the NFL (four got drafted, two got signed as UDFAs); the assured starters are OG Giovanni El-Hadi, OT Myles Hinton, who transferred from Stanford prior to 2023, and OG Josh Priebe, who transferred from Northwestern this year. For Fresno State, one of the better players is fifth year senior DE Devo Bridges (6’2″, 255), who had 30 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks last year. The other bookend is former 5-star USC DE Korey Foreman (6’4″, 245), who has 24 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception over three years in college. Both starting defensive tackles are sub-300 pounders. The leading returning tackler is weakside linebacker Malachi Langley (6’1″, 236), who made 84 tackles and 5 tackles for loss a season ago. The Bulldogs finished #97 in rush defense (166.2 yards allowed/game) and #81 in yards allowed per carry (4.33) last season.
Advantage: Michigan

Hit the jump for more.

PASS OFFENSE vs. FRESNO STATE PASS DEFENSE
The passing offense is a giant unknown for Michigan. QB J.J. McCarthy was taken by the Vikings in the first round (though he’s out for the season with a meniscus injury), and Michigan also lost its top two wideouts in Roman Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Cornelius Johnson (cut by the Los Angeles Chargers). While no starter has been announced, everyone assumes it will be QB Alex Orji getting the nod. Orji has attempted just 1 pass in two years on campus and at 6’3″ and 235 pounds is known more as a runner than a thrower. The star of Michigan’s passing game will be TE Colston Loveland (45 catches, 649 yards, 4 TD in 2023). Junior WR Tyler Morris (13 catches, 197 yards, 1 TD) has been getting talked about like Michigan’s #1 wide receiver for 2024, and Semaj Morgan (22 catches, 204 yards, 2 TD) will also be a frequent target. The entire starting line will be new, so how they gel as a pass protection unit will be a key aspect of this year’s passing game. Senior CB Cam Lockridge (6’0″, 182) is Fresno’s top corner and had 12 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup last year, but his PFF grade of 59.0 last year (in four games) doesn’t instill a ton of confidence. The opposite corner, redshirt junior Al’Zillion Hamilton (5’11”, 186), scored 55.8 for the year on PFF. Fifth year senior Dean Clark (6’1″, 206) is one to watch after making 3 interceptions in 2023. Junior DT Jacob Holmes (6’3″, 297) led the team with 5 sacks last season but had a 43.9 pass rush grade. Overall, the Bulldogs were #16 in passer rating defense after making 17 interceptions and allowing just 19 passing touchdowns, but a lot of that defensive production left at the end of the year.
Advantage: Michigan

RUSH DEFENSE vs. FRESNO STATE RUSH OFFENSE
Michigan was #6 in rush defense last year (90 yards allowed/game) and #7 in yards allowed per carry (3.0). That shouldn’t change a ton in 2024 because star defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham return. And while both of Michigan’s leading tacklers, Michael Barrett and Junior Colson, got drafted into the NFL, they’re being replaced by the #3 tackler (Ernest Hausmann) and perhaps Maryland’s best player in junior Jaishawn Barham. Additionally, DE Derrick Moore and OLB Josaiah Stewart basically split reps with the starters last year, so they should step in adequately. There are question marks with the backups on the defensive line, so that might be something to watch. Fresno State was #118 in rush offense (105.5 yards/game) and #102 in yards per carry (3.75) last season, but that’s largely because redshirt sophomore QB Mikey Keene (5’11”, 198) took some huge sacks and is not a run threat. The running backs were actually quite productive and should be again in fifth year senior Malik Sherrod (5’8″, 177), who ran for 966 yards on 5.6 yards/carry, and fifth year senior Elijah Gilliam (5’10”, 210), who ran for 397 yards on 4.2 yards/carry. They combined for 14 rushing scores, with 9 coming from Sherrod. Senior RT Braylen Nelson (6’6″, 320) was the team’s highest graded run blocker (70.2), and the solid Mose Vavao (6’3″, 317) will move from offensive guard to start at center this fall. It’s a veteran group, but they’re undersized compared to Michigan and will start a 6’3″ left tackle and a 6’1″ left guard. Seeing what Michigan did to Washington’s Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line last year tells me that Grant and Graham are going to feast up front.
Advantage: Michigan

PASS DEFENSE vs. FRESNO STATE PASS OFFENSE
Michigan was #2 in pass defense (157 yards allowed/game), #3 in passer rating defense, and #5 in yards allowed per attempt (5.5) during the 2023 season. Only two of Michigan’s five starting defensive backs return, but one is All-American CB Will Johnson and another is a captain in fifth year senior Makari Paige. The other replacements are sixth year senior Quinten Johnson at safety, former 4-star recruit Zeke Berry at nickel, and former 4-star CB Jyaire Hill. Michigan also brought in two former starting safeties (Wesley Walker from Tennessee and Jaden Mangham from Michigan State) and an FCS All-American cornerback in Aamir Hall from Albany. The pass rush is a little more of a question mark on paper, but OLB Josaiah Stewart and Moore should be up to the task after finishing #2 and #3 on the team in sacks last year. For the Bulldogs, their big loss is head coach and QB guru Jeff Tedford, who had to resign this summer due to medical issues. He tutored multiple first round NFL draft picks, and even though Mikey Keene isn’t heading for the first round, Tedford is well respected as a coach. The Bulldogs were #21 in passing offense (282 yards/game) and #62 in passer rating last season, with Keene completing 67.1% of his passes for 7.1 yards per attempt. Overall, he threw for 2,976 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The Bulldogs lost their #1 and #3 receivers, so their top returner is redshirt sophomore Jalen Moss (6’1″, 175), who caught 55 passes for 706 yards and 5 touchdowns a year ago. Leading tight end Tre Watson transferred to Washington, so up steps senior Jake Boust (6’4″, 245), who made 4 catches for 30 yards and 1 score last year. Junior receiver Josiah Freeman was not on Fresno’s depth chart but is a 6’3″ kid who could be a deep threat. Otherwise, look out for junior Chedon James (5’9″, 173), who was #1 in receptions (102) and #4 in receiving yards (1,045) for FCS at Idaho State last year.
Advantage: Michigan

ROSTER NOTES

• No Fresno State players were recruited by Michigan out of high school
• Fresno State associate head coach/special teams coordinator John Baxter held the same position at Michigan in 2015, Jim Harbaugh’s first season in Ann Arbor

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED . . .

• Fresno State and Michigan have never played before
• The last Mountain West team Michigan played was UNLV in 2023, which Michigan won by a score of 35-7

PREDICTION

• Michigan 34, Fresno State 10

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