That’s an ugly score. I didn’t mind writing about a 27-24 victory when it came to the USC game, but I do have a problem with it after playing the Minnesota Gophers. In the game preview, I predicted a 38-13 victory. I had heard that Colston Loveland was likely to play, but I also assumed Will Johnson would play and I had no idea that Josaiah Stewart would miss the game. Regardless, Michigan has had some injury issues in past years against lesser Big Ten programs, and it didn’t have a huge effect. Michigan had to hang on in a nail-biter here, and that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season.
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . running backs carrying the ball. Michigan’s top two running backs, Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, had just 14 total carries on Saturday. While they were only mildly productive, Michigan needs to commit to the run game to help out inexperienced quarterback Davis Warren. Michigan can’t just run the ball to run the ball, either; the coaches need to find creative ways to get them the ball and help them be successful.
What’s Michigan’s offensive identity? Obviously, Michigan is still trying to feel out what it’s good at besides hoping a tight end can make a play. With a walk-on quarterback, it needs to be a run-oriented program. With that being said, Michigan needs to commit to more creativity in the run game. This team can’t subsist on 14 total rushing attempts from its top two running backs. Donovan Edwards (8 carries, 41 yards) and Kalel Mullings (6 carries, 25 yards) may not have had great days, but the offensive coordinator (and the offensive-minded head coach) need to figure out creative ways to get them the ball, get them going in the run game, and play complementary offensive football. The offense seems to be very disjointed as the staff appears to be relying on an odd mix of runs and straight dropback passing. They need more misdirection in the run game and they need to get Warren moving a little bit. I don’t think the coaching staff has done a good job of adjusting to its personnel this year.
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PWO QB FTW. Well, it was a mild surprise when it was announced that former walk-on Davis Warren was named the starting quarterback for the season opener over Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle. Orji had received most of the hype in the off-season, and Tuttle is the most experienced. But Tuttle has been dealing with injuries and soreness, so he wasn’t really an option. Rumors started coming out a couple days before the game that Warren would be the guy. He finished 15/25 for 118 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception and graded out as Michigan’s #4 offensive player (69.7 on Pro Football Focus). Overall, I thought Warren was mostly accurate. He overthrew a deep shot to Tyler Morris, and he underthrew Fredrick Morris on an open post route that could have been a touchdown but turned into an interception. There were a lot of checkdowns and short throws, probably by design to make things easy for Warren in his first start. But overall, I thought Warren looked composed and accurate.
Name: Davis Warren Height: 6’2″ Weight: 195 lbs. High school: Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy Position: Quarterback Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: #16 Last year: I ranked Warren #70 and said he would be a backup quarterback (LINK). He completed 0/5 passes for 1 interception. TTB Rating: N/A
Warren was a walk-on quarterback in the 2021 class – the same class as J.J. McCarthy – and he might be closer to the starting quarterback position than any other walk-on since Nick Sheridan in 2008. After overcoming a serious illness in high school, he was probably written off by many people. But his talent has always been there, and he looked decent in 2022. Unfortunately, an undisclosed injury seemed to sap him a little bit in 2023, and he did not perform well. Going 0-for-5 with 1 interception for the season is . . . well . . . there’s really no way to gloss over it: it’s about as bad as it gets.
But that 2023 performance was probably the pendulum swinging a little too far in the negative direction. Warren was back to looking pretty good in the 2024 spring game, throwing two touchdown passes – one a deep ball to Kendrick Bell and one a scrambling dart to Frederick Moore that Moore turned into a touchdown. Spring games aren’t the same as fall Saturdays in the Big House – or the Horseshoe – but there’s no getting past the fact that Warren has the physical talent to perform.
Word coming out of practices is that Warren is the best passer on the team. What he lacks is experience and playmaking ability with his feet. He’s a decent athlete and more mobile than Cade McNamara, but he’s not a runner. Michigan’s offense will look much different with Warren behind center rather than Orji. All signs seem to be pointing toward Orji to be the starter in 2024, but if he falters or gets injured, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Warren getting a shot. Seventh year senior Jack Tuttle is also in the mix, but Tuttle has supposedly been dealing with an injury during camp – and he’s often been injured in his career – so it seems like Warren has taken control of the #2 spot.
