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    • Michigan opens the season with a 30-10 win over Fresno State
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    Michigan opens the season with a 30-10 win over Fresno State

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    Dana Wakiji
    | Special to The Detroit News

    FINAL SCORE: Michigan defeats Fresno State, 30-10

    Michigan kicked off the Sherrone Moore era with a 30-10 win over Fresno State.

    Moore used both Davis Warren and Alex Orji at quarterback, with Warren getting the bulk of the work. Warren was 15 of 25 passing for 118 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Orji completed one of two passes for 3 yards and a touchdown.

    Tight end Colston Loveland, who caught a touchdown for 18 yards, finished with eight catches for 87 yards and one touchdown, a team-high.

    “We love those two guys,” Loveland told NBC Sports on the field after the game. “Dogs, those two guys do everything right. Whoever was there, we knew we were in good hands.”

    Running back Kalel Mullings had 15 carries for 92 yards.

    The defense was absolutely the most important part of the story, limiting the Bulldogs to nine net yards rushing.

    “Our defense did a great job,” Moore told NBC Sports. “Overall, we’re just happy to get the win.”

    Josaiah Stewart had two sacks and Rayshaun Benny one.

    Zeke Berry intercepted the ball early and Will Johnson finished it off with an 86-yard pick-six to end the game.

    “I just wanted to make a play,” Johnson told NBC Sports. “It felt good to finally make a play because I didn’t feel like I was having a good day.”

    It ended up being a very good day for Johnson and the Wolverines.

    3:57 4Q: Leave it to Will Johnson; UM leads 30-10

    Just when it looked like everything was going well for the Bulldogs (they were getting the signals, they were on a roll, they had the first and goal) Will Johnson came along to take the ball and the momentum.

    Johnson read the play perfectly, took the ball and headed it 86 yards to the house in the Big House, a perfect pick-six.

    5:43 4Q: Warren finds Loveland for TD, extends UM’s lead to 23-10

    That was the drive the Wolverines had to mount after the Bulldogs scored their first touchdown and cut the lead to six points.

    The star of the drive was Kalel Mullings, who carried the ball 21, 15 and 6 yards.

    Davis Warren then threw the ball to Colston Loveland, who battled his way into the end zone for the 18-yard score.

    That was Davis Warren’s first career touchdown pass.

    10:06 4Q: Bulldogs score their first TD, cut Wolverines lead to 16-10

    Fresno State makes things even more difficult for Michigan.

    Mikey Keene led a 7-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 19-yard touchdown pass to Raylen Sharpe.

    12:42 4Q: Zvada with another fantastic field goal, UM leads 16-3

    Just when you think Dominic Zvada’s 53-yard field goal in the third quarter is impressive, they send him out onto the field to attempt a 55-yard field goal and it’s GOOD!

    End of 3Q: Michigan leads Fresno State, 13-3

    Michigan’s defense continues to excel, limiting quarterback Mikey Keene to 102 yards passing and 21 yards rushing.

    Meanwhile, Davis Warren has gone 13-21 for 92 yards and one interception.

    Kalel Mullings leads Michigan’s running backs with 11 carries for 46 yards. Colston Loveland has seven catches for 69 yards.

    9:21 3Q: Now that’s a field goal! Michigan leads 13-3

    Of course, it would be better if the Wolverines could take these drives all the way to the end zone, but this was certainly an impressive 53-yard field goal from Dominic Zvada.

    The key play during the 10-play drive was Davis Warren connecting with Colston Loveland for 20 yards in Fresno State territory.

    Halftime Score: Michigan Leads 10-3 Against Fresno State

    After a number of field goals were exchanged, Michigan went into halftime with a 10-3 lead.

    Head coach Sherrone Moore said he thought Davis Warren has done well so far, completing 8 of 10 passes for 51 yards.

    Alex Orji threw the lone touchdown, a 3-yarder to Donovan Edwards.

    Colston Loveland has four catches for 40 yards. Kalel Mullins has nine carries for 32 yards.

    Fresno State’s Mikey Keene is 8 of 16 for 72 yards. Malik Sherrod has nine carries for 23 yards.

    :31 2Q: Michigan answers with a field goal, leads Fresno State, 10-3

    The Wolverines followed up the Bulldogs’ drive with a nice effort, covering 47 yards in 11 plays.

    But they had to settle for a 45-yard field goal from Dominic Zvada.

    7:35 2Q: Fresno State shoots a field goal, UM leads 7-3

    The kicking game certainly helped the Bulldogs.

    They took advantage of the short field and covered 38 yards in 8 plays, with Dylan Lynch hitting a 41-yard field goal.

    End of 1Q: Michigan leads Fresno State, 7-0

    All in all, it was a pretty good first quarter for head coach Sherrone Moore.

    The defense looked solid with Moore using both Davis Warren and Alex Orji. Warren was 4-5 for 21 yards and an interception while Orji was 1-1 for a 3-yard touchdown to Donovan Edwards.

    Zeke Berry had an interception on the first series and Josaiah Stewart had a big sack.

    3:40 1Q: Warren throws an interception

    Both quarterbacks will play in this game, with Davis Warren starting.

    Warren made his first mistake when he threw the ball short and was intercepted by Cam Lockridge, who returned the ball 33 yards to the 35-yard line.

    8:19 1Q: Stewart gets a sack

    For a moment it looked like the Bulldogs had something to do.

    Mikey Keene found Jalen Moss for a 19-yard gain to midfield.

    But on 3rd and 9, Josaiah Stewart tackled Keene for a loss of 8 yards, forcing the Bulldogs to punt.

    11:03 1Q: Michigan takes 7-0 lead over Fresno State

    Zeke Berry’s tip-drill interception gave the Wolverines favorable field position.

    It wasn’t long before they took advantage of this.

    Alex Orji threw his first career touchdown pass to Donovan Edwards three years later.

    13:53 1Q: Zeke Berry with the INT

    So far, Michigan’s defense looks similar to last year.

    After passing virtually nothing on the first two downs, Michigan’s defense got an interception from Zeke Berry, giving Michigan great field position.

    Availability Report

    Here’s Michigan’s availability report, from reporter Angelique Chengelis:

    The Sherrone Moore era begins for the Michigan Wolverines, who open the 2024 season against the Fresno State Bulldogs.

    Not only are the Wolverines defending their national title with a new coach, they are also getting a new quarterback: JJ McCarthy, despite being injured, is still playing for the Minnesota Vikings.

    The candidates to replace McCarthy are Alex Orji and Davis Warren.

    The Bulldogs also have a new head coach in Tim Skipper, who was named interim coach after Jeff Tedford stepped down due to health issues.

    Follow live updates from Detroit News contributor Dana Wakiji here.

    Michigan vs. Fresno State

    ▶ Kick-off: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

    ▶ Television/radio: NBC/950

    ▶ Line: Michigan with 21½

    ▶ Archive: Season opener for both teams.

    ▶ Series: This is the first meeting between the teams.

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