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    • Attack narrowly avoids an ‘F’
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    Attack narrowly avoids an ‘F’

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    Free Press sports reporter Tony Garcia rates the Michigan football team on a scale of A to F following the Wolverines’ 30-10 win over Fresno State on Saturday in Ann Arbor to open the 2024 season:

    Attack: D-plus

    The offense’s final drive of the day (not counting the victory knee) was the only saving grace in what was largely a struggle. Let’s start with quarterback and forward Davis Warren, who completed 15 of 25 passes for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

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    The pick was on his first deep shot of the day, an underthrown ball to Fredrick Moore, who looked like he had a step ahead of several defenders. The touchdown came in the fourth quarter as part of U-M’s best drive — seven plays and 75 yards — in which he found tight end Colston Loveland on an 18-yard crosser. Loveland was the star of the unit, as he more than doubled the yardage of the other four Wolverines who caught passes — a combined 87-34.

    “I mean, we always want to be balanced, but sometimes when they leave him open, they leave him open,” head coach Sherrone Moore said. “Davis is going to run his reads the way he needs to and throw to the guy that he thinks is open. … Maybe he catches 10 the next game, maybe he catches two, but we want to put our best guys in position to make plays.”

    Kalel Mullings had a similar production variance on the ground, with 92 yards to the 59 yards of four other Wolverines. The senior proved to be a bulldozer in the fourth quarter, when he cut off rushes of 21 and 15 yards to open up the Fresno State defense.

    The concern was the offensive line, which didn’t get the usual push. There was one miscommunication between center Dominic Guidice and right guard Gio El-Hadi, which led directly to a sack, but the unit was much better in the second half (180 yards) than it was in the first half (89).

    “Proud of how the O-line started to get off the ball,” Moore said. “O-line, it definitely takes time. I’ve said it before, you’re not going to be the same product you were in Week 2, … They needed that last drive to get that feeling, to feel what it’s like to be together and to grind through a game.”

    Defense: A-minus

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    If there was any concern about what the unit would look like after replacing the entire coaching staff and several starters, well, that’s a thing of the past now.

    The unit, under new coordinator Wink Martindale, was as fierce as it had been in recent years, sending simulated pressure from all over the field to make the game a nightmare for quarterback Mikey Keene. The senior completed 22 of 36 passes for 238 yards and a score, but was intercepted twice as Michigan left the Bulldogs with a one-dimensional offense: 22 rushes for just 9 yards (39 yards excluding sacks). The Wolverines held running back Malik Sherrod to 24 yards on 14 carries.

    “We’ve got Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant up the middle, so that makes it pretty tough for teams to run inside,” joked senior edge Josaiah Stewart. “Then our defense runs to the ball, it’s our mentality, stop the run is our mantra, stop the run leaves them left-handed.”

    Jalen Moss and Mac Dalena had a nice receiving game, as they combined for 12 grabs and 164 yards, but UM’s secondary had the final say. Not only did nickelback Zeke Berry have an interception on the game’s third play to set up the offense’s opening score, but Will Johnson pretty much capped it with an 86-yard pick-six off a screen pass late in the fourth quarter.

    Stewart had perhaps his best game in a UM uniform, recording five tackles, three for loss, and two sacks, while Rayshaun Benny also added five tackles (two for loss) and a sack.

    Special teams: A-plus

    Dominic Zvada announced his name in a big way in the kicking game. The Arkansas State transfer drilled in a 44-yard field goal to end the first half, then a 53-yarder to the south end zone early in the third quarter. By then, it was clear he was hot, and his coaches had no problem allowing a 55-yarder, which he drilled early in the fourth quarter.

    The longest he’s hit in his career is 56 yards, which came in his freshman season, but on Saturday he said he hit 65 yards in practice, “with a little wind.”

    “I mean, the guy’s done so well all camp,” Warren said. “We’ve been calling his name every time he does it in camp. It’s nice to know that we’re guaranteed points once we get in his range.”

    Mullings was also big in the return game with 74 yards on three returns while Semaj Morgan returned his two punt returns for 32 yards. Tommy Doman, returning for another season as a punter, averaged 40.8 yards on his four but pinned the Bulldogs inside their 20 just once.

    Coaching: B-plus

    All in all, it was a clean game for the Wolverines, who brought in Moore and two fresh college coordinators in Kirk Campbell and Martindale. Campbell’s offense wasn’t great, but he didn’t force Warren to make many tough plays, and then rode the hot hand in Mullings over Donovan Edwards in the second half.

    Michigan had an unusual five penalties for 70 yards, three of which came on Fresno’s penultimate drive (and two were questionable at best). But for the first 55 minutes, the team was relatively clean.

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