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    • Michigan Football Numbers vs. Arkansas State: Nothing Looked Great
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    Michigan Football Numbers vs. Arkansas State: Nothing Looked Great

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    Free Press sports reporter Tony Garcia assesses Michigan football’s performance in its 28-18 win over Arkansas State on Saturday in Ann Arbor to close out non-conference play:

    Attack: D-plus

    THERE IS A LOT OF WORK TO DO: Michigan rebuilds run game in 28-18 win over Arkansas State, but fundamental questions remain

    Let’s start with something positive. Towards the end of the game, Michigan seemed to figure out that Kalel Mullings is their bell-cow back. He was a fighter on the ground, rushing 15 times for a career-high 153 yards and two scores, including three carries of 30 yards or more, while averaging over 10 yards per touch. Even Donovan Edwards, who has struggled in 16 of the last 17 games, had a decent afternoon with 17 rushes for 82 yards (4.8 yards per rush) and a touchdown.

    As a team, Michigan rushed 43 times for 301 yards (7 yards per carry) and scored three times. It’s worth noting, however, that the Red Wolves also allowed Central Arkansas to rush for over 7 yards per carry.

    The real concern in this game was the passing game, as Michigan benched starting quarterback Davis Warren in favor of the man they had beaten out in an offseason competition, Alex Orji. Warren completed 11 of 14 passes for 122 yards on the day, but the problem was that all three of his incomplete passes were intercepted, forcing UM to make a substitution.

    While not all of the interceptions were his fault (Edwards botched his guard on his first attempt and Warren’s elbow was hit by a defender on the second attempt), the third attempt was undeniably his fault.

    “I mean, part of it was protection, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to take care of the ball,” head coach Sherrone Moore said after the game. “We can’t have those turnovers. … Normally when we take care of the ball, we win, so that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

    Orji showed flashes in the running game, taking three carries for 27 yards, but the passing game seemed limited. His numbers were fine (2-for-4 for 9 yards and a touchdown), but he missed a wide-open Fredrick Moore on a streak when he beat his defender 5 yards for a walk-in touchdown.

    (MUST LISTEN: To make “Hello Yes!” your favorite Michigan Wolverines podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) )

    To make matters worse, tight end Colston Loveland left the game with an injury and did not return after the third quarter. If he were out, a passing attack already on life support might need shock paddles to have any hope of recovery, but some in the room still felt it was a good day.

    “We did a great job in the run game and we were efficient in the pass game, aside from a couple turnovers,” Edwards said. “We made a lot of good plays on the football field, so I thought today was a great day.”

    Defense: B-minus

    This was a better defensive performance than the final score suggested, as Michigan limited the Red Wolves to just three points midway through the fourth quarter before the reserves closed the game, allowing the final two touchdowns.

    Arkansas State converted the first three third-down plays of the day, but struggled for most of the afternoon, going 1-of-11 in the next three periods. It eventually converted four of five passes to close out the day, leading to two late scores.

    WINDSOR: Sherrone Moore struggles to show he knows who the best players on the Michigan football team are

    Overall, Michigan’s run defense was strong, as it limited ASU to 15 rushes and 12 total yards through three periods of the game and its pass unit allowed just two plays of 20-plus yards through the air, both of which came in the final period. Ernest Hausmann led the way with seven tackles, including a sack, while Jaishawn Barham also had seven tackles, Aamir Hall had two pass breakups and Makari Paige had an interception.

    Arkansas State finished with 280 yards of total offense, 131 of which came in the final period.

    “I mean, we’re really blending in with the ones and the twos,” Kenneth Grant said. “But I would say the threes, we’ve got to let those threes go and play our caliber of football. I mean, those last two scores, that’s not Michigan football, so we’ve got to go after those guys.”

    Special teams: C

    Not much was expected of the special teams that day and what they did was very poor.

    Kicker Dominic Zvada faced his former team and, while not called upon to attempt any field goals, made all four of his extra-point attempts. Tommy Doman, who handled kickoff duties, did not allow a return in the kicking game, but his punting left much to be desired. Of his three attempts, only one went 45 yards, while the others went 43 and 29 yards, respectively. Additionally, only one pinned Arkansas State inside the 20.

    SABINE: Michigan rebuilds run game in 28-18 win over Arkansas State, but fundamental questions remain

    Perhaps the best thing that happened to UM all day on the unit wasn’t even in their power. The Red Wolves attempted three field goals, the first of which clattered to the upper right, the last to the left.

    “I’ve never seen that before, to be honest,” Grant laughed after the game.

    Coaching: C-minus

    Michigan was one of the best teams in the country in discipline and turnovers last season, something that has all but fallen apart in early 2024. The Wolverines turned the ball over eight times in 15 games last season, when they won a national championship; they have committed seven turnovers in three games, including three on Saturday afternoon.

    The penalties are also piling up. Michigan was flagged four times for 49 yards against Arkansas State, including three personal fouls against the defense — late hit out of bounds, face mask and roughing the passer — that extended drives. The last two directly resulted in the Red Wolves’ two touchdowns of the game.

    “The penalties need to be done away with,” Moore said. “You can say they’re this or that, but they can’t happen. So for us, we need to clean them up, be more disciplined and I need to do a better job with the team.”

    Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him at X @RealTonyGarcia. He’s a co-host of “Hail Yes!”, your favorite Wolverines podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify

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