FOURTH QUARTER

How to watch Michigan vs. Fresno State (8/31/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream

10:00 am: Kalel Mullings ran for 21 and 15 yards on consecutive snaps to get Michigan down the field. After another big run, Davis Warren threw his first career touchdown pass, hitting tight end Colston Loveland from 18 yards out.

Michigan 23, Fresno State 10

12:42: With time running out, Jalen Moss made a nice catch along the sideline, with Will Johnson defending, for 28 yards. Mikey Keene kept throwing, completing passes on the move, putting the Bulldogs in the red zone. On third-and-8, Keene threw under pressure to Raylen Sharpe, who missed a Wolverine and ran to the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown, Fresno State’s first of the night. Just another one-score game in the Big House.

Michigan 16, Fresno State 10

3:00 PM: Michigan continued to drive late in the third period, sticking with Davis at quarterback. He found Semaj Morgan over the middle on a third-and-6 to move the chains. Orji took the next snap and sprinted left for a short gain. He stayed in for a pass and threw it into the grass. Warren’s incomplete pass led to a Zvada field goal of 55 yards — it’s good. He was very impressive in his Michigan debut.

Michigan 16, Fresno State 3

THIRD QUARTER

How to watch Michigan vs. Fresno State (8/31/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream

1:10: With Davis Warren at quarterback, the Wolverines gain a first down and begin the fourth quarter at their own 48-yard line with a 10-point lead.

Michigan 13, Fresno State 3

1:55: Deep in their own territory, the Bulldogs go three-and-out, with Jaishawn Barham pressuring the quarterback on third down, forcing a throw-away. Fresno State punts, giving Michigan solid field position.

Michigan 13, Fresno State 3

05:20: Michigan used both quarterbacks on this drive. Alex Orji takes the first snap of the drive and runs for a first down in front of the Michigan sideline, purely on speed. Davis Warren replaced him, then Orji came back on second and 10 from the Michigan 32. He picked up another first down with his legs. Warren couldn’t get another one, however, and Michigan punted.

Michigan 13, Fresno State 3

09:21: Fresno State gets a pair of first downs before punting. Josaiah Stewart makes a big open-field tackle on a short pass on third down.

Michigan 13, Fresno State 3

14:53: Michigan’s opening drive of the second half began at its own 27. Alex Orji got a pair of snaps, held the ball once for a short gain and passed the other time. Davis Warren completed a pair of clutch throws for first downs, but Michigan kept the ball on the ground on third-and-17. It set up a 53-yard field goal attempt by Dominic Zvada that had plenty of distance.

Michigan 13, Fresno State 3

HALF: Michigan 10, Fresno State 3

SECOND QUARTER

0:31 – Fresno State makes one run to end the half. It outgained Michigan by 97 yards to 89 in the first half, but the Wolverines got the second-half kickoff.

Michigan 10, Fresno State 3

7:27 – The Wolverines made a change under center, with Greg Crippen replacing Dominick Giudice, who was burned for a sack on the final drive. They were able to find a rhythm early in the drive, starting with a 12-yard completion to redshirt freshman Kendrick Bell. Michigan gave Kalel Mullings three straight carries, each going for 5 yards. Davis Warren then threw two darts to Colston Loveland for 10 and 12 yards, respectively. The team was forced to settle for a 45-yard field goal after falling behind the chains early when Donovan Edwards was tackled for a loss of 2 yards on first down. On third-and-9, Edwards caught a pass out of the backfield, but lost another 3 yards.

Michigan 10, Fresno State 3

10:58 – Fresno State, which started on its 39 instead of its 49 because of a penalty, finally had some success throwing the ball, and it came with both of Michigan’s starting corners on the sideline. Jalen Moss had a highlight-reel catch against Myles Pollard for a gain of 23 yards. The Bulldogs had a chance at six when Mac Delena burned Will Johnson on a slant-and-go, but the pass was wide, leading to an incomplete pass and a 41-yard field goal.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 3

12:42 – Michigan’s offense has been sluggish since the opening drive. Peyton O’Leary dropped an out route on first down, and then Donovan Edwards was stopped for a loss of 1 yard on second down. This new offensive line hasn’t played very well either, and on third down, Ezra Christensen had an unabated path to the quarterback, sacking Davis Warren for a loss of 9 yards and setting up a three-and-out. Michigan has just 42 yards of offense.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

14:09 – The Bulldogs had great field position, starting at their own 39, but Michigan’s defense buckled and forced a three-and-out. Ja’Den McBurrows, the reserve nickel, had perfect coverage on third-and-10 and was there to make a tackle if the receiver made a catch at the line of scrimmage.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

15:00 — On third-and-1, Michigan attempted to throw the ball up the middle with Kalel Mullings, but it bounced off the line of scrimmage, leading to Tommy Doman’s second run of the game.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

FIRST QUARTER

1:10 – The Wolverines ran two plays before the end of the quarter and will have a third-and-1 to start the second quarter.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

3:23 – Fresno State got one first down before it went down. Mikey Keene took a couple of deep shots tonight, but none came close to completion. The Wolverines have had excellent coverage all game. Keene is 5 of 10 for 30 yards.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

3:40 – Michigan started at the Fresno State 43, but the drive lasted only one play. Davis Warren perhaps threw a little too much air, throwing a deep post route to Fredrick Moore, and Cameron Lockridge broke up the pass to intercept and return it to the FSU 35. Warren is now 3 of 4 for 16 yards.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

5:07 – Michigan is creating chaos up front and creating constant pressure. Mikey Keene didn’t look comfortable at all and nearly threw an interception on the second play of the drive. The Bulldogs went three-and-out after Rayshaun Benny blew away Elijah Gilliam, who caught a pass out of the backfield but was immediately tackled. FSU has just 26 yards.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

8:19 – Starting at its own 27 after the punt, Michigan got off to a promising start to the drive when Kalel Mullings bulldozed straight through for an 8-yard gain. Davis Warren was back at QB, but had just two pass attempts on the drive – two receiver screens that went for minimal gains, including one to Tyler Morris that went for 3 yards on third-and-10, leading to a punt.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

11:03 – The Bulldogs started at their own 25 and had one big play before being forced to punt. On a third-and-4, Will Johnson attempted to run a route but couldn’t get his hands on the ball. The pass was caught by Jalen Moss, who slid away from Johnson for a 19-yard gain. Johnson made up for it two plays later by stopping Malik Sherrod for a 1-yard gain, setting up a third-and-long. Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart both got pressure on third down, and it was Stewart who came up with the sack to force a punt. Michigan’s scheme, as expected, looks quite similar to last year’s under new coordinator Wink Martindale.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

13:31 – The Wolverines started at the FSU 31 after the interception. Davis Warren started at QB and connected with Colston Loveland for a gain of 13 yards on the second play. On second-and-goal from the 3, after Donovan Edwards was stopped on first down, Alex Orji came at QB and hit Edwards, who was moving before the snap, for an easy TD. A near-perfect start on both sides of the ball for the Wolverines. Orji, a junior, had attempted just one career pass entering Saturday.

Michigan 7, Fresno State 0

15:00 – Michigan’s defense picked up where it left off last season. It forced the Bulldogs into a quick third-and-long, and pressure on QB Mikey Keene forced a high throw on a slant to an intended receiver, and the ball was tipped off his hands and into the arms of Zeke Berry for an interception. Fresno State opened the drive at the 25 on a touchback.

Michigan 0, Fresno State 0

UPDATES FOR THE GAME

– Quarterback Davis Warren is taking reps with the first-team offensive line in warmups and will start, according to UM’s pregame radio show. Jack Tuttle is listed as out on the pregame availability report. Dominick Giudice, a former three-star defensive lineman recruit who moved to center in December, and redshirt freshman right tackle Evan Link are also expected to start, beating out Greg Crippen and Andrew Gentry.

STORY: Michigan starts Davis Warren as QB in season opener against Fresno State

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ANN ARBOR – How will the Sherrone Moore era at Michigan begin?

We’ll find out when the reigning national champion Wolverines kick off the 2024 season under the lights on Saturday against Fresno State at Michigan Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and MLive will provide live updates throughout. Keep refreshing this page for the latest news.

Michigan ranks 128th out of 134 FBS teams in returning production through 2023, according to ESPN’s SP+ stats. That’s no surprise considering it took a record 13 players in the NFL draft in April, but it also means the team still has plenty of holes to fill, particularly at quarterback.

Moore hasn’t named a starter yet, but it will be junior Alex Orji and former walk-on Davis Warren, who have thrown a combined 15 passes in their college careers. The Wolverines will put their 28-game regular-season winning streak on the line against a Bulldogs team that finished 9-4 last year and is expected to contend for the Mountain West title in 2024.

Their team’s strength is their offense, led by quarterback Mikey Keene, who completed 67.1 percent of his passes and threw for 2,976 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2023. Like Michigan, Fresno State also has a new head coach after Jeff Tedford stepped down last month due to health reasons.

Saturday marks the first meeting between the two programs. Michigan has won 13 of the last 17 season openers.