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Michigan Wolverines No Match for Texas Longhorns in Top 10 Duel

Vaseline September 7, 2024

Ann Arbor — The Wolverines, the reigning national champions, said they were looking forward to the game against No. 3 Texas, a national semifinalist last year. They said it would be a statement game and prove the doubters wrong.

Well, the was a statement game — for Texas.

The Longhorns, favored for touchdowns going into the game against No. 10 Michigan, defeated the Wolverines 31-12 on Saturday in a much-hyped game at Michigan Stadium, which was attended by all of the city’s major football television shows.

Texas and its very strong offense undermined and weakened Michigan’s defense, while the Wolverines’ offense looked weak and was undermined by three turnovers.

SCORECARD: Texas 31, Michigan 12

Kicker Dominic Zvada was the Wolverines’ only highlight after two field goals of 37 and 52 yards came in the final two minutes of the game. With the game out of reach, Michigan drove 78 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Davis Warren to Semaj Morgan. The two-point conversion failed.

The Wolverines (1-1), underdogs at home for the first time since facing Ohio State in 2021, saw their 23-game home winning streak snapped. They had won 29 straight regular-season games.

Michigan, trailing 24-3 at halftime, added a field goal by Zvada in the third quarter, but Texas (2-0) responded with a six-play touchdown drive and a third touchdown pass from Quinn Ewers. Ewers, who completed 24 of 36 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns, connected with Jaydon Blue for a 7-yard score and the 31-6 lead late in the third quarter.

Warren, in his second collegiate start for Michigan, was 22 of 33 passing for 204 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was tipped by receiver Tyler Morris and the other on what appeared to be a miscommunication with tight end Colston Loveland. Texas scored a field goal and touchdown, respectively, off those turnovers.

Loveland finished with eight catches for 70 yards, while Michigan had 80 rushing yards on 23 carries. Donovan Edwards led with eight carries for 41 yards.

The Longhorns finished with 389 total yards of offense. Tight end Gunnar Helm had seven catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Texas was an impressive 10 of 16 on third down and had no turnovers.

Texas led 24-3 at halftime. The Longhorns took advantage of uneven play-calling and two Michigan turnovers, one of which came with just under a minute left, and rode their passing game to great success. Texas, holding the ball for eight more minutes and tiring the Wolverines’ defense, outscored Michigan 279-88 and had 203 passing yards in the first half. Their veteran offensive line pushed past Michigan’s defensive line, and the Longhorns were 8-for-10 on third down while Michigan was 1-for-5.

The Longhorns were able to extend their lead with 10 seconds left in the first half after an uncharacteristic mistake by Loveland, who caught a pass from Warren but lost the ball with 59 seconds left, giving Texas the ball at Michigan’s 42-yard line. Texas scored on a 5-yard pass from Ewers to Matthew Golden.

Texas took a 17-3 lead after the Wolverines’ first turnover of the game when Warren, on third-and-short, saw his pass attempt tipped by Morris into the hands of Andrew Mukoba at the Michigan 37-yard line. The Longhorns appeared poised to add another touchdown, but Ewers, pressured by Derrick Moore, threw incomplete on third down. Bert Auburn made his second field goal of the half, this time from 26 yards out.

Early in the second quarter, Texas used a 12-play drive that covered 76 yards and Jerrick Gibson scored on a 7-yard run for a 14-3 lead.

The Wolverines, who began the game with a false start en route to a three-and-out, responded to the Longhorns’ first score with a strong drive that featured some trickery. After Edwards ran 5 yards for a first down, Davis, on a flea flicker by Edwards, connected for a 22-yard gain to C.J. Charleston, a graduate transfer from Youngstown State, at the Texas 41-yard line. On third-and-3, Alex Orji came in at quarterback and was stopped for no gain after a Texas timeout. Zvada connected for a 37-yard field goal to pull Michigan within 7-3.

After failing on their opening drive, the Longhorns took a 7-0 lead from their 44-yard line on a 28-yard punt by Tommy Doman. They went 56 yards on six plays, scoring on a 21-yard pass from Ewers to Helm. At that point, Texas had 127 yards, including 103 passing yards.

The Longhorns took the ball on the opening throw and gained 71 yards — they ran 12 plays and 10 were passes — but three penalties halted their drive. They were 3-for-3 on third down and on a fourth-down attempt, they appeared to score on a 24-yard pass from Ewers to DeAndre Moore Jr. But Cameron Williams, who had two false start penalties, was assessed a holding penalty to negate the touchdown. Two plays later, Texas missed a 43-yard field goal when Auburn’s kick went wide to the right.

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