Michigan football vs. Fresno State: Live score updates, highlights from season opener
Michigan football, college |A|
footballs defending national champion, |B|
begins its title defense |C|
tonight. The Wolverines return |D|
to action Saturday night |E|
hosting Fresno State in |F|
Week . The Wolverines |G|
will honor the 2023 |H|
national championship team and |J|
try to get off |K|
on the right foot |L|
in the Sherrone Moore |M|
era. Moore took over |O|
as head coach in |P|
January after Jim Harbaugh |Q|
left for the NFL, |R|
and is tasked with |S|
continuing Michigans recent dominance |U|
as three-time reigning Big |V|
Ten champions. Davis Warren |Y|
got the start for |Z|
Michigan at quarterback, ending |A|
the summer-long speculation of |B|
who would replace J.J. |C|
McCarthy. Alex Orji also |D|
featured in Michigans first |E|
drive at the goal |F|
line. GAME PICKS:Michigan 2024 |G|
season game-by-game predictions Michigan |H|
is replacing more than |J|
a dozen key contributors |K|
from the championship team, |L|
particularly on offense, along |M|
with the coaching changes. |O|
U-M has not named |P|
a starting quarterback yet, |Q|
letting the battle between |R|
Alex Orji and Davis |S|
Warren last until the |U|
start of the season, |V|
and has to replace |Y|
production from top playmakers |Z|
Blake Corum and Roman |A|
Wilson. Two hours before |B|
kickoff, Michigan announced three |C|
players — quarterback Jack |D|
Tuttle, safety Rod Moore |E|
and wide receiver Joe |F|
Taylor — are out |G|
for the season opener. |H|
The availability report is |J|
required to be sent |K|
out two hours before |L|
kickoff. Tuttles absence means |M|
it comes down to |O|
Davis Warren or Alex |P|
Orji under center. Moore, |Q|
a team captain, is |R|
recovering from a torn |S|
ACL and Taylors injury |U|
is undisclosed. The game |V|
kicks off at 7:30 |Y|
from Michigan Stadium. It |Z|
airs on NBC and |A|
can be streamed on |B|
live on Peacock and |C|
on Fubo (free trial). |D|
Michigan is a 2-point |E|
favorite according to BetMGM. |F|
Michigan |K| vs. Fresno State score |L| updates
3:57, 4Q: Will |M| Johnson returns interception 86 |O| yards for a touchdown; |P| Michigan leads 30-0
The |Q| third times the charm.
|R| dir="ltr">Michigans defense nearly had |S| two interceptions on the |U| first two plays of |V| Fresno States drive, but |Y| a review and late |Z| hit penalty extended Fresno |A| States drive. Another facemask |B| penalty helped put Fresno |C| State inside the red |D| zone for just the |E| second time in the |F| game, but Michigans star |G| corner had something to |H| say about that.
Will |J| Johnson jumped a what |K| was supposed to be |L| a wide receiver to |M| the right, avoiding the |O| blocks and snagging the |P| ball at full speed, |Q| for the interception and |R| ran down the Michigan |S| sidelines 86 yards for |U| a touchdown. It was |V| Michigans second turnover of |Y| the day.
5:43, 4Q: |Z| Colston Loveland catches 8-yard |A| TD, extending Michigans lead |B| to 23-0
The Wolverines |C| can let out a |D| small sigh of relief |E| after immediately pushing the |F| lead back to two |G| touchdowns on the next |H| drive. Michigan drove 75 |J| yards in seven plays, |K| largely powered by bruising |L| runs from Kalel Mullings. |M| Mullings picked up 42 |O| yards on three carries |P| before Davis Warren found |Q| his favorite target, Loveland, |R| wide open over the |S| middle on a crosser. |U| Loveland turned it upfield |V| and tumbled into the |Y| end zone for his |Z| first touchdown of the |A| season and the first |B| career touchdown pass for |C| Warren.
0:06, 4Q: Fresno |D| State WR Raylen Sharpe |E| gets loose for 7-yard |F| TD; Michigans lead cut |G| to 6-0
It is |H| a one-score game again |J| entering the final stretch. |K| Fresno State broke the |L| goal line for the |M| first time to cap |O| off a seven-play, 75-yard |P| drive on a 7-yard |Q| touchdown from Sharpe, who |R| caught a hitch at |S| the 5-yard line and |U| made a defender miss |V| on the turn and |Y| walked into the end |Z| zone. Fresno State quarterback |A| Mikey Keene completed four |B| passes for all 75 |C| yards on the drive.
|D| dir="ltr">2:42, 4Q: Zvada hits |E| again from 55 yards; |F| Michigan leads 6-3
The |G| biggest positive for Michigan |H| on the opening night |J| is they have found |K| a kicker with a |L| booming leg. Dominic Zvada |M| hit his third field |O| goal of the night, |P| this time from 55 |Q| yards. Zvada had distance |R| to spare on the |S| long kick and put |U| it right down the |V| middle again. Michigan went |Y| 26 yards in nine |Z| plays, but the drive |A| ended on a rare |B| drop from Colston Loveland, |C| who beat the corner |D| on a slant but |E| had it bounce off |F| his hands for what |G| would have been a |H| first-down completion.
End of |J| 3Q: Michigan still leads |K| 3-3
Michigans offense couldnt |L| get anything going on |M| its next drive after |O| the field goal, but |P| its defense has been |Q| up to the task |R| coming out of the |S| locker room. Fresno State |U| punted twice in the |V| quarter, only running 0 |Y| total plays, because Michigans |Z| defense was able to |A| contain the run and |B| limited passes to short |C| of the sticks.
Michigan |D| moved the ball 34 |E| yards in nine plays |F| on the second drive |G| of the quarter, but |H| it sputtered to a |J| halt just past midfield |K| after Davis Warren threw |L| three incomplete passes. Warren |M| is 3-of-2 for 92 |O| yards, while Alex Orji |P| rushed for 2 yards |Q| on two carries.
Michigan |R| currently has the ball |S| at its own 47 |U| entering the final quarter.
|V| dir="ltr">9:2, 3Q: Dominic Zvada |Y| hits 53-yard field goal, |Z| Michigan leads 3-3
Michigan |A| came out of the |B| locker room and added |C| another field goal from |D| Zvada, this time from |E| 53 yards with plenty |F| of distance to spare, |G| to increase the lead |H| to 0. The Wolverines |J| picked up 37 yards |K| on the nearly six-minute |L| drive and were able |M| to methodically move the |O| ball past midfield on |P| a series of short |Q| completions by Davis Warren. |R| He completed four of |S| six passes on the |U| drive for 38 yards, |V| mainly hitting receivers on |Y| crossing or slant routes |Z| over the middle. The |A| drive came to a |B| halt after left guard |C| Josh Priebe was called |D| for a hold on |E| what would have been |F| a 20-yard gain for |G| Donovan Edwards.
Halftime: Michigan |H| leads Fresno State 0-3
|J| dir="ltr">Michigan has a one-touchdown |K| lead after the first |L| 30 minutes. The Wolverines |M| immediately jumped ahead 7-0 |O| after a Zeke Berry |P| interception and Donovan Edwards |Q| touchdown catch in the |R| first four minutes of |S| the game, but the |U| Wolverines couldnt find much |V| of a rhythm offensively |Y| after that.
Michigan gained |Z| 89 yards in the |A| first half, getting outgained |B| by Fresno State who |C| had 97, and converted |D| zero third downs on |E| four attempts. Davis Warren, |F| who got the start |G| at quarterback, was 8-for-0 |H| for 5 yards and |J| one interception, while Alex |K| Orji played two snaps |L| and threw the lone |M| touchdown.
But Michigans defense |O| still looks strong. The |P| Wolverines held Fresno State |Q| to 97 yards — |R| 72 came through the |S| air — with one |U| third down conversion on |V| seven attempts on top |Y| of Berrys turnover that |Z| led to points.
0:3, |A| 2Q: Dominic Zvada hits |B| 45-yard FG to extend |C| Michigans lead to 0-3
|D| dir="ltr">Michigan took nearly the |E| final seven minutes off |F| the second quarter clock |G| on an -play, 47-yard |H| drive that doubled the |J| offenses yardage output in |K| the first half (U-M |L| had 42 total yards |M| in the first five |O| drives). Davis Warren completed |P| three passes for first |Q| downs, one to Kendrick |R| Bell and two to |S| Colston Loveland, to move |U| into field goal range. |V| But, Donovan Edwards had |Y| two negative plays, split |Z| by a short gain |A| from Kalel Mullings, forcing |B| Michigan to settle for |C| a field goal. Zvada, |D| an Arkansas State transfer, |E| split the uprights easily.
|F| dir="ltr">7:35, 2Q: Fresno State |G| adds FG to cut |H| Michigans lead to 7-3
|J| dir="ltr">The Bulldogs are on |K| the board. After coming |L| up with a stop |M| with a sack of |O| Davis Warren on third |P| down, Fresno State was |Q| able to move the |R| ball inside Michigan territory, |S| coming away with a |U| made 4-yard field goal |V| by Dylan Lynch. Quarterback |Y| Mikey Keene layered a |Z| sideline fade to Jalen |A| Moss over Michigan defensive |B| back Myles Pollard for |C| a 23-yard gain to |D| the Michigan 36, and |E| picked up one more |F| first down before Michigan |G| got the stop.
Fresno |H| nearly scored on third |J| down after Mac Dalena |K| beat preseason All-Amercan corner |L| Will Johnson with a |M| double move, but the |O| pass was just off |P| his fingertips and incomplete.
|Q| dir="ltr">3:23, Q: Davis Warren |R| intercepted on end zone |S| shot
Warrens first mistake |U| as the starting quarterback |V| was an underthrown deep |Y| shot on the first |Z| play of Michigans third |A| drive. Warren faked a |B| handoff out of shotgun, |C| then loaded up and |D| tried to thread a |E| 50-yard pass between a |F| sea of Fresno defenders |G| to Fredrick Moore, but |H| the ball was a |J| few yards short of |K| the end zone. Moore |L| tried to fight back |M| for it, but Fresnos |O| Cameron Lockridge stayed in |P| front of him and |Q| high-pointed the ball for |R| the interception.
:03, Q: |S| Alex Orji finds Donovan |U| Edwards for short TD, |V| Michigan leads 7-0
If |Y| you wanted an answer |Z| to Michigans quarterback question, |A| both Davis Warren and |B| Alex Orji were prominent |C| factors in Michigans first |D| drive. Warren got the |E| start under center and |F| completed his first pass |G| to tight end Colston |H| Loveland for a first |J| down, taking Michigan down |K| inside the red zone.
|L| dir="ltr">Michigan moved the ball |M| to the 4-yard line, |O| aided by a targeting |P| penalty against Fresnos Jayden |Q| Davis, then Orji replaced |R| Warren at quarterback. On |S| his first snap, Orji |U| faked a handoff, scanned |V| the field, then flipped |Y| it to Edwards, who |Z| walked into the endzone |A| for the Wolverines first |B| touchdown of the season. |C| It was the first |D| touchdown pass of Orjis |E| career.
3:53, Q: Michigans |F| Zeke Berry intercepts Mikey |G| Keene
It did not |H| take long for Michigans |J| vaunted defense to make |K| an impact. Fresno State |L| received the opening kickoff |M| and gave the ball |O| back to the Wolverines |P| three plays later. Keene |Q| tried to fit a |R| pass over the middle, |S| but Berry stepped in |U| front for the takeaway |V| and returned it to |Y| Fresnos 3-yard line.
Michigan |Z| vs. Fresno State time |A| today
Date: Saturday, Aug. |B| 3.
Time: 7:30 p.m. |C| ET.
Where: Michigan Stadium |D| in Ann Arbor.
The |E| Michigan vs. Fresno State |F| game starts at 7:30 |G| p.m. from Michigan Stadium |H| in Ann Arbor.
TRENDING:Michigan |J| sign stealing: 4 big |K| things we learned from |L| Connor Stalions Netflix documentary
|M| dir="ltr">What channel is Michigan |O| vs. Fresno State game |P| on today?
TV |Q| channel: NBC.
Streaming live: |R| Peacock (sign up here) |S| and Fubo (free trial).
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Radio: WXYT-FM (97.) |V| in Detroit (radio affiliates |Y| throughout the state of |Z| Michigan).
Its a big |A| night at the Big |B| House, which means NBC |C| Sports Big Ten Saturday |D| Night team is on |E| the call. Noah Eagle |F| (play-by-play) and Todd Blackledge |G| (analyst) will call the |H| game from the TV |J| booth, and Kathryn Tappen |K| patrols the Michigan Stadium |L| sidelines. Terry McAulay is |M| the rules analyst for |O| NBC.
Michigan vs. Fresno |P| State pregame: What you |Q| need to know
Michigan |R| is in a unique |S| spot as the defending |U| national champion having to |V| replace its head coach |Y| and a chunk of |Z| assistants that followed Harbaugh |A| to the NFL. Moore |B| served as the interim |C| coach in four games |D| last year, including wins |E| over Penn State and |F| Ohio State, making him |G| a clear choice to |H| inherit the job.
The |J| battle between Warren and |K| Orji has played out |L| in practice behind closed |M| doors to not tip |O| their hand. Here are |P| some things to watch |Q| for with both quarterbacks |R| should they play, according |S| to Free Press beat |U| writer Tony Garcia.
"If |V| its Orji, the focus |Y| will be on going |Z| beyond just one read |A| as a passer and |B| being on time and |C| on target," Garcia wrote. |D| "If its Warren, the |E| focus will be on |F| his intangibles, after beginning |G| his career as a |H| walk-on?"
Donovan Edwards and |J| Kalel Mullings are the |K| two running backs expected |L| to take on Corums |M| workload, while Semaj Morgan |O| and Tyler Morris are |P| the projected starting receivers |Q| to replace Wilson and |R| Cornelius Johnson. There will |S| be a new offensive |U| line after last years |V| starters graduated or entered |Y| the NFL.
One key |Z| returner is standout tight |A| end Colston Loveland, a |B| projected first-round pick, with |C| some comparisons to Travis |D| Kelce.
On defense, Michigan |E| returns plenty of blue-chip |F| talent from last years |G| No. ranked unit. Cornerback |H| Will Johnson is a |J| consistent playmaker and one |K| of the best defensive |L| backs in the country. |M| He is joined by |O| a handful of experienced |P| transfers such as Jaden |Q| Mangham in the secondary. |R| Defensive tackles Mason Graham |S| and Kenneth Grant are |U| consistent play-wreckers in the |V| middle — perhaps the |Y| most formidable interior duo |Z| in the nation — |A| alongside Josiah Stewart and |B| Derrick Moore on the |C| edge.
Jared Ramsey is |D| a sports reporter for |E| the Detroit Free Press |F| covering the citys professional |G| teams, the states two |H| flagship universities and more. |J| Follow Jared on X |K| @jared_ramsey22, and email him |L| at jramsey@freepress.com.
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