Davis Warren and Alex Orji each completed the first touchdown passes of their careers as defending champion Michigan opened its season with a 30-10 victory over visiting Fresno State in Ann Arbor on Saturday night.
Warren, the starter, completed 15 of 25 attempts for 118 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the No. 9 Wolverines, who led 16-10 deep into the fourth quarter before pulling away. Orji finished 1-of-2 for 3 yards and ran for 32 yards on five attempts.
Kalel Mullings rushed for 92 yards on 15 carries, while Colston Loveland caught eight passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Will Johnson had an 86-yard interception return for a touchdown for Michigan to close the scoring with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter.
Sherrone Moore collected his first official victory as a head coach. Moore served as acting head coach in four games last season while Jim Harbaugh, now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, served suspensions.
Mikey Keene completed 22 of 36 passes for 238 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Bulldogs.
Keene’s second pass attempt of the game was picked off by Zeke Berry and returned to the Fresno State 31. The Wolverines cashed in five plays later on Orji’s 3-yard pass to Donovan Edwards.
Michigan managed just one first down on its next four possessions after the touchdown.
The Bulldogs got on the board with 7:35 remaining in the half on Dylan Lynch’s 41-yard field goal.
The Wolverines ran off 11 plays on their final possession of the half but had to settle for Dominic Zvada’s 45-yard field goal with 31 seconds left, which put Michigan up 10-3 at the break.
Zvada kicked a 53-yard field goal to finish off the Wolverines’ first drive of the second half and extend the lead to 10 points. He blasted a 55-yarder through the uprights with 12:42 remaining to give Michigan a 16-3 advantage.
Fresno State closed within 16-10 with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that Keene capped with a 19-yard pass to Raylen Sharpe with 10:06 left. Keene completed four passes of 15 yards or more on the possession.
The Wolverines responded with their own 75-yard drive to stretch the lead to 23-10. Mullings gained 42 yards on the ground, setting up Warren’s 18-yard scoring pass to Loveland with 5:43 remaining before Johnson’s clinching pick-six.
–Field Level Media
