Coaches across the country were not very impressed by Michigan American Football during the first week of the season, as the defending national champions fell in the first poll of the regular season.
The Wolverines now find themselves at #9 in US LMB Coaches Poll after their season-opening 30-10 win over Fresno State, one spot behind where they opened the season at No. 8. The team that now occupies that spot is Big Ten foe Penn State, which traveled to Morgantown and beat West Virginia by 22 points.
Meanwhile, in the AP PollThe Wolverines fell one spot, from No. 9 to No. 10, after their up-and-down performance against Fresno State.
As for Michigan, the opening game was up and down. There were some exciting moments. Colston Loveland appeared to be the best tight end in the country He had eight receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, running back Kalel Mullings looked a lot like Hassan Haskins from the 2021 season, as he ran through, over and around the Fresno State defense and finished with 15 carries for 92 yards.
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The defense also showed up well. UM gave up just 10 points to a team that averaged over 30. Zeke Berry opened the game with an interception that set up the offense at the Fresno State 31-yard line — they would score five plays later — while All-American Will Johnson called it a “game” when he read a screen pass, intercepted it and returned it 86 yards the other way to the house.
Between those two turnovers, the defensive line wreaked havoc and it wasn’t the two superstars, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, who did all the work. Josaiah Stewart finished with five tackles, three for loss and two sacks while Rayshaun Benny recorded five tackles, two for loss and a sack as Wink Martindale’s defense showed off its depth.
Then there was special teams, where new kicker Dominic Zvada earned league recognition for his performance. A transfer from Arkansas State, Zvada made all three of his field goal attempts in the game, from 44, 53 and 55 yards, as well as both of his point-after attempts.
Of course, the performance was far from perfect. The offense struggled early and had just 89 yards at halftime. Quarterback Davis Warren completed 15 of 25 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown, but also had an interception on a deep ball underthrown to Fred Moore with three defenders in the zone.
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He also had a hard time finding anyone who wasn’t Loveland: Every other wide receiver had eight catches and 34 yards.
Senior running back Donovan Edwards also struggled to get going behind an offensive line that was starting together for the first time. Despite scoring the first touchdown of the season, Edwards touched the ball 13 times and had a disappointing 27 yards of offense. His longest play of the day was seven yards and he didn’t force a missed tackle all night, according to Pro Football Focus.
Naturally, the Wolverines will need to be much sharper in Week 2, when they host No. 3 Texas, which was one of three teams in the country to receive first-place votes behind No. 1 Georgia (51) and No. 2 Ohio State (3).
The Longhorns, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, beat Colorado State 52-0 on Saturday. Seven Big Ten teams are ranked, including four in the top 10.
US LBM Coaches Poll, Week 2
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Georgia (51)
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Ohio State (3)
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Texas
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Alabama
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Ole Miss
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Oregon
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Our Lady
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Pennsylvania State University
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Michigan
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Missouri
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Utah
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Tennessee
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Oklahoma
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University of Southern California
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Miami (Florida)
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State of Kansas
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Oklahoma State
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Arizona
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Louisiana State University
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Kansas
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Iowa
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Clemson
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State of North Carolina
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Louisville
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Washington
This article was originally published on the Detroit Free Press: How Does Michigan Football Rank? Latest MLB Coaches Poll Results in the US
