Junior quarterback Alex Orji was certainly treated as the heir apparent to J.J. McCarthy, as he took the lion’s share of the snaps for the Blue team. He led an early touchdown drive and almost added another in the fourth quarter, but his second touchdown rush was whistled dead.
Highly touted freshman Jadyn Davis didn’t see a ton of field but made a couple of nice-looking throws; based on his usage rate, head coach Sherrone Moore is likely planning on saving him for a bit later.
Fellow junior Jayden Denegal saw some reps for the Maize team, but his performance was incredibly disappointing. He had an ugly interception and another errant pass that hit a defender in the chest, but he was dropped.
Lastly, there’s Davis Warren, who, as we discussed before the game, starred in the 2022 spring game and had another nice day, tossing a pair of long touchdowns, including one on a nice deep ball into the end zone. Orji will likely own the starting job on opening day, but Warren proved he belongs in the mix.
Defense is still king
There were some flurries of offense after the score was 7-3 late in the game, but the defense should be the team’s driving force in Moore’s first season at the helm.
Junior defensive back Zeke Berry impressed and could be a major factor this year as Michigan looks to replace some major losses in that position group.
Additionally, Cole Sullivan looked strong in his role as an off-ball linebacker and could be in line for a breakout as he looks to replace some big names who have moved on.
Growing pains across the offensive line
As the defense surged, the offensive line absolutely struggled. All five starters from last year have graduated, so there’s a long way to go before this unit plays at the level we’ll need to see for Michigan to compete in a supercharged Big Ten.
Run-first offense in Ann Arbor
Senior running back Donovan Edwards had a solid showing in his first appearance as the team’s full-time starting running back after the departure of Blake Corum. Similarly, grad student Kalel Mullings looks fully prepared to fill the role of change-of-pace back.
Perhaps more interestingly, senior Tavierre Dunlap finally looks ready to have his breakthrough as a contributor; he’s not supplanting Edwards or even Mullings but could have a nice year as the team’s third back.