fredrick moore

Team Maize defeated Team Blue by a score of 17-7 at today's 2024 edition of the Michigan Football spring game. A game that was preceded by the championship ring ceremony and had numerous departed heroes strolling the sideline, the focus on the field was instead on a number of young players trying to make a name for themselves. As in past years, I'm not going to give a play-by-play recap for an exhibition game, but instead will give you a batch of instant reaction takes on what we witnessed: 

Offense

Alex Orji's potential... and areas for improvement. Orji quarterbacked the first drive for Team Blue, as well as the last, with  intermittent snaps in between. In that time we saw some good and some bad from Orji. He varied his touch on throws that showed a decent understanding of quarterbacking, but was mostly throwing checkdown passes. The final drive in particular saw the defense back off (Team Maize had a 10 point lead), ceding the underneath routes and Orji was efficient in connecting on those. But that's what you'd expect any QB at this level to be able to do, so I'm not putting much stock in that. 

However, there were more tantalizing moments. Orji delivered a pass to Max Bredeson with good zip and then sensed pressure before scrambling for a touchdown on the first drive. He also seemed to have another touchdown scramble on the last drive, but it was overturned on a questionable "sack" (the referees blew the play dead in rather dubious fashion). The athleticism and the ability to hit the easy stuff was on display but there were concerning moments. He put a ball behind Tyler Morris on the first drive and forced a laser into double coverage looking for Zack Marshall on the last drive. Orji also showed good pocket presence on a different snap a couple drives earlier, dancing in the pocket and eventually finding an open receiver on 3rd & 5... but he way overthrew his target. I'm not sure if the accuracy and reads are completely where they need to be, but Orji wasn't a total wreck and gave us enough reasons to believe he could plausibly be the QB in 2024. It didn't answer all the questions at the QB position, but there was enough on display to believe Orji could be a successful QB at some point in the future (whether that is in '24 or '25). 

Takes on the other QBs. Davis Warren was the starting QB for Team Maize and just like prior seasons, Warren looked pretty damn good. His arm talent is 100% there, which was most on display on a bomb to Kendrick Bell for a TD: 

🔔🔔🔔

📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/G1jgyJAwmO

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 20, 2024

There were several other strikes that Warren uncorked and he may well have been the most impressive QB today. However, it does feel a little difficult to take all of it seriously because Warren has looked terrific in spring games prior too, which hasn't necessarily translated to regulation games. 

Jayden Denegal was a bit of a disappointment in this one I felt. His drives for Team Maize had some moments, but ultimately left a lot to be desired. Yes he did hit a bomb to Fred Moore, but he also threw a wretched interception to DJ Waller (which was punched out and recovered as a fumble), threw a ball that was batted at the line, fumbled a snap that killed the two minute drill in the second quarter, and had a couple other iffy looking throws on the fourth drive. Based on the feel of this game, it would appear that Orji and Warren are the main two in-house contenders for the starting QB this fall. 

Jadyn Davis didn't play a ton, as expected. He threw a nice ball down the sideline for Peyton O'Leary that was PBU'd which showed off his arm talent, but he did appear to miss a wide open receiver on that very play. That was Davis' most notable moment during a short afternoon and based on today I would expect him to redshirt this fall (nothin' wrong with that). 

[AFTER THE JUMP: more takes]

The system for depth charting:

And if his name's in red they plan to redshirt him.

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Quarterback

Can your friends pull this out their little haaaat? [Bryan Fuller]

The question we're asking is: Would Orji be really mad if we look in the portal?

But they're acting like it's: How cool does Orji look in pads?

What are we hearing? Orji has some wow moments, and the next moment he'll throw another pick. Devin Gardner went to a practice then went on with Sam. Orji:

he looks like a GI Joe… like an action figure (with) a Michigan uniform on, and obviously a bigger version. This dude is built like a rock. When you say hey, what do I want the athlete to look like? That's exactly what it should look like. … The thing for Orji is he's got all the talent in the world, man. (But) you see some opportunities in practice where he missed some throws that… man… you want him to make that throw.

GI Joe like he's shooting blue lasers?

He has some things where his feet aren't always in the right place. His feet aren't as clean as you want them to be. Sometimes you lose accuracy, and you lose timing.

Then Semaj Morgan joined them.

I feel like every quarterback has their unique quality. Orji he just a freak athlete; anything you can think about in a football player he probably can do. Then we got Davis Warren like strong powerful arm, and he's really fast; he be running 22 miles per hour when we run Sprints. Then we got Jayden Denegal; he can throw the ball real accurate. And he big; he can run you over—he's gonna get that first down when we need it. Then we got Jaydyn Davis although very young he's very well-rounded. And I will tell you he's not scared to throw the ball, and that's that's something that I love about a quarterback. I don't care what the coverage is; I don't care who's on me; if you feel like the person in front of me's not better than me, throw me that ball! Jayden Davis understands that.

In the aftermath, Sam devoted a 3R Report($) that said they've been focusing on dropback passing with Orji, and also that Jayden Denegal's struggles didn't continue past the first four practices.

There was clear separation between Orji and him at that point, but not as much since then. He's closed the gap in recent practices with his improved accuracy and has shown better skills on the move than outside observers might expect at first glance.

Davis Warren has a cannon that can't hit the broad side of NCAA hypocrisy, and Jadyn Davis is not going to be put in a position to jeopardize his future, but his accuracy is excellent, especially on the run. From a practice insider, Orji is still in the driver's seat but there's going to be a major drop-off from McCarthy. Botched snaps, interceptions, and plays where the QB doesn't see anything and starts to panic are things that happen to teams that don't have JJ under center, in case you've forgotten, but they've been jarring to some of the used-to-JJ the people seeing them in practice.

Tuttle's still hurt, but Michigan is expected to poke around the portal, which opened this week, and wherein Chris Hummer thinks Michigan will have their pick of the litter. 247's Matt Zenitz adds that UCLA and Northwestern are the only schools currently desperate($) for a starter, but USC and Auburn might provide competition if an elite name enters. Henschke thinks Michigan will be in the market ($).

What it means? Michigan probably does want to add some competition from the portal, but going about it without triggering a tampering investigation or losing one of their own is tricky, and probably only worth the risk for a game-changer. Odds are just as good they stick with Orji and put Jadyn Davis, who could use a season to gain weight before facing Big Ten linemen, on the McCarthy plan.

Depth Chart? I'm still expecting them to redshirt Jadyn Davis unless he passes Denegal.

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[After THE JUMP: Let's talk about 4th tight end and 9th OL.]

10/7/2023 – Michigan 52, Minnesota 10 – 6-0, 3-0 Big Ten

A couple years ago I watched Michigan beat Ohio State for the first time since the paleolithic era and I couldn't really commit emotionally. I fundamentally could not let myself believe they would win. This feeling extended into the distance; even after it was clear they were going to win I did not feel the same kind of thing it appeared other people were feeling all around me.

The same thing happened last year. While I've made the argument that the postgame success rate/"it was just five plays" takes were bad, it is true that the nature of the game lent itself to believing OSU was far better down-to-down, at least through 30 minutes. Michigan was bleeding OSU down the field and relying on their short-yardage deficiencies to prevent points; Ohio State was maniacally determined to not let Hassan Haskins 2.0 happen to them. So you're watching this and it feels like Michigan is hanging on by a thread. Only in the aftermath do you realize that Ohio State decided to throw it to their tight end 30 yards downfield on fourth and two and played zero coverage on which two Michigan players could have scored easy touchdowns. Meanwhile OSU has the #2 pick in the NFL draft and Marvin Harrison Jr, etc., etc.

Michigan felt like an underdog.

Michigan is not an underdog anymore, to anyone, after comprehensive dismantlings of mid-tier Big Ten teams that featured Jack Tuttle snaps in the third quarter. It is deeply unfortunate that Georgia woke up after a sleepy start to the season and hamblasted Kentucky, because otherwise it would not appear that any team in the country is anywhere near Michigan. Other teams have bits and pieces: USC has Caleb Williams, Penn State has an elite defense, Ohio State still has Marvin Harrison Jr. But USC's defense can't do anything, Drew Allar has the lowest depth of target in the Power 5, and OSU just ran for 1.9 yards per carry against Maryland.

But, yeah, Georgia. And maybe Oklahoma. Michigan is a complete team but seems to lack a game-wrecker on def—

Let’s see how Mason Graham’s doing with that cumbersome club on his hand after missing the last 2 games.

Dear God. pic.twitter.com/kjU7fe4kz8

— Due# (@JDue51) October 8, 2023

Oh. Mason Graham is the #2 DT in the country to PFF, and he's a true sophomore, and he's wearing a club, and he's getting better every time we see him. You could say similar things about Derrick Moore, and maybe Josiah Stewart. On offense Michigan is settling into what looks like the long term answer on the OL. Hiccups in the secondary have another month to get smoothed over.

Michigan is this good, and it still feels like they've got another gear. If Corum gets back to where he was, if the arc read game comes back in important spots, if Derrick Moore continues to Ojabo, if Rod Moore gets all the way back, etc. These are usually the ifs you have when you're scuffling a bit. The ifs you have when you're undefeated but haven't played anyone and escaped a close one against a Nebraska or a Minnesota. It is almost literally impossible for a college football team to play better than Michigan… but Michigan can play better.

I have unlatched all the gates and pressed the button that says DO NOT PRESS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I glance over to Ohio State getting outplayed badly by Maryland until Maryland Marylands itself, and look at the teams across the nation and I think "Michigan can take these guys." It is possible that by the end of the season that everyone proclaims is wide open, it turns out it wasn't that wide open after all.

Just four more weeks of waiting before we start finding out for real.

AWARDS

Known Friends and Trusted Agents Of The Week

[Barron]

you're the man now, dog

#1 Mason Graham. Led the team in tackles as a DT. Had a thunderous, drive-stalling TFL and two sacks, one of which he was robbed of by a horrendous spot. Seems like breaking his hand has only made him more powerful. Ol' Murderglasgow is ascending to Mo Hurst tier.

#2 JJ McCarthy. A casual 10 YPA despite three drops, plus two rushing touchdowns where he juked tacklers, stiffarming one to the turf. Apparently did not get a sideline kiss, though, so there are areas for improvement.

#3 Will Johnson. Only did two things but the first thing was a tone-setting pick-six.

Honorable mention: Probably should throw in Kalel Mullings here for cumulative short-yardage success and a mansome blitz pickup. Keon Sabb also had a pick six. The Offensive Line kept McCarthy clean and led Michigan to 5.8 YPA. AJ Barner continues to mash face. Cornelius Johnson had a drop but also a circus catch on a deep ball, plus his blocking was improved. Josiah Stewart is getting after it.

KFaTAotW Standings.

(points: #1: 8, #2: 5, #3: 3, HMs one each. Ties result in somewhat arbitrary assignments.)

27: JJ McCarthy (#1 ECU, #1 UNLV, #2 Rutgers, HM Nebraska, #2 Minnesota)
22: Kris Jenkins (HM ECU, T2 UNLV, #1 BGSU, HM Rutgers, #1 Nebraska)
13: Mason Graham (HM ECU, T2 UNLV, #1 Minn)
11: Mike Sainristil (T3 ECU, HM BGSU, #1 Rutgers)
9: Roman Wilson (T2 ECU, HM UNLV, HM BGSU, #3 Nebraska), Blake Corum (HM ECU, HM UNLV, #2 BGSU, HM Rutgers, HM Neb)
7: Braiden McGregor(T3 UNLV, #2 Nebraska), Cornelius Johnson (T2 ECU, HM UNLV, HM BGSU, HM Minn)
6: Kenneth Grant (T3 ECU, T2 UNLV),
5: Junior Colson (#3 BGSU, T3 Rutgers)
4: Ernest Hausmann (T3 ECU, T3 Rutgers)
3: Mike Barrett (HM UNLV, T3 Rutgers), Will Johnson(#3 Minn), AJ Barner (HM BGSU, HM Neb, HM Minn)
2:  Josh Wallace (T3 ECU), Derrick Moore (T3 UNLV), Jaylen Harrell (HM UNLV, HM BGSU), Max Bredeson (HM Rutgers, HM Neb)
1: Tommy Doman (HM ECU), Donovan Edwards (HM ECU), Tyler Morris (HM UNLV), Semaj Morgan (HM Rutgers), Colston Loveland (HM Rutgers), Quinten Johnson (HM Rutgers), Derrick Moore (HM Neb), Kalel Mullings (HM Minn), The Offensive Line (HM Minn), Keon Sabb (HM Minn), Josiah Stewart (HM Minn)

Who's Got It Better Than Us(?) Of The Week

Will Johnson picks off the second snap from scrimmage, more or less ending the game 12 seconds in.

Honorable mention: Pin and pull goes for 40, hooray explosives; Johnson hauls in a deep ball, hooray explosives. Sabb pick six. Mason Graham death squirrel sack. Leon Franklin gets his touchdown.

MARCUS HALL EPIC DOUBLE BIRD OF THE WEEK.

PJ Fleck's insane clock management at the end of the first half is rewarded with a longshot touchdown.

Honorable mention: Johnson drops a third down conversion so Michigan has to settle for a field goal. Minnesota outside zone does some work on the first two drives.