The coaches across the country weren’t overly impressed with Michigan football in the opening week of the season as the defending national champions have fallen in the first poll of the regular season.
The Wolverines now find themselves at No. 9 in the US LMB Coaches Poll after their season-opening 30-10 victory 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, who went on the road to Morgantown and topped West Virginia by 22 points.
Meanwhile, in the AP Poll, the Wolverines dropped one spot from No. 9 to No. 10 after the off-and-on performance against Fresno State.
As for Michigan, it was an up-and-down showing in the opener. There were moments to be excited about. Colston Loveland looked every bit the top tight end in the nation as he hauled in eight catches 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 looked the part. U-M allowed just 10 points to a team that averaged better than 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 “game” when he read a screen pass, intercepted it and took it back 86 yards the other way to the house.
In between those two turnovers, the defensive line wreaked havoc and it wasn’t the two superstars, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, doing 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 flexed its depth.
Then, there was special teams, where new kicker Dominic Zvada earned league honors for his performance. An Arkansas State transfer, 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 mightily early and had just 89 yards at the half. Quarterback Davis Warren completed 15 of 25 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown but also had an interception on an under-thrown deep ball to Fred Moore when there were three defenders in the area.
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He also struggled finding anyone who was not Loveland: all other pass catchers combined for eight grabs and 34 yards.
Lead running back Donovan Edwards also struggled to get going behind an offensive line that was starting together for the first time. Though he did have the season’s opening touchdown, Edwards had 13 touches and managed an underwhelming 27 total yards of offense. His longest play of the day was seven yards and he did not 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 welcome No. 3 Texas to town, which was one of just three teams in the nation to receive first place votes after No. 1 Georgia (51) and No. 2 Ohio State (3).
The Longhorns, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, defeated Colorado State 52-0 on Saturday. In total, seven Big Ten teams are ranked, four of which find themselves 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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Notre Dame
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Penn State
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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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USC
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Miami (FL)
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Kansas State
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Oklahoma State
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Arizona
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LSU
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Kansas
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Iowa
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Clemson
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North Carolina State
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Louisville
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Washington
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What is Michigan football ranked? Latest results in US LMB Coaches Poll
