ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In the eighth game of the season, Michigan finally found a quarterback who could stop the downward spiral. And it was the one the Wolverines started with.
Davis Warren, starting for the first time since he was benched in Week 3, provided solid quarterback play, and Michigan (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) came up with a fourth-down stop to hold on for a 24-17 victory against Michigan State (4-4, 2-3) Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Michigan and Michigan State have a history of confrontations, and there was a brief shoving match after the final play that brought players from both teams together at midfield. The teams were quickly separated and went to the locker rooms without further incident. Here are three instant takeaways.
A fight breaks out after Michigan takes the knee to seal the win vs Michigan State 😳 pic.twitter.com/xHedEDaBLB
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 27, 2024
Warren’s return was what Michigan needed
Last we saw of Warren, he was on the bench after throwing three interceptions against Arkansas State. Alex Orji started the next three games but was benched for Jack Tuttle, who started in last week’s loss at Illinois.
Michigan went back to square one this week and opened the quarterback competition. Tuttle was out with an injury, which opened the door for Warren to reclaim the starting job. He played the cleanest game of any Michigan quarterback so far this season, completing 13 of 19 passes for 123 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers.
The offense started slowly with punts on its first three drives, but Michigan picked up the tempo in the second quarter and started moving the ball. Warren made some nice throws on the run, kept the offense on schedule and avoided drive-killing mistakes. He also had some help, as Orji ran for 64 yards and Donovan Edwards threw a touchdown pass to Colston Loveland.
“Lil bro stay doing lil bro things.” 👀😅
Colston Loveland chimes in on the exchange after the final whistle between Michigan and Michigan State ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nUbXJIqCHT
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 27, 2024
End-of-half mistake hurt Michigan State
Michigan State dominated the first quarter, outgaining Michigan 135 yards to 15. But the Spartans missed a chip-shot field goal on their first drive and led 7-0 as halftime approached.
Michigan got the ball with less than three minutes on the clock and drove 64 yards in 10 plays, capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Warren to Loveland. After Michigan botched the hold on the extra point, all Michigan State had to do was burn off the final 29 seconds of the half to take a lead into the locker room.
Instead, the Spartans picked up a first down on the ground and decided to get greedy. They called a pass for quarterback Aidan Chiles, who rolled to his right and didn’t hear Josaiah Stewart coming. Stewart stripped the ball and Kenneth Grant recovered it, setting up a 37-yard field goal from Dominic Zvada that gave Michigan a 9-7 lead at half.
Michigan hasn’t quit on the season
This was the fear after Michigan, a team that’s accustomed to playing for Big Ten championships and College Football Playoff appearances, lost at Illinois to fall to 4-3. The fear was magnified when Michigan came out flat in a first quarter thoroughly dominated by Michigan State.
Michigan showed some resolve by coming back and keeping the Paul Bunyan Trophy in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines had some gut-check moments, including a final drive for Michigan State that ended with an incompletion in the end zone on fourth-and-5. These were two middle-of-the-pack teams (at best) playing for little more than bragging rights, but Michigan still had to work for this win.
Beating the Spartans means Michigan can qualify for a bowl game by winning one of its final four games, and it means the Wolverines won’t have a loss to Michigan State on the list of disappointments from this season. That counts for something.
(Photo of Michigan quarterback Davis Warren and Michigan State’s Khris Bogle: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
