Michigan begins defense of national title with 30-10 win over Fresno State

College Football

Updated Sep. 1, 2024 12:37 a.m. ET

Sherrone Moore pumped his fist and screamed in the end zone, firing up fans in the Big House before his first game as Jim Harbaugh’s full-time replacement.

The defending national champions were sluggish on offense for much of Moore’s debut before making plays on both sides of the ball to turn a closely contested game into a lopsided win.

Davis Warren and Alex Orji each threw a touchdown pass, Will Johnson returned an interception for a score and No. 9 Michigan beat Fresno State 30-10 on Saturday night.

The Wolverines (1-0) were breaking in new quarterbacks behind a revamped offensive line and Moore, whose enthusiasm was on full display before the game began.

“That’s just who I am,” he said. “Wear my emotions on my sleeve.

“I was excited, so I expressed it, but I was so excited to watch our boys play.”

The Bulldogs (0-1) came to play, trailing by just four points deep into the second quarter and 16-10 midway through the fourth before Michigan pulled away.

Warren, who beat out Orji to start at quarterback, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland to give Michigan a 23-10 lead with 5:43 left.

Johnson picked off a pass on the ensuing possession and returned it 86 yards.

The game opened with Orji throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Edwards, but the rest of the night didn’t go very smoothly for Moore’s team until late in the game.

Warren was 15-of-25 for 118 yards with a touchdown and an interception, a solid showing from a former walk-on who overcame leukemia in high school,

“Definitely was able to reflect on the people who helped me get here and my family and those people who supported me,” he said.

Orji was 1-of-2 with a 3-yard touchdown pass and ran five times for 32 yards.

Loveland, a preseason All-America tight end, had a career-high eight catches and fell a yard short of another career high with 87 yards receiving.

Kalel Mullings had 92 yards rushing on 15 carries for the Wolverines.

Mikey Keene completed 22 of 36 passes for 238 yards with a 19-yard touchdown pas tos Raylen Sharpe in the fourth quarter that pulled the Bulldogs within six points.

Fresno State hosts Sacramento State, coming off a 42-24 loss to San Jose State, on Saturday at home. Meanwhile, Michigan takes on No. 4 Texas in a massive non-conference showdown Saturday on FOX (12 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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