Michigan
Michigan game vs. Fresno State: 3 keys to watch as Sherrone Moore era begins
![Michigan game vs. Fresno State: 3 keys to watch as Sherrone Moore era begins Michigan game vs. Fresno State: 3 keys to watch as Sherrone Moore era begins](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/09/24/PDTF/1acbce70-1e0b-45c5-b818-be55de43d055-09242022_umfbpregame-1.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2399,1350,x0,y122&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Michigan football schedule for 2024 season
A look at the defending Big Ten and national champion Michigan Wolverines schedule for the 2024 football season.
Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia looks ahead to Michigan football’s 2024 season opener against Fresno State on Saturday at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Next up for the Wolverines: Fresno State Bulldogs
Matchup: No. 8 Michigan (15-0, national champions, in 2023) vs. Fresno State (9-4 in 2023).
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.
TV/radio: NBC, WXYT-FM (97.1)
Line: Wolverines by 21½.
Know the foe
For the second time in five years, Tim Skipper takes over for Jeff Tedford at the helm of the Bulldogs. Only this time, it’s permanent, with Tedford stepping aside for health resons. Fresno State last year was ranked during the season, and eyes another winning season in a deep Mountain West.
Quarterback Mikey Keene threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions a season ago, connecting with top targets Jalen Moss (55 catches for 706 yards and six touchdowns), Mac Dalena (47 catches for 509 yards and three touchdowns) and Josiah Freeman (19 catches for 249 yards and one touchdown). In case that wasn’t enough movement through the air, Fresno State added a pair of 1,000-yard receivers from the FCS level in Idaho’s Chedon James (102 catches for 1,045 yards and eight touchdowns) and Missouri State All-American Raylen Sharpe (73 catches for 991 yards and seven touchdowns).
The Bulldogs should be able to run, too, as they return lead RB Malik Sherrod (876 yards, nine TDs) and backup Elijah Gilliam (397 yards, five TDs).
The Bulldogs are weaker on defense, but leading edge Devo Bridges returns, complemented by former top-five recruit Korey Foreman (class of 2023), who transferred in this offseason from USC. Linebacker Malachi Langley recorded a career-high 80 tackles last year, and defensive backs Cam Lockridge and Al’zillion Hamilton will need to pick up the slack with Carlton Johnson now in the NFL (Seahawks).
GIFTS FROM THE FOOTBALL GODS: How Michigan become home to best DT duo in the sport
3 things to watch
Waiting on a quarterback: It will remain the No. 1 question surrounding the team until the Wolverines answer it, but the understanding is the job remains up for grabs between Alex Orji and Davis Warren. This is not 2023, when U-M had a weak nonconference schedule and a backloaded league slate. New coach Sherrone Moore’s team faces three 2023 bowl teams in the first four games, (including CFP semifinalist Texas). Time is of the essence.
Orji is 6 feet 3 and 235 pounds and ranked No. 13 The Athletic’s “freaks list,” but an area of concern is his ability to consistently operate the intermediate-to-deep pass game. Warren looked the best in public during April’s spring game, and has apparently been equally proficient during camp. He’s more mobile than he gets credit for, but his ceiling is lower than Orji’s, and he has previously only entered late in blowouts. If Warren wins the job, there will certainly be packages for Orji to get involved.
Sherrone’s style: There was no question about who Michigan’s next coach would be once Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL. We saw how Moore operated in four instances where he filled in for a suspended Harbaugh — notably at Penn State in November, with 32 consecutive runs to close out a top-10 road win, and another epic victory at home against Ohio State — and saw a man ready for the job. Now’s the time when it’s all put to the test. What does a Moore team look like? How much autonomy does he give to coordinators Kirk Campbell (offense) and Wink Martindale (defense)? How aggressive is Moore on offense, and how will he get players to overcome the target as defending champions? This will be the first glimpse at what the attitude of a Moore-led team looks like.
ROAD TO GLORY: Making the case for and against Michigan returning to College Football Playoff
Retool vs. rebuild: In this new era of roster turnover, it’s Michigan’s turn to put its “next man up” mantra to the test. That leads to perhaps the overarching question: Is the next era of Wolverines ready? The entire title-winning offensive line has been replaced. Gio El-Hadi, Greg Crippen and Andrew Gentry have waited for years, and now we’ll see if they’re up to the task. At receiver, U-M replaces both starters. Tyler Morris has been said to be “the alpha” — he has one career touchdown — and Semaj Morgan was electric in spurts last year. The one lock on offense is tight end Colston Loveland.
The defense figures to be among the nation’s best, but replaces staff at every level and saw multiple starters move to the NFL. Can the players grasp Martindale’s twist on the Ravens-style scheme implemented under Mike Macdonald (2021) and Jesse Minter (2022-23)? Is Zeke Berry capable of replacing All-American Mike Sainristil at nickel back? The linebacking corps lost nine years of experience between Junior Colson and Michael Barrett and is now led by understudy Ernest Hausmann and Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barham. The best news: The unit’s three best players return: preseason All-Americans DTs Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and CB Will Johnson.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
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Michigan
Michigan receives notice of allegations from NCAA over Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal
![Michigan receives notice of allegations from NCAA over Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal Michigan receives notice of allegations from NCAA over Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/newspress-collage-6wuqu7e80-1724624226614.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1724610014&w=1024)
Michigan is officially on notice.
The NCAA sent a notice of allegations to Michigan in relation to their investigation into the alleged sign-stealing operation of former analyst Connor Stalions, CBS Sports reported.
“The NCAA can confirm that a Notice of Allegations has been distributed to the school and involved parties in the Michigan investigation,” the NCAA said in a statement to the outlet. “To protect the integrity of the infractions process as the case progresses forward, the NCAA will not provide any further comment on the specifics included.”
According to the college sports governing body’s policy, Michigan now has 90 days to respond to the notice and after the response is received, a meeting can be set up for the Wolverines program to plead its case to the Committee on Infractions.
Michigan was at the center of a massive scandal last season before they won the national championship.
Stalions is alleged to have been the ring leader of an intricate scheme to steal the signs of opposing teams, which included buying tickets for more than 30 games and using “illegal technology” to capture rivals’ signals.
A draft version of the Notice of Allegations made its way to the public three weeks ago and there was reportedly one difference in the official notice than the draft that was leaked.
Former staffers Jesse Minter and Denard Robinson are said to be opting to work with the NCAA on a negotiated resolution, NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach reported.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore could be facing a suspension over the allegations that he deleted text messages between himself and Stalions.
Moore’s circumstances are a bit different since he could be seen as a repeat offender due to another investigation into illegal recruiting practices during the COVID dead period.
Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has since left to coach the Los Angeles Chargers, was suspended by the BIG 10 for three games.
Michigan
NCAA issues Notice of Allegations to Michigan over sign-stealing probe
![NCAA issues Notice of Allegations to Michigan over sign-stealing probe NCAA issues Notice of Allegations to Michigan over sign-stealing probe](https://www.mlive.com/resizer/v2/CL6XRC4ESVEYFJPZVBD4ZAG2BE.jpg?auth=8dbe658a0fea61885a81dc9730f350f4fa790e8e48954b27e69a4e7b49a6925b&width=1280&quality=90)
FILE – Signage is on the headquarters of the NCAA in Indianapolis, March 12, 2020. The NCAA and the nation’s five biggest conferences have agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims,a monumental decision that sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start directing millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)AP
Michigan
Can Harris win back Michigan’s crucial Muslim vote?
![Can Harris win back Michigan’s crucial Muslim vote? Can Harris win back Michigan’s crucial Muslim vote?](https://globalnation.inquirer.net/files/2024/08/Can-Harris-win-back-Michigans-crucial-Muslim-vote-scaled.jpg)
US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris as she steps off Air Force Two upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on August 23, 2024. Agence France-Presse
DEARBORN, United States — In key US swing state Michigan, Democratic voters of Arab and Middle Eastern heritage say Kamala Harris is going to have to win them back, after they were alienated by President Joe Biden’s handling of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
The town of Dearborn, home to 110,000 people and a cultural hub for Arab Americans, could play a decisive role in deciding the fate of the battleground state in November’s presidential election.
Members of the community interviewed by AFP said they were willing to hear what the vice president had to say and weigh their options — a marked change from the outright hostility towards Biden.
READ: Kamala Harris moves to boost support while Arab American leaders listen
“We are in listening mode right now,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News.
Accepting the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s convention on Thursday, Harris pledged to get a Gaza ceasefire “done” and ensure Palestinians realize their right to “dignity, security, freedom and self- determination.”
But there was outrage among pro-Palestinian delegates that their request for a speaker spot at the convention was rejected. The group Muslim Women for Harris-Walz said the decision sent a “terrible message” and announced it was disbanding and withdrawing its support from the campaign.
READ: Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate
Harris, who has vowed “not to be silent” about the suffering of Palestinians, recently met with members of the national “Uncommitted” movement that led the charge against Biden during the Democratic primary process.
Although she made no firm promises, leaders said she impressed them with a show of empathy.
At the forefront of concerns are Israel’s 10 months of military operations in Gaza, which have devastated the Palestinian enclave since the war began in response to Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
– Growing influence –
Michigan, home to the “big three” automakers — Ford, General Motors and Chrysler — has long been an essential stop for White House aspirants.
Economic downturns in the 1970s led many to leave the so-called “Rust Belt” state, just as unrest in the Middle East brought new waves of Lebanese, Iraqi, Yemeni, and Palestinian immigrants.
“We’re a global city, where nearly 55 percent of our residents are of Arab background,” said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud in a recent interview. “For many of us, when you talk about what’s happening in Gaza, these are our family and our friends.”
Famous as the birthplace of Henry Ford, Dearborn appears at first glance just like any small US city, with its wide thoroughfares and strip malls.
But it is also home to the Islamic Center of America — the largest mosque in the country — and countless Middle Eastern supermarkets, eateries, and coffee shops.
When Siblani first started his newspaper in the mid-1980s, he remembers the then-mayor campaigned on a platform to address the “Arab problem.”
But as the community’s numbers grew, and the children of blue-collar factory workers took up positions as lawyers, doctors, and businesspeople, so too did their political influence.
‘Lesser of two evils’
Historically socially conservative, Arab and Muslim Americans heavily favored George W. Bush in the 2000 election.
Years of the US “War on Terror” — which saw wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and Muslim American communities put under stricter law enforcement scrutiny — swung them firmly to the Democratic camp.
In 2018, southeast Michiganders elected Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American in Congress — a milestone for the community.
Three Arab-American mayors have also recently been elected in suburbs known for historic racism towards non-whites.
Angered by former president Donald Trump’s travel ban on Muslim countries, support for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and more, Dearborn voters overwhelmingly backed Biden in 2020, helping secure Michigan for the Democrats by a slim margin.
Residents here are tired, however, of being asked to vote for the “lesser of two evils” and instead want candidates who will deliver on demands, such as a permanent ceasefire and an end to the supply of weapons to Israel.
“I think VP Harris has a window of opportunity,” said Faye Nemer, a community activist and CEO of the MENA American Chamber of Commerce. “She can either continue President Biden’s legacy or set her own agenda.”
Arab Americans in Dearborn have been impressed by Harris’s pick of Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz has taken a conciliatory approach to opponents of the war, unlike Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who took a hard line against college protesters.
But demands are hardening.
“We don’t want crumbs anymore,” declared Soujoud Hamade, a business lawyer and long-time Democrat, who vowed to vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein if Harris did not deliver on the campaign trail.
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