Michigan game vs. Fresno State: 3 keys to watch as Sherrone Moore era begins

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).

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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.

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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.

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