Michigan got it’s second win of the 2024 season at home against Arkansas State in a 28-18 victory. The Wolverines still didn’t look like a defending national championship team, but they did end up getting the job done.

Michigan’s defense was almost reminiscent of last years squad, and looked dominant through three quarters. They ended up giving away two touchdowns to Arkansas State’s backup QB Timmy McClain with less than 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter during garbage time. Michigan’s run game looked phenomenal, but the passing game was nonexistent which led to changes at the QB position. Michigan’s top pass catcher Colston Loveland went out with a shoulder injury, and the Wolverines will need to monitor his status in the coming days.

There is plenty to review in the Week 3 victory, but here’s how some of Michigan’s offensive players graded out:

Davis Warren (F)

Starting QB Davis Warren had his worst game of the season through the air against the Red Wolves before eventually getting benched for backup QB Alex Orji late in the 3rd quarter. Warren threw three self-inflicted interceptions in only 14 attempts. Interestingly enough, he did move the offense downfield for three touchdowns, but they mostly included handing the ball to the running backs. Other than his three interceptions, he actually completed all 11 of his other passes. Overall he was a negative contributor to the Michigan offense and needed to be taken out of the game.

Alex Orji (B-)

Alex Orji ended up leading the offense after starting QB Davis Warren was taken out of the game following a third interception. Orji threw a touchdown to rookie TE Hogan Hansen on his first pass attempt on his first drive of the game. He also had a decent fourth quarter on the ground rushing three times for 27 yards totaling 9.0 ypc. He ended the game on two drives that included only one first down and a three-and-out on the last Michigan drive of the game which didn’t help his offensive output overall.

Donovan Edwards (A-)

Edwards took the backseat in the backfield this week putting up a solid performance against a shaky Arkansas State run defense. The senior and team captain ended the game with 17 rushes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also added one catch for 11 yards. It was a solid game for the veteran who broke out for multiple chunk plays, but his performance was overshadowed by backup running back Kalel Mullings.

Kalel Mullings (A+)

Kalel Mullings had the best single game individual performance of the year so far this season. Mullings proved himself as a very efficient running back option for the Michigan offense taking less carries than Edwards with only 15, but turning it into 153 total rushing yards. He averaged an outstanding 10.2 ypc cutting through the Red Wolves defense for huge plays. We will see how his role changes next week following this monster performance.

Tight Ends (B-)

Colston Loveland was again the favorite target for Davis Warren before going out of the game with a shoulder injury late in the 2nd quarter. He ended up coming back and catching the first ball of the 2nd half before once again going to the sideline for his shoulder, and eventually leaving the field altogether. Loveland only totaled three catches for 30 yards, while the leading pass catcher for the Wolverines offense was Junior TE Marlin Klein (three receptions for 43 yards). Rookie TE Hogan Hansen had his first career catch which was also his first touchdown as a Wolverine. Hogan had the only Michigan receiving touchdown on the day.

Receivers (D)

The receiver room struggled once again to develop a rhythm with the QBs, which seems to have become a weekly occurrence. Fredrick Moore led all wideouts with just 38 receiving yards receiving. The only other wideout to catch a pass was Semaj Morgan, who turned two catches into just three yards. The struggles in the receiver room could be the result of the lackluster QB play through three weeks, which will hopefully improve with the change from Warren to Orji.

Offensive Line (B+)

The Michigan offensive line looked the best it has all season in Saturday’s game. They led the RB room to 255 rushing yards on 35 total carries. With Kalel Mullings leading the way, the Wolverines o-line created huge holes in the Red Wolves run defense which led to big plays on the ground. The only blemish on their performance was the below average pass block performance which led to both Michigan QB’s being forced to throw either on the run or outside the pocket on many occasions.

The Wolverines will look to double-down on Saturday’s performance when No. 11 USC comes to the Big House in a heavyweight ranked matchup on CBS at 3:30 pm EST

Sherrone Moore updates Michigan’s quarterback status following Arkansas State win

The Good, The Bad: Michigan defeats Arkansas State

Takeaways: Michigan defeats Arkansas State but leaves much to be desired

Michigan State offensive line coach Jim Michalczik is one of the best recruiters on a staff of very good recruiters. He is beloved by recruits who commit. He is beloved by ones that don’t.

Three-star offensive lineman Darius Afalava, a 2025er who chose Oklahoma over the Spartans, was a big fan of Michalczik. 2025 commit Justin Bell, of Macomb Dakota, said this of Michalczik:

“[Michalczik] never lies about anything, he’s always truthful to you on what happened. And basically, he really wants to be as truthful as he can, and not sugarcoat anything. And he’s always been a great guy overall. He’s always checking in on people, making sure they’re okay. He’s a really great recruiter, too.”

For Bell in particular, Michalczik’s ability to develop NFL talent was eye-opening. Michaczik is a renowned developer and the architect behind 2024 NFL Draft first-rounder Taliese Fuaga, who many considered a can’t-miss prospect.

“He’s had a lot of people come in and put in the work, and with his drills, his teaching, and his play-calling, he’s had a lot of guys develop to be great football players to go to the NFL,” Bell had said. “And I really can see myself being able to get developed under him.”

Where does all this come in? Michalczik recently offered 2026 offensive lineman Claude Mpouma. Mpouma has a unique story — the 6-foot-8, 308-pound offensive tackle who is also a prolific basketball player.

Allen Trieu wrote that when Mpouma first arrived at Phillips Academy, the prospect thought it was just going to be a basketball experience. His head coach, Ivan Simmons, said that changed.

“He was always interested and it was on his mind to try it, but no one really pushed him to do it,” Simmons said. “He came in and we had a conversation to talk about some technical stuff, lifting, training, and starting to go to camps and getting noticed. He did one padded camp. His first time in pads was at Lindenwood and now we’re in pads and scrimmaged several times and he’s driving guys off the ball.”

Now Mpouma has eight offers, including those from Florida State, Miami, Minnesota, and Illinois. Simmons lauded Mpouma’s traits and tools. And there are a bunch of them.

“I think he’s naturally strong and gifted in pass protection because he moves so well,” Simmons said. “He’s played soccer and basketball, so his upside with his pass blocking is very high. We’ve tried him at defensive tackle and he gets off the ball and shows signs of aggression. UCLA and Notre Dame came in and Notre Dame liked him more on defense but everyone else coming in says offense and his pass protection is excellent.”

Michalczik certainly thinks so. Mpouma is a raw prospect, but he has two more years of prep football to develop. Even then, if he were to arrive in East Lansing, Michalczik would have a lot to work with.

Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

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A Jewish student at the University of Michigan (UoM) was assaulted in an alleged antisemitic incident on Sunday, according the UoM Hillel in a post on Facebook, the ADL and the University on Monday morning.

The student reported to the Ann Arbor police that a group of people had assaulted him after he had told them he was Jewish. 

The 19-year-old male student was allegedly thrown to the ground, kicked, and spat on, according to a WhatsApp broadcast on a local group.

The Ann Arbor Police Department (AAPD) said in a statement that they were actively investigating a “bias-motivated assault that occurred on 9/15/24 at approximately 12:45 a.m in Hill Street and S. Forest.”

“The 19-year-old male victim reported he was walking when a group of males behind him asked if he was Jewish. When the victim said yes, the group of males proceeded to assault him. The suspects fled on foot.”

The victim was mildly wounded and did not need to go to hospital, the statement continued. He reported the incident to the AAPD.

AAPD Police Chief Andre C. Anderson said he had spoken to the UoM police (UMPD) and that there “is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation” in the city. 

“Our department stands against antisemitism,” he stated.

Rabbi Davey Rosen, the director of UoM Hillel, said that, in addition to the AAPD and UMPD, “through Hillel’s partnership with Jewish Community Security Inc, we are in regular communication with state and federal law enforcement.”

He added that Police Chief Anderson had called him following the incident to assure him “that the AAPD stands against antisemitism and an investigation is underway.”

President of UoM Santa Ono said the “safety of our campus community is our highest priority” and said the university stands “firmly against antisemitism and all bias-motivated behavior.”

The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Jonathan Greenblatt, said he was “horrified to learn of an alleged antisemitic assault on a Jewish @UMich student” in an X/Twitter post.

ADL is horrified to learn of an alleged antisemitic assault on a Jewish @UMich student. We are grateful @A2Police are investigating this as a hate crime. @ADL will offer a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects. There is no place for… https://t.co/v1UJi0hVn2

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) September 16, 2024

“We are grateful @A2Police  are investigating this as a hate crime.”

Greenblatt added that ADL will give $5000 to anyone providing information that could lead to an arrest or conviction of the suspects.

“There is no place for antisemitism or bigotry on our streets or on our campuses,” he added.

Jewish students make up around 14% of the student body at Michigan, numbering around 6,500, of which 5,000 are undergrads and 1,500 are graduate students, according to the UoM Hillel’s website. 

Previous incidents, investigations at UoM

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has previously investigated UoM for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, finding Michigan failed to comply with Title VI in its handling of antisemitic incidents.

Of the 75 complaints of harassment investigated by the OCR, many of which include incidents of targeting Jewish students, few were handled by the university. 

OCR found “no evidence” that the university complied with Title VI requirements to investigate whether campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war created a “hostile environment” for students, faculty, and staff.

In one incident, the university rejected a Jewish student’s request for conflict resolution after the student said a graduate student instructor had harassed them on social media in October 2023. The university told the student that social media “is largely going to be protected as free speech,” according to the Office of Civil Rights report.