The first meeting of the top 10 teams of the season was not close.
No. 3 Texas dominated the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines 31-12 to win, cementing Texas’ status as a national title contender for the second consecutive year and casting serious doubt on Michigan’s ability to reach the expanded College Football Playoff, let alone the possibility of defending the national title.
Texas decided the game in the first half as Michigan’s offense could barely do anything right and the defense couldn’t get off the field on third downs. Texas made 8 of 10 third downs in the first two quarters and both of its failed conversions happened in Michigan territory and resulted in field goal attempts.
It wasn’t hard to find a play in the first half that aptly summed up Michigan’s day. Tight end Colston Loveland — one of the few returning key players on offense from last year’s title team — caught a ball late in the first half and forced his own fumble when his leg appeared to rip the ball from his left hand.
Texas recovered and took a 17-point lead with 10 seconds left before halftime when Quinn Ewers hit Matthew Golden for a 5-yard touchdown.
Michigan needs to get its offense in order
It’s clear from the first two games of the season that Michigan’s defense has been unable to cover the offense all season. The Wolverines were sluggish in Week 1 against Fresno State before pulling away with the help of a pick-six at the end. Any thought that the offensive woes were due to a boring game plan against a weaker opponent was thrown out the window against the Longhorns. Gaining yards was a struggle.
Quarterback Davis Warren started again for Michigan after being traded over Alex Orji in the offseason. Warren has been limited as a passer so far. On Saturday, he completed 22 of 33 passes for 204 yards. Many of those yards came in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.
Last year’s Michigan team was very run-oriented, but also boasted JJ McCarthy, a first-round pick, at quarterback. With McCarthy and players like Loveland and Roman Wilson as pass catchers, Michigan could play a role in the passing game when needed. This season’s team doesn’t seem to have that ability.
That was a problem because Texas shut down Michigan’s running game. It was obvious that Michigan and coach Sherrone Moore didn’t trust the passing game on a third down with six minutes left in the third quarter. Orji came in for Warren with five yards left for a first down.
As expected, Orji was in the play to run the ball. He was stopped after keeping the ball on a read option and the Wolverines had to settle for a long field goal.
Overall, the Wolverines only managed 284 yards and lost the ball three times.
Is Texas better than 2023?
Last season’s Big 12 champions were the best Texas team in years. Ewers emerged as a star and wide receivers Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell were drafted in the early rounds along with RB Jonathon Brooks. The defense featured star linemen Byron Murphy (16th overall) and Outland Trophy winner and second-round pick T’Vondre Sweat.
It’s not unreasonable to think this Texas team is even better than it was a year ago. Coach Steve Sarkisian has re-bolstered the wide receiver position by bringing in five-star freshman Ryan Wingo through the transfer portal, and the defensive line has added star pass rusher Trey Moore (14 sacks in 2023) from UTSA.
Wingo’s first touch of the game was a 55-yard run that set up Jaydon Blue’s game-winning touchdown.
Saturday’s performance was exactly why Texas entered the SEC as the No. 2 favorite to win the conference ahead of teams like Alabama and Ole Miss. If the Longhorns keep playing like this, it might not be long before we see Texas back at No. 1.
