Now, our watch begins. The ever-exciting college football offseason has already started in earnest for all but two teams – two teams which shall remain nameless for our purposes. What better time for a retrospective on the Wolverines’ surprising, frustrating, and ultimately successful 2024 season? Let’s look back on one defining play from each of the team’s thirteen games. Keep in mind that these are defining plays, not necessarily best plays. With that qualifier noted, let’s review.
The Defining Plays of Michigan’s 2024 Season: Part One
Game 1: Alex Orji Turfs A Pass Against Fresno State
It was a fairly innocuous 2nd-and-7 play, part of a fourth-quarter field goal drive. Alex Orji rolled out to his right. Tyler Morris was wide open in the flat. Orji promptly delivered the ball directly to Morris’ feet. It didn’t mean much for the game overall, as Michigan cruised to a 30-10 victory against the Bulldogs. Its significance is in how it portended the season-long offensive offensive drudgery, in which Sherrone Moore and Kirk Campbell’s quarterbacks could not formulate any semblance of an air attack.
Morris has since transferred to Indiana, while Orji joins the Dan Mullen experiment at UNLV. We’re left to wonder what could have been. If Orji had been able to pair even a modest passing game with his considerable rushing upside, he (and Morris) might still be in maize-and-blue.
Game 2: Mason Graham Moonlights At Defensive End Against Texas
Wink Martindale’s defense rounded into fantastic form by the season’s end. The early going, though, was rough. There were failed zero blitzes, poor tackling, and this particular formation that completely nerfed his best defender’s utility. Mason Graham is and should be the fulcrum of a defensive formation. As its literal midpoint, he and Kenneth Grant can effectively neutralize the interior of the offensive line by commanding two blockers apiece. This gives other defenders the space to make free plays off their gravity.
Placing Graham on the edge was a giant, flashing sign telling opponents to run whatever they wanted to the other side of the formation. Naturally, Steve Sarkisian did this every time, to Michigan’s great detriment. Martindale, to his credit, eventually cleaned up almost all his early-season mishaps and adjusted to the college game quite nicely. Graham returned to defensive tackle to become an All-American and will likely be a top-10 draft pick in April.
Game 3: Davis Warren Throws His Third Interception Against Arkansas State
This ended Davis Warren‘s first tenure as Michigan’s starting quarterback. On a day when the run game was rumbling against an overmatched opponent, Campbell still could not materialize a passing offense. The third interception was the worst of the bunch, a badly overthrown ball directly into the arms of Red Wolves safety Dontay Joyner.
If it feels like the focus here has tended toward negative plays, that’s only because these plays helped shape the season’s narrative. Warren’s sixth interception in just three games, paired with Orji’s general inability to throw, meant it would always be difficult for the Wolverine offense to get fully off the mat. The continued spinning of the quarterback carousel gave the impression that the coaches had no answers either, and seemed to hope that someone would simply Become J.J. McCarthy at some point. Warren never quite did that, but his story also does not end here.
Game 4: Kalel Mullings Breaks 63 Yards’ Worth Of Tackles To Trounce The Trojans
USC had Michigan dead to rights. Orji had taken over as starting quarterback after Warren’s follies against Arkansas State. The results were dour: seven completions on 12 attempts for 32 yards. And yet, the Wolverines had made a game of it. They were down 24-20, facing 3rd-and-1 from their own 20. No one expected this plodding affront to offense to scale such an unconquerable mountain.
Then Mullings said, “All aboard.” He breezed through two arm tackles, spun out of a wraparound, and bounced off a fourth defender to break free and nearly singlehandedly pull the Wolverines out of a surefire loss. An extra shoutout to Max Bredeson on this play. The tight end/fullback motioned across the formation before laying a crunching block that sprung Mullings’ initial burst.
In the moment, the run was a massive shift in momentum. It led to the winning points, which Mullings would score himself seven plays later. In the context of the season as a whole, the run was a tone-setter. It showed that even if the offense was one-dimensional, Michigan could still gut out wins on the strength of that one dimension. Mullings might not be a day one or even day two pick in the NFL Draft, as there are definitely flashier backs on the board. Still, we wouldn’t bet against the sure-footed hoss. He’s got the chops to play on Sundays.
Game 5: Dominic Zvada’s 53-Yard Field Goal Helps Bring Home The Jug Against Minnesota
There were other more impactful plays and players in this game. Graham (no longer being forced to play on the edge) was unblockable and got two sacks and two tackles for loss. He was also hit with a dubious ‘hands to the face’ call that nullified a would-be fourth down stop. Mullings once again carried nearly the entire offense. Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry got crucial turnovers for Martindale’s evolving defense. Orji threw a mind-boggling interception.
Nonetheless, here is where we will shout out Michigan’s metronomic placekicker. Zvada‘s big leg and sure aim were saving graces throughout the season, providing offense where there would have otherwise been none. Zvada’s range is long enough that few were worried when Wolverine drives inevitably stalled far away from the red zone. The Arkansas State transfer deserved this year’s Lou Groza Award. Lucky for Michigan fans, it went elsewhere, forcing Zvada to come back and win the thing.
Game 6: Donovan Edwards Runs In A Long Touchdown Against Washington, Briefly Recalling The Best Of Times
Like Zvada’s entry prior, there are plenty of plays from this game that could slot in here. For Michigan fans. none are particularly fun to recollect. Jack Tuttle fumbled and threw a pick, both in the fourth quarter. Punter Tommy Doman seemed to have fully lost his mojo. The entire team spent the afternoon slipping on perilous Husky turf.
But for one shining moment, Donovan Edwards reminded fans of the best Michigan football season in living memory. Mirroring his twin daggers in the National Championship, he dusted off a classic and ran it in from 39 yards.
Edwards’ swan song in maize-and-blue didn’t quite live up to the hype. In truth, a general through-line of untapped potential will likely be an unfortunate aspect of his Michigan legacy. That said, the more important piece of that legacy – the piece worth remembering time and again – is Edwards’ ability to hit home runs at opportune moments. We’ll always have 2022 against OSU. We’ll always have a National Championship. And we’ll always have this bright spot on an otherwise rough afternoon in Seattle.
Let’s break for now, and recall the vibes from this point of the season, when Michigan was 4-2 and the end-of-season showdown started to look truly ominous.
Stay tuned for part two!
The post The Defining Plays of Michigan’s 2024 Season: Part One appeared first on Last Word on College Football.