In his weekly appearance on the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show, Sherrone Moore discussed the win over Michigan State, the offense’s improvement, and provided an early look at Oregon. Here’s a rundown of everything the head coach had to say:
The Michigan football team is flying high after a 24-17 win over in-state rival Michigan State . The Wolverines will have another big challenge on their hands this weekend, as they welcome in the No. 1 Oregon Ducks
On this week’s edition of the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show, head coach Sherrone Moore sat down with Jon Jansen to discuss the win over Michigan State and the looming matchup with Oregon. Here’s a brief rundown of everything he had to say.
- To start, Jansen and Moore discussed the postgame scuffle that ensued between Michigan and Michigan State. Before the game started, Moore observed trash talking, pushing and shoving, which are things he believed weren’t called for. He reiterated the team would handle the manner internally, but did mention as well he was proud that “guys have already come to me and apologized for even being around it.”
- A positive storyline from the win was the success of Michigan’s offense, particularly the effectiveness in which the Wolverines deployed Alex Orji and Davis Warren. Of the quarterbacks, Moore said, “I thought both of them complemented each other really well.”
- In regards to Warren, who played his best game of the season, Moore said, “He made some really good throws and some really big time throws,” specifically pointing out the pass to Tyler Morris on the flea-flicker, and Warren’s 10 straight passes following his first incompletion of the game. Moore was also complimentary of Warren’s ability to bounce back after being benched, saying, “The kid handled it as good as anybody could — he just never changed, never flinched, maybe even amplified his preparation.”
- On the flip side, Orji saw the field in run situations was Michigan’s leading rusher in the game with 64 yards. Moore noted he likes having Orji in the game because it equates numbers with the defense. He also gave Orji a shoutout for showing good awareness and sliding in-bounds at the end of the game to run the clock out, even when he could’ve made bigger plays.
- The play of the offensive line wasn’t impressive for the first three series of the game. In the first quarter-and-a-half, Moore mentioned there were too many instances of, “Three guys right, two guys wrong,” or, “Two guys right, three guys wrong.” He did say he was proud of how the group shored things up later in the game, and mentioned the team was having success running plays they previously hadn’t executed earlier in the game.
- An issue that popped back up in the game was Michigan’s defensive struggles on third down, particularly third-and-long. Of the struggles in these situations, Moore said, “It’s something we gotta get fixed.” With Michigan State being successful on the ground, he noted the Spartans were even checking into run plays in some third-and-long situations.
- In the secondary, Michigan was without cornerback Will Johnson. Moore didn’t provide a firm update, simply saying they’d see how he progresses, but did note he was impressed by Jyaire Hill and Aamir Hall in Johnson’s absence. Moore challenged Hill, in particular, after the Washington game, and Moore said he has really stepped up since then.
- The Wolverines will have a tall task on their hands this weekend when Oregon comes to town. In regards to getting ready for the game, Moore said, “We gotta prepare our tails off,” and that, “We gotta have great game plans and the guys gotta do their jobs.”
- When asked what stands out about Oregon on offense, Moore pointed to quarterback Dillon Gabriel, saying, “He’s in such control of the offense all the time.” He was also complimentary of the Oregon offensive line and skill groups. On defense, he said, “They’ve got a lot of skill but they play really good team defense.”