“Y’all better stop counting him out.” Michigan RB Donovan Edwards heaped praise on QB Davis Warren, who provided a much-needed offensive spark in a clean and efficient performance Saturday night against Michigan State:
Michigan was entering its matchup with Michigan State prepared to make a third change at quarterback of the season. Going back to Davis Warren didn’t inspire much confidence for the fanbase, but at least for one night, Warren’s and the offense’s performance were enough to ease the doubters.
Early in the season, Warren lost his role as the starter thanks to a three-interception outing against Arkansas State. He entered Saturday’s game with an ugly season stat line that featured only two touchdowns and six interceptions. His inability to take care of the ball led to his benching, but he delivered in his first game back since mid-September.
Warren wasn’t asked to do much, but he went 13-of-19 for 123 yards and a touchdown. The most important part was he protected the football and didn’t turn the ball over. His head coach was pleased with Warren’s performance and was proud to see him keep pushing forward after mistakes.
“I thought Davis played well,” Sherrone Moore said in the postgame press conference. “My message to him was really just drive on, if you make a mistake keep pushing. I thought he did that.”
Warren’s ability to push through even after making so many mistakes early in the year is what allowed him to have the success he did against MSU. Sure, it wasn’t a perfect outing, but he showed some real progress in his ability to go through reads and make good decisions. He showed improved accuracy as well, resulting in Michigan having a clean and efficient game.
In order to have a strong performance, though, Warren knew it was imperative to stay prepared for the moment. This was something offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell has harped on in recent weeks.
“I don’t think it was really a huge adjustment for me,” Warren said of his preparation for this week’s game as the starter, “I felt like I’d always stay prepared, that’s something coach Campbell talked about.”
Warren also mentioned he and Campbell both understood it was highly likely the team was going to need him again at some point, even after being benched.
By staying prepared, Warren was ready for his moment. However, Warren did admit there was a time earlier in the season he doubted he might get the opportunity to play — or at least start — again. He embraced the opportunity to see the game from a different perspective and was willing to learn after being benched.
“I think just having that mental fortitude of like, this is just a great opportunity for me to take a step back, get better, learn, and just try to be there for the guys,” Warren said.
Warren’s willingness to learn and overcome adversity isn’t necessarily a surprise, given what he’s dealt with in his past. Overcoming a battle with leukemia to eventually earning a starting quarterback job, learning from his mistakes early in the year is just another feather in the cap.
Following the game, running back Donovan Edwards was effusive in his praise for his quarterback.
“This guy right here didn’t flinch not one bit — that’s somebody in our huddle that we respect because of the resilience he’s had,” Edwards said. “He deserved the game that he had. Y’all better stop counting him out, stop questioning him, please.”
It appears Warren has the trust of his teammates and coaching staff, and that could’ve only been reinforced by a solid performance against Michigan State. They’ll need him to step up once again as Michigan welcomes in the No.1 ranked Oregon Ducks next week.