Last Week at The Wolverine Den

Michigan 30 - Fresno State 10 (Pregame Parachute Jump)

Michigan Stadium

August 31, 2024 - 7:30 p.m. ET

Tailgate Pictures

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Game Preview

Fresno St finished 9-4 last year in the Mountain West conference. They are expected to contend for the conference championship this year. QB Mikey Keene completed 67% of his passes for 2,976 yards and 24 TDs last year. He was previously at UCF where he was 8-3 in games he started. The best running back for Fresno, Malik Sherrod, returns. He rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in 2023.

On defense, Fresno was 97th in the nation against the run last year. But they added Korey Foreman from USC as a transfer. Forman was #3 overall recruit in 2021 but has struggled to live up to that hype while at USC.

Fresno also lost their long-time coach Jeff Tedford, who resigned in July due to health concerns. Tedford was considered a quarterback guru who developed such QBs as Aaron Rogers, Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, and Joey Harrington. Taking over the head coach position on an interim basis is Tim Skipper, who was an assistant to Tedford. Skinner also was previously an assistant coach at Central Michigan under Jim McElwain.

This could be a challenging game for the Wolverines. New players and coaches everywhere, a night game and an opponent that has some experience. But the talent level is just too great. Fresno will become the 149th opponent to lose to Michigan. Michigan has won 22 consecutive games at the Big House and has won their last 10 consecutive night games.

This will be the first meeting between Fresno State and Michigan.

The Wolverines are a 21½-point favorite.

Post-Game Summary

After winning the National Championship last season, expectations were sky high for the Michigan Wolverines. But no one told Fresno State. They gave the Wolverines a battle before succumbing late. Make no mistake, this is a good Fresno State team and one that will compete for the Mountain West title.

Michigan started fast and ended fast. An interception by Zeke Berry on the 3rd play of the game was quickly turned into a TD pass to Donovan Edwards. Then near the end of the game, Will Johnson picked off a pass and returned it 86 yards for the final points of the day. In between, the Wolverines struggled on offense. The offensive line was not opening holes. The running backs were stuck in the middle. The quarterback was focused on only one receiver, Colston Loveland, who had 8 catches for 87 yards and a TD. And Michigan did not look like a formidable offense. Defense was another story. The Wolverines played tough for most of the game. A steady rotation of players at all three levels kept Michigan fresh and they attacked with a vengeance. Defense was truly an outstanding performance.

And let's not forget to mention the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, Dominic Zvada, who kicked field goals of 45, 53, and 55 yards. Wow.

So we have a defense, a tight end, and a kicker. Not a bad start to the season. There is improvement required and starts right now.

Craig's Prediction

30-13

Tim's Prediction

35-10

Brown's Prediction

34-13

Steve's Prediction

35-13

Craig 4, Tim 3, Brown 2, Steve 1

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