Last Week at The Wolverine Den

Michigan 12 - Texas 31(Maize Out)

Michigan Stadium

September 7, 2024 - 12:00 p.m. ET

Tailgate Pictures

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Game Preview

The University of Michigan Wolverines take on the Texas Longhorns on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. The game is on Fox national television at 12:00 noon. Both Fox Big Noon and ESPN College Gameday are in Ann Arbor for the biggest game of the early season. It is a Maize Out at Michigan Stadium and the crowd should be rocking.

Texas comes into the season after making their first appearance in the College Football Playoffs in 2023. They return the nucleus of last year's team, including the All-NIL quarterback Quinn Ewers, four offensive linemen and eight starters on defense. They lost most of their skill players but just reloaded in the portal. Ewers was the #1 ranked player in the class of 2022. But when NIL money started flowing, he left high school early, reclassified to the 2021 class and signed a big contract with Ohio State. After only playing a few plays all year, he transferred to Texas. He is an outstanding quarterback and will challenge the Wolverine defense.

Texas lost most of their best receivers from last year, but were able to get some pretty good replacements in the transfer portal and from incoming freshmen. They lost their top running backs, and then lost two more running backs to injury during fall camp. There is still some talent there, but the best players will be in street clothes.

The Longhorn defense yielded over 250 passing yards per game in 2023. While they have added some transfers, they also lost their two stalwarts on the defensive line. Texas' win in week one over an overwhelmed Colorado State did not really give us an indication of how their defense will perform. We find that out this week.

Michigan, by most accounts, was underwhelming on offense. 269 total yards of offense is not good. But, the Wolverines also had 190 "hidden yards", including kickoff returns, punt returns and interception returns. The Maize and Blue only rushed outside the tackle box once the entire game, and that was on a reverse to Semaj Morgan. Yes, Michigan needs to play better, especially on the offensive line. The Wolverines were clearly holding back and the scheme this week will be completely different. The Michigan defense showed that it has not lost a step as Fresno St was held to their lowest point total since 2019.

The game will be won in the trenches as both teams play physical. Texas will pass more than Michigan while Michigan will look to control the clock. Texas is #4 all-time in college football in wins, Michigan is #1. The two teams have surprisingly met only once, in the 2005 Rose Bowl with Texas kicking a field goal on the last play to win. Michigan is 26-12-1 all-time against the SEC, have won 23 straight games at Michigan Stadium, and are 11-3 at home when GameDay is in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines are a 7½-point underdog, the first time Michigan has been a home dog since beating Ohio State in 2021.

Post-Game Summary

The Michigan Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season 31-12 to the Texas Longhorns. It wasn’t really that close. Texas dominated from the very beginning. The Burnt Orange led 24-3 at halftime and had completely outplayed the Maize and Blue. Yardage was 254-83. Texas converted on 7 of 8 third downs. Michigan turned the ball over twice. The second half was better, but the damage was done.

Texas is right now the best team in the country. Their quarterback, Quinn Ewers, is currently the leading favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Their speed and depth are reminiscent of Michigan’s 2023 team.

But we will be back. The goals of the season are not gone. We are the defending champions. And revenge will be earned in 2027.

Tim's Prediction

21-17

Brown's Prediction

23-17

Steve's Prediction

24-17

Craig's Prediction

26-17

Tim 7, Craig 5, Brown 5, Steve 3

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