Sherrone Moore discusses Texas’ explosive offense, more on Inside Michigan Football

Sherrone Moore is off to a 1-0 start as the full-time head coach of the Michigan Wolverines after leading his squad to a victory on Saturday night against Fresno State. On Monday night, he sat down with Jon Jansen for his weekly appearance on the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show.

In this edition, Moore assessed the performance of the offense, defense and special teams from Week 1 and provided a brief look at the upcoming matchup with Texas. Here’s a rundown of what he had to say:

• The Michigan offense was a big talking point coming out of the win, as it didn’t necessarily look as crisp as fans had hoped. Davis Warren got the start at quarterback over Alex Orji, who had been the favorite for much of the summer. On Warren’s performance, Moore said, “I thought Davis did a good job of managing the game.” He noted Warren wanted the throw back on his first-quarter interception, but he responded well afterward.
• Orji still found his way into the game, mostly appearing as a runner. When asked how he planned to manage using both quarterbacks, Moore said, “I think there’ll be a rhythm,” but it was planned for Orji to come in on the first drive. He also mentioned Orji played well and he’ll continue to have a package of plays that should grow each week.
• There was also some question about the offensive line, as it appeared the unit got pushed around a bit early in the game. Moore noted it appeared there were some communication issues up front, and that those will need to be a focus this week.
• Evan Link got the start at right tackle, the first of his career. Of Link, Moore said, “He played pretty well for a guy that hadn’t started a game in college — moment wasn’t too big for him.”
• Running back was also a point of discussion, as Kalel Mullings got a pretty big workload and performed like a true RB1 on Saturday. When asked about the balance between Mullings and Donovan Edwards, Moore said, “Kalel just provided a little more thump,” and he, “Did a good job of creating those six-, seven- and eight-yard runs.”
• The defense showed up and showed out in the first game of the season, something fans definitely expected after a historic 2023 season. Moore thought the defense played hard and fast overall, something he’d seen during fall camp. Of new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, Moore said, “I thought coach Martindale did an outstanding job of picking his spots,” and called a good game overall.
• One player that really jumped out was linebacker Jaishawn Barham. Moore was impressed with his performance: “The stats don’t say how many plays he made — he was all over the field making hits, being physical.”
• The performance from the whole team Saturday night was a little underwhelming, but it’s fair to point out Fresno State won nine games a year ago and could do the same in 2024. When asked what it was like to face a tough opponent like the Bulldogs in Week 1 especially ahead of a matchup against Texas, Moore said, “It’s important, you gotta build a callus in games.” He also said he was impressed by Fresno State and how well they were coached, but overall, “We thought it was gonna be that kind of game.”
• The upcoming matchup with Texas will be one of the biggest matchups we’ve seen in Ann Arbor the last few years. When asked what he’s seen from Texas in preparation for the game so far, Moore noted the Longhorns are extremely explosive on offense. He also praised the experience of quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Texas offensive line. He was also complimentary of head coach and offensive guru Steve Sarkisian, saying he calls great games in rhythm.
• When asked what he wants to improve or change ahead of the matchup with the Longhorns, Moore noted he wanted to get the ball to his playmakers more. He specifically singled out Semaj Morgan and Tyler Morris as guys he wanted to get the ball to.