ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s the biggest ranked-on-ranked nonconference matchup that Michigan football has had in 30 years with Texas coming to town for the first regular season meeting between the two storied programs. And naturally, the coaches are on high alert for what the No. 3 Longhorns bring to the table.
Offensively, Steve Sarkisian has turned his squad into a juggernaut. Led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, despite having lost a lot of talent to the NFL this offseason, the Longhorns have reloaded with tremendous skill players, like former Alabama WR Isaiah Bond. Given the Michigan defensive versatility, the coaches at all three levels are working on scheming out Texas and what they can do to stall the vaunted Longhorn offense.
“Big plays, big plays,” linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary said. “Obviously they have a high-level quarterback in Ewers. And with Coach Sarkisian, the thing he’s going to make you do, he’s going to make you play from sideline to sideline. And he’s always going to try to scheme up and try to take the home-run shots.
“Obviously, they have great skill there at the wideout position and even does a great job with the running backs, getting them out in space. Obviously, he had the (Bijan) Robinson kid a couple years ago who was dynamic in space. And I see the same thing with the running backs. I know they’ve had some injuries there. But the blue kid who’s starting for them, I mean, is electric in the open field, runs hard. So they’re going to make you play sideline to sideline. And going to really test you as far as the defense and trying to stretch the field vertically also.”
Texas isn’t quite as formidable on the defensive side — at least in theory — but it still shut out Colorado State in Week 1.
The Wolverines would like to run the ball, as that’s long been the team’s M.O., but especially considering it has a former walk-on at quarterback as Davis Warren makes his second career start on Saturday. In analyzing the Longhorns, running backs coach Tony Alford notes the players that stand out the most and why the defense will be a problem for the new-look Michigan offense.
“Very, very, very well coached and top-end players,” Alford said. “Obviously I’m studying the linebackers more and the safeties, but the Benda kid and Anthony Hill — they’re nickel. They got the Taft kid, the safety running downhill hitting people, so they’re a very, very talented team, athletic, play with a lot of energy.
“You can tell that they enjoy playing this game and feel good about the scheme that they’re running. They feel comfortable and confident in that. High, high-end football team. And so it’s going to be a great opportunity and a great test for us to go and perform.”
That said, Alford notes, that just because Michigan, a top 10 team two weeks into the season, is thought to have taken a step back, this is still a talented bunch in Ann Arbor, and Texas likewise has to play the defending national champions.
“We talk about something’s got to tip the scales when the talent is equated, and so we’ll figure out what that is. But they have a very, very talented defense and well-coached, as I said, we got good players, too,” Alford said. “And I’m all respectful for people. When I first got here, I said, ‘Oh my gosh, you got to play Texas and you got to play this team and you got to play this team.’ And, well, they got to play us, too. It’s not like Michigan hasn’t had a history of success. And it’s not like Michigan doesn’t have a history of having great players and elite players as well. So that’s when I can say I’m optimistic, yeah, because we have a really good football team, too.
“We have really high-end players as well that like to play and like to scheme. And the same things that I just said about their defense, I can say about our team. And so now the talent’s equated, and we got to figure out how to tip the scales in our favor. And I’m a firm believer, and it goes way back, right? For as long as this game’s been played, I would probably like to think this team that plays the hardest and plays the longest and is detail-oriented and fundamentally some of those teams will win. And so that’s our job as coaches to get our players prepared to do that.”
There was a lot of worry from Michigan fans coming out of the 30-10 win over Fresno State. There was a some good offensively, but it was overall disjointed, giving some cause for concern.
Alford says that its to be expected with a new unit, and so many new players working together. The plan is to do as much as he (and the other coaches) can in shortening the learning curve en route to the big Week 2 showdown.
“It was the first game out, a lot of new starters working together. And it takes time for that to jell,” Alford said. “Like I said earlier, in the run game, that’s a softener process. So those guys are all starting to jell more and more. And every single rep, they become more comfortable with the guys sitting next to them on either the right or the left. And so hopefully that will continue. But again, we’re playing a high-end opponent coming in here, too. So we’ve got to jell fast.”