ANN ARBOR, Mich. — At 11:15 a.m., Sherrone Moore emerged from the Michigan Stadium tunnel and appeared on the Jumbotron.
Moore waved his arms. He swung his hand to his ear. And the crowd obliged the new head coach ahead of Saturday's top-10 showdown with No. 3 Texas.
The problem? The Longhorns wanted that noise. All of it. Texas (2-0) built a three-score halftime lead in a 31-12 reality check that snapped the Wolverines' 23-game home win streak.
Defending national champion Michigan (1-1) got its comeuppance for the first time in more than 20 months. Rivals no longer have to scream and meme, in Jesse Pinkman's voice, "They can't keep getting away with this!"
Indeed, the Wolverines can't get away with it any longer, on the field and perhaps off the field as well. A new, inescapable reality hit Saturday, and Moore was left to put it into perspective as best he could.
"It's a loss," Moore said in his postgame press conference. "We haven't had one of these in a long time. You definitely feel it. Our kids feel it. They feel it more than anybody."
MORE: Highlights, stats from Texas' big win over Michigan
That sounds less chesty than the "Michigan vs. Everybody" motif that propelled the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023. Consider that slogan effectively retired by the Longhorns.
If the Wolverines' offense does not improve, anybody in the Big Ten might have a chance to knock off Michigan after a confusing, messy week for the program.
Moore is not under contract as he begins his first season at the helm, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel confirmed Thursday. But a day later, Moore said he was, in fact, under contract in an interview with ESPN's Pat McAfee. In addition, the NCAA investigation into the in-person scouting and sign-stealing scandal involving former staffer Connor Stalions still hangs over the program.
Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh – who received a one-year ban from the NCAA for impermissible contact with recruits during COVID-19 – is gone. So are 13 players that were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
What's left is a shell of a national championship contender. Texas exposed that at every opportunity, much to the delight of those waiting to dunk on this Michigan program for last year's drama-filled season if the on-field product this season does not improve.
Opposing fans will be ready to pounce again when Michigan faces No. 13 USC on Oct. 21 and No. 21 Oregon on Nov. 2. Same goes for No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 30. And if the Wolverines' offense is this offensive to the naked eye, then losses to Washington and Michigan State are not out of the question as well.
If Michigan doesn't figure out how to match a suitable offense to its defense, then all of that is possible before we hear from the NCAA again.
MORE: Quinn Ewers shines with 3 TDs in statement win over Michigan
Texas, Quinn Ewers flash overwhelm Michigan
Texas was the only national championship offense on the field Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
The Longhorns won the toss, and quarterback Quinn Ewers announced they would elect to receive. A 13-play drive with three third-down conversions ensued – and a TD pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. was wiped out because of a penalty. Bert Auburn missed a field goal, but the message was sent.
A loaded Michigan defense barely stressed Texas. The Longhorns did not punt in the first half, and Ewers went 4-of-4 for 65 yards on third down alone. He finished 24-of-36 for 246 yards and three TDs – the first QB to pass for three TDs against Michigan since Nebraska's Adrian Martinez on Oct. 9, 2021.
When Ewers hit tight end Gunnar Helm with a 21-yard TD pass with 4:14 left in the first quarter, it was Helms who swung his hand to his ear while staring at the Michigan student section. The Wolverines did not have an answer for that — or anything else.
A 7-yard TD run by Jerrick Gibson. A 5-yard TD pass from Ewers to Matthew Golden. That made it 24-3 before halftime.
When freshman Ryan Wingo took an end-around with 55 yards into the red zone and Jaydon Blue scored on a 7-yard swing pass from Ewers with 2:39 left in the third quarter, the Michigan Stadium crowd had effectively been silenced. The fourth-quarter tradition of "Mr. Brightside" was barely audible until the final few verses, and the burnt-orange portions took over from there.
MORE: Davis Warren, Michigan offense fall flat in blowout loss vs. Texas
Can Michigan fix its offense in time for Big Ten play?
Michigan is incapable of running the bully-ball philosophy that worked so well with Harbaugh in past seasons — at least with the current pieces on offense.
The Wolverines could afford to be predictable with J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Roman Wilson and an experienced offseason line last season. Not so in 2024.
Texas out-gained Michigan 279-88 in the first half. Michigan had just 38 rushing yards at halftime. Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings are a formidable tag team, but they combined for one run of 10 yards or more.
That's because the Wolverines don't have an experienced answer at quarterback. Indeed, they have too many answers, just not the right ones: the Davis Warren-Alex Orji composite is not working.
Michigan's first two series in the second half illustrated that point. Warren missed a wide-open receiver on third-and-4. On the next series, Orji was stuffed on third-and-5. When Orji comes in on third-and-5 or less, the play is not predictable; it's a given.
That can only mean that the calls for freshman Jaydn Davis – and the hypothesizing of what the team would look like with Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara – will grow, though Moore said Davis was not considered Saturday.
Warren finished 22-of-33 for 204 yards, a TD and two interceptions. Preseason All-American tight end Colston Loveland is the best read in the passing game, and he had an ill-timed fumble after a catch in the first half.
"The turnovers are easy to fix," Moore said. "The first pick was a tipped pass and the second one was a miscommunication in the route concept. The fumble was, Colston will tell you, he didn't tuck it away fast enough."
Warren was asked if the loss was more about Michigan's poor play or Texas' strengths.
"All execution by us," Warren said. "I didn't do enough. I shot us in the foot so many times, and we didn't do enough offensively. It was on us. They're a good football team. They played well today."
MORE: Sherrone Moore's Michigan contract situation, explained
What does loss mean for Sherrone Moore's future?
This was the Wolverines' worst loss against a ranked nonconference opponent at home since No. 1 Florida State hammered No. 3 Michigan, 51-31, at Michigan Stadium in 1991.
The Wolverines finished 10-2 and won the Big Ten that season. And, more than 30 years later, the new 12-team College Football Playoff offers mulligans, even if they are on the second hole.
Yet the final minutes outside Michigan Stadium told a different story than what happened inside. Families snapped portraits with their phones. Michigan students took selfies. The skies literally turned from gray to sunny. It was a different feel than the ashen faces that filed to the exits after years or disappointing losses to Michigan and Ohio State that preceded the three straight Big Ten championships from 2021-23.
Perhaps that is a refusal of the new reality of college football, one in which Michigan seems set to take a diminished role this season. Or perhaps that is an acceptance of the new reality, with the 12-team playoff factor offering a softer landing.
"I don't think it really changes," Loveland said. "A loss is a loss, obviously you have a better opportunity with a loss or two to make the playoff, but it hits the same either way. From here on out, we gotta win out."
For Michigan, at least the play on the field remains within team control.
Moore cannot speak to the timing of the NCAA investigation, and the contract situation needs clarification from Manuel. The Warde-Manuel dynamic will lead to speculation too.
The 2024 season, though, is going to come down to the offense and quarterbacks.
Warren will need to protect the football. Orji needs to be employed in a less predictable way. Both need to be better, and Warren, at least, was accountable for that.
"We haven't lost a regular season game here in a while, so I think everyone is taking it super seriously," Warren said. "We're the only people that are going to come back in (Schembechler Hall) on Monday are the guys who want to do the work to get better. We're better than what we showed today."
