Michigan football winners and losers from Week 1: Who stood out vs. Fresno State

Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia breaks down the winners and losers for Michigan football in the Wolverines’ 30-10 win over Fresno State in Saturday night’s season opener in Ann Arbor.

Three up

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland (18) celebrates his touchdown against Fresno State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.

TE Colston Loveland

U-M returned just a single starter on offense from last season, and he was the best player on the field much of the night. Loveland, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end who has drawn Travis Kelce comparisons from coaches in camp, led all pass catchers with eight receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. Nearly half (41) of his yards came after the catch and if not for a third-down drop in the second half, he would’ve been nearly perfect. Loveland hauled in the first pass of the season, over the middle for 13 yards, then added receptions of 5, 12 and 10 yards before the break. After halftime, Loveland had three receptions for 28 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter, then capped his night with an 18-yard touchdown reception to give U-M a two-score lead with 5:34 to play. According to Pro Football Focus, Loveland (89.4) was the highest graded offensive player on U-M by a substantial margin.

REPORT CARD: Michigan football grades as offense struggles, everybody else shines in season opener

EDGE Josaiah Stewart

Stewart looked like Michigan’s most effective defensive player in Week 1. The advanced numbers back up that belief, as Stewart led all U-M defenders with a 91.3 rating, per PFF, followed by two other defensive linemen in Derrick Moore (90.9) and Rayshaun Benny (80.8), as the entire unit had a tremendous day. However, their efforts were led by the former Coastal Carolina transfer who was credited with six stops as he finished the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-football-winners-losers-week-100635495.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-09-02 10:06:35

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