Quarterback Davis Warren and the Michigan Wolverines had no answers for a deep, determined Texas team on Saturday afternoon, as the Longhorns cruised to a 31-12 victory, which ended the home team’s streak of 23 consecutive wins in the Big House.
— Nobody at Michigan expected the Wolverines to start 2024 looking like the unstoppable, undefeated national champions of last year — not when that 2023 team lost an FBS-leading 13 of those players to the NFL, along with its coach.
But the jarring difference that has unfolded in a matter of months was on full display Saturday when No. 3 Texas dismantled the Wolverines in every which way on their home turf, breezing out of town with a 31-12 win while snapping Michigan’s streak of 23 straight wins in the Big House. The loss also broke Michigan’s Big Ten record of winning 29 straight regular-season games.
Following the loss, first-year coach Sherrone Moore said he didn’t think about growing pains with this team, rather he focused on what the Wolverines could do to get better.
« We knew we’re a new team », he said. « We never tried to rest on our laurels after we won the national championship last year. So for us, it was what are we going to do to get better and make this team good? We’re at where we’re at. We’re going to continue to grow and get better. »
The question isn’t just how quickly — it’s also how much better they can be. It was the second week the offense struggled, as Michigan also got off to a slow start in its Week 1 win against Fresno State. The difference against Texas up front on both the offensive and defensive lines was glaring. While Texas flourished in both its running and passing games, Michigan sputtered to get anything going on the ground and was then forced into an unreliable passing game when it tried to overcome a 24-3 halftime deficit.
