Game recap: Michigan football romps over Colorado State in season opener
The No. 8 Michigan Wolverines took care of business on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, blowing out the visiting Colorado State Rams 51-7 in the season opener. A strong defensive effort and quick answer to questions about the pass rush helped spur a win in Week 1.
Michigan’s defense finished the day with 7 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, holding the Rams to 219 yards of total offense.
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• Postgame reactions to Michigan’s win over Colorado State
Here’s the full recap from the four quarters of play in Ann Arbor.
First quarter
Michigan’s offense started with the football after Colorado State won the coin toss and deferred. Senior quarterback Cade McNamara got the start, but the Wolverines were forced off the field after a three-and-out. Colorado State went on a seven-play, 27-yard drive, but was forced to punt from its own 47-yard line with 10:27 to play.
Michigan responded quickly with a two-play, 80-yard drive thanks to a 19-yard rush from junior running back Blake Corum and a screen pass from McNamara to junior wideout Roman Wilson that scored from 61 yards out. Michigan took a 7-0 lead with 9:49 to go in the quarter. On the next defensive series, sophomore safety Rod Moore picked off CSU quarterback Clay Millen and returned it to the CSU 13-yard line. Michigan was unable to gain a yard and settled for a 31-yard Jake Moody field goal to take a 10-0 lead with 8:06 left.
Colorado State would punt after a four-play, 23-yard drive with 6:36 to go. Michigan then drove 71 yards in 12 plays to get down to the 8-yard line at the end of the quarter facing third down. McNamara finished the quarter 5-of-9 passing for 102 yards and the score to Wilson.
Second Quarter
McNamara threw an incomplete pass on the first play of the quarter, setting up a Moody field goal from 26 yards out. The Wolverines’ lead grew to 13-0 with 14:48 to go in the first half. The Michigan defense forced a pair of three-and-outs on its next two defensive drives, headlined by the first sack by graduate transfer Eyabi Anoma.
Michigan went 48 yards in 7 plays — all runs — on its next drive. It ended in a 7-yard touchdown run by Corum, his first of the season. Moody’s extra point extended the lead to 20-0 with 5:25 left in the second. CSU turned the ball over on downs with 49 seconds left on its next drive, giving Michigan the ball at the Rams’ 47-yard line. The Wolverines went 31 yards in six plays and settled for a 34-yard Moody field goal. They took a 23-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Third Quarter
Colorado State opened the second half with the football. After CSU went 20 yards in six plays, U-M senior defensive end Mike Morris forced a fumble that was recovered and returned 45 yards for a touchdown by senior cornerback DJ Turner. Michigan extended its lead to 30-0 with 12:12 remaining in the third after the turnover and score.
On its next offensive possession, the Rams were held to 1 yard on four plays before punting away to Michigan. The Wolverines drove 60 yards in eight plays with sophomore JJ McCarthy in for the final two plays. McCarthy found the end zone on a 20-yard scoring run to extend the lead to 37-0 after Moody’s extra point with 6:08 to go in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
With Michigan beginning to empty its bench, McCarthy stayed in the game in the early stages of the fourth. He led a scoring drive that went 58 yards in eight plays, capped off by a Donovan Edwards 1-yard touchdown run. Moody’s extra point extended the lead to 44-0 with 14:12 left in the game.
Colorado State was in grave danger of being shut out but helped its cause early in the fourth. The Rams struck back on a 9-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Millen to wideout Tory Horton with 8:59 remaining. The score was narrowed to 44-7 in favor of Michigan.
With its third- and fourth-stringers in the game on offense, Michigan had one more drive left in it. The team went 72 yards in 14 plays to score one last touchdown, a 4-yard touchdown run from freshman quarterback Alex Orji. Moody’s extra point extended the lead to 51-7 with 1:43 to play in the game. It would end that way with the Wolverines moving to 1-0 on the season.
Full Michigan football vs. Colorado State box score
Next up for Michigan
The Wolverines will host Hawai’i in Week 2 at 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. McCarthy gets the start at quarterback with the staff set to make a further determination ahead of Week 3 versus UConn.
