Michigan football: Game balls from blowout victory over Colorado State

Michigan football earned itself a 51-7 win over Colorado State on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor. There were plenty of standouts in a total team effort, but only a few get the honor of earning a game ball from The Wolverine.

Clayton Sayfie, Anthony Broome and Chris Balas select a player each week for Michigan after the game concludes. Here are the players that get the biggest nod from our staff following a Week 1 victory over the visiting Rams.

Clayton Sayfie: Senior EDGE Mike Morris

Michigan senior EDGE Mike Morris said the defense played with a chip on its shoulder with a lot to prove after hearing the doubts all offseason. He helped lead the charge with 2 tackles for loss and a forced fumble that was returned by senior cornerback DJ Turner 45 yards for a touchdown. 

Morris finished with 3 total tackles while playing multiple positions. Now 292 pounds, he moved up and down the Michigan defensive line and was a tough matchup for whichever Ram was trying to block him on a given play. He added weight in the offseason but didn’t appear to lose any speed. 

This was a nice start for the Michigan senior.

Anthony Broome: EDGE Braiden McGregor

There were plenty of players who recorded stats for their contributions to Michigan’s pass rush on Saturday afternoon. Stunningly, junior Braiden McGregor was not one of them. Coming into the season, there were questions about Michigan’s pass rush. We leave Week 1 wondering if the defense’s elite play can carry through the season. Jim Harbaugh’s “no-star defense” looks to be just that.

Despite plenty of EDGE players flashing on Saturday (hello, Eyabo Anoma and Derrick Moore), McGregor might have had the most eye-opening performance. He should wind up being a PFF darling for his play this week.

McGregor was a fingertip-length away from grabbing a sack somewhere on Saturday but had at least 3 pressures that factored into big plays. Michigan has been waiting for the light to come on for him and he looks like he can be a factor this season. His impact goes far beyond the box score for this game. It will be a treat to see what the analytics said about the performance.

Chris Balas: Senior DB Mike Sainristil

All eyes were on the senior in his first action at cornerback. He played physical football, was always around the ball, and looked like he’d been playing the position for years. He finished with 3 tackles, 1 sack and 1 for loss. A great performance in his first start on defense.

Honorable mentions

Sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy – Without taking sides in the quarterback battle, there was just a bit more excitement and juice with McCarthy on the field. He went 4-for-4 for 30 yards and added 3 rushes for 50 yards, one of which was a 20-yard touchdown.

Junior WR Roman Wilson – Wilson had Michigan’s biggest passing game highlight on Saturday, turning the jets on during his 61-yard touchdown from a bubble screen.

St. Frances pass rushers – Freshman Derrick Moore and graduate transfer Eyabi Anoma, two former Biff Poggi players in high school, proved they could be contributors early in their Michigan careers. Anoma had a sack on his first snap in a winged helmet, while Moore recorded a quarterback hit in the game. Both appear like they will play big roles in the pass rush rotation.

Senior CB DJ Turner and sophomore S Rod Moore – Michigan wanted more turnovers from its team in 2022. So far, so good through the first game of the season. Moore recorded an interception in the first quarter, while Turner had a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

What’s next for Michigan football?

The Wolverines will host Hawaii 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.