Michigan QB Davis Warren weighs in lessons from benching: 'You gotta be on it 100% of the time'

ANN ARBOR – The Michigan Wolverines got back into the victory column on Saturday with a 24-17 win over Michigan State on the heels of another quarterback change, this time back to senior Davis Warren.

Warren played the cleanest game of his career on Saturday, going 13-for-19 for 123 yards and a touchdown without turning over the football. That was the direct reason he was benched after three weeks, but he worked to improve behind the scenes.

“From those first two games, I feel like 90 percent of what I did was good,” Warren told the media on Monday. “But playing quarterback is 100% of the plays, so you gotta be on it 100% of the time, which took to heart. It was something that I had to work on, and I think that was something that I did a good job in camp of and got away from a little bit.

“That was really the message, just protect the football. The ball is the program, and that’s pillar number one of our offense, and something that we didn’t do, and that’s the number one goal of the quarterback. That’s something I took a lot of pride in going into the game and obviously, we did a great job of and it led us to a win.”

It was the first game all season Michigan played without a penalty, turnover or sack allowed. Through eight games, that is an anomaly for them, but Warren thinks they can keep things going this weekend when No. 1 Oregon comes to town.

“I think that’s super sustainable for us,” Warren said. “I was just talking with some of the linemen. I was just super proud of the way they played, and they did a great job keeping me up. I barely even got hit the whole game, so they did a great job protecting me. Even when [right tackle Andrew Gentry] went down and [Evan] Link had to step back in and he played well, he really did. And I’m super proud of him and the way he stepped up and just the whole line They did a great job. It’s just a great opportunity for us to just keep building on last week.

“I think we took a lot of momentum from it. This is why you play football. This is why you come to Michigan… playing big games. And it’s just a great opportunity for us to keep building on last week. And I’m looking forward to it.”

Warren said he did not have to change much of the way he approached the game than the way he did before, but he used his experience this season to go into the lab and figure out how to correct his mistakes. The benching was beneficial for the Michigan signal-caller.

“I think more of the mindset switch for me was just having that perspective of the first couple of games and being able to take a step back and see what I did wrong and seeing the mistakes that I made, “Warren said. “I owned up to it 100%. They were no one’s fault but mine and the things that I need to do to improve on to be the quarterback that this team needs.

“I had my same kind of three things that I focus on each snap and had those things in my mind at all times and trusted my preparation and trusted the plays that Coach Campbell was calling and trusted the guys that we could go operate as 11 as one. Just keep moving it down the field and score points.”

Warren did not take his benching personally and knew that Michigan had to move forward after the amount of turnovers that took place. It shows that in a program with as much talent as they have, your grasp on a job is only as strong as your week-to-week performances.

“We gotta do what’s best for the team, right?” Warren said. “Those first couple weeks, I was not doing what was best for the team. When you’re in a place like Michigan, the two deep has a lot of really good football players, and I think that makes us better as a whole unit. And whether it’s a guy getting injured and someone having to step up, or a guy not having their best day, the coaches do a great job of being honest with guys and telling them what they need to do to improve.

“Everyone is mature enough to understand that it’s not a personal attack. They’re trying to improve or look for ways to improve or take coaching. It’s on all of us to perform at the level that Michigan is capable of and that we know we’re capable of and when you don’t do that, then you lose football games. That’s clear as a standard at this place. You gotta bring your A-game every single day. So I know tomorrow in practice, I’m gonna have to go out and prove that I’m the starting quarterback.

“It just makes for a really great atmosphere and a competitive one and one that you want to be a part of if you love football.”