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Sherrone Moore updates Michigan quarterback situation for MSU week

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•10/21/24•

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Michigan quarterbacks Alex Orji (10) and Jack Tuttle (13) (Photo credit: USA Today)
Michigan quarterbacks Alex Orji (10) and Jack Tuttle (13) (Photo credit: USA Today)

Michigan continues to have turnover issues with the quarterbacks, Jack Tuttle the latest. That leaves head coach Sherrone Moore with a dilemma heading into a rivalry game with MSU — finding a guy who won’t give the game away against the Spartans. 

The Wolverines have had only one game in which the QB didn’t turn it over — USC, in which Alex Orji wasn’t asked to do much and rarely threw the ball downfield. Senior running back Kalel Mullings bailed them out with a big, late run after the Trojans completely shut down the Michigan offense in the second half. 

Moore acknowledged Monday he needed to find the balance between doing enough to move the ball, but also not putting it in harm’s way. 

“For us coaches, from simplifying, doing things less so we can be better at those things, especially on offense,” Moore said. “We’ll work toward doing that.

“Execution on offense and turning the ball over … there’s good, but not enough good. We can’t turn the ball over. That’s really the end of the discussion. If you don’t turn the football over, you win the game … we have to take care of the football at all costs. I feel like we’re protecting it way better in practice, and it’s just not translating to the games. We have to figure out as coaches, as a team, how to translate all that stuff to a game. There are things you can do in a practice they have to replicate like they have before in a game.”

Moore was coy about who would start against MSU, adding, “we’ll see as we practice this week … how it goes this week.” He said he wasn’t concerned about it affecting the game plan for Saturday. He also said they were concentrating on the present, not looking back at the spring portal when asked again why they didn’t grab a QB then.

“You have a game plan. You have different things guys are better at and that you’ll feature for individual people,” he continued. “But we definitely have a process for what we’ll go through and how we’ll go through it and solve it all. 

And it all comes back to one major factor:

“Just taking care of the ball. That’s going to be the No. 1 priority, the biggest thing,” the Michigan coach said. “You want big plays, you want efficiency, but we have to take care of the football. That would be the No. 1 priority. 

“Just an overemphasis of the ball security … receivers, timing, protection. All those things put together and those little details will help us be better … timing plus spacing equals completions. It has to be precise timing, the pre-snap alignment has to align with that, the quarterback’s footwork … all those things have to hone in and get better.”

The sense here is that Tuttle will get the nod again against Michigan State, but he could be on a shorter leash. Moore estimated his arm strength was 95 percent of what it was pre-injury, adding, “he [also] made some really good throws” in addition to his bad ones.

He tries to emphasize the importance of ball protection with encouragement. 

“There’s definitely a balance for it. He’s an older guy that’s done it,” he said. “You’ve got to tell him what you think, but also show him and tell him you need him, show him you love him. 

“But you’ve got to correct it. It can’t continue to be a thing, so it’s something we’ll continue to harp on.”

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