In what’s shaping up to be one of the premier matchups of the 2024 college football season, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns will visit Michigan on Saturday for the first ever regular-season meeting between these two storied programs. While the game’s winner will enjoy a significant boost in their College Football Playoff campaign, both teams still have clear paths to their respective conference titles—and the automatic CFP bids that come with them.
When Michigan Is on Offense
Week 1 didn’t exactly inspire confidence in Michigan fans. The Wolverines’ offense left a lot of folks somewhere between bored and mildly panicked after a lackluster showing against Fresno State. Here’s hoping it was just the annual overreaction to Week 1. Sure, there were things to fix, but there were also glimmers of hope—glimmers the Wolverines need to turn into fireworks against Texas.
The Texas defense? Well, they pitched a 52-0 shutout against Colorado State. Impressive, but let’s not forget it was Colorado State. The Longhorns boast athletes at every level and are likely to line up in their standard 4-2 look, with five guys patrolling the secondary. The question is whether their pass defense, which looked solid last week, can hold up against an actual offense this time. Oh, and about that run defense—they gave up 106 yards on 25 carries to Colorado State’s Justin Marshall. Let’s just say Michigan’s Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards are different beasts entirely.
For Michigan, it’s simple: Stay on schedule offensively. Avoid those third-and-forevers that bogged them down last week. Expect a lot of Mullings pounding the rock between the tackles—body shots to wear down Texas, boa constrictor-style. Alex Orji’s packages, predictable as they may be, can still be an effective part of the run game if Michigan stays in rhythm. When it comes to Donovan Edwards, he’s always ready to break out the kind of fireworks that have highlighted his career in big games like this.
The passing game will have to step up, too. Colston Loveland will create matchup nightmares, but quarterback Davis Warren has to go through his progressions, especially with Texas throwing confusing pre-snap looks his way. The Wolverines’ air attack doesn’t need to be pretty, just efficient enough to keep the Longhorn defense honest. If Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, or even Edwards can step up in the receiving game, Michigan should be in a solid position to head into Week 3 at 2-0.
When Michigan Is on Defense
Michigan’s defense will be its backbone all season, but they’re going to have their hands full on Saturday. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is projected to be one of the first QBs off the board in next year’s NFL Draft, and he’s protected by an offensive line that returns four starters from last year’s College Football Playoff squad. Add a talented receiving corps, and you’ve got a recipe for trouble.
Still, the key for Michigan is simple: pressure. Ewers doesn’t like it, and if Derrick Moore, Josiah Stewart, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Rayshaun Benny can get in his face early and often, he might crack. If they can’t? Well, then the secondary will have to step up to avoid giving up big plays.
Texas wants to run the ball, but they’ll be running right into Michigan’s defensive front—good luck with that. It doesn’t help their case that two of their top three running backs are out with injuries. If Michigan’s front seven can stay disciplined and shut down the run, they’ll force Texas to be one-dimensional, and that’s exactly where the Wolverines want them.
Final Thoughts
Michigan may be the underdog at home, but let’s not forget that they’ve won 23 straight at the Big House. This is a program that tends to thrive when disrespected—just ask anyone who picked against them last year. While it’s true that Michigan will need to play well to win, Texas will also need to bring their A game to walk away from this one with a W. The difference is Texas will have the challenge of trying to do that in front of a maize-out crowd, and against the defending national champions.
Regardless of the outcome, this is what college football is all about—two blue-blood programs going toe-to-toe, in what could be an early look at a future College Football Playoff matchup. Buckle up.