Sherrone Moore Shares Thoughts After Win Over MSU

Michigan football took care of rival Michigan State on Saturday night 24-17. MSU started strong, but the Wolverines seemed to step up as the game went on. The Michigan offense looked about as good as it has all season, and it didn’t turn the ball over once. 

Mid-Game Message

Head coach Sherrone Moore had a mid-game conversation with the offense, and he said he wanted to see what it was made of. 

“Well, I can’t really say exactly what I said, if you get my drift, but it was really just the message was, we’re not operating to the standard that we needed to, especially to the offensive line, the precedent we set,” Moore said. “We’re in that helmet, we’re in that uniform. There’s a standard, and I didn’t feel like we’re upholding that standard, so (I) just challenged them. Challenged them to do that at the highest level. You’re in the biggest game of the year right now. So it was our jobs to uphold the standard, and it starts up front. So that was a message to them, and they responded.”

If Michigan fell short it would’ve had a .500 record and had a tough road to a bowl game. Not to mention it would’ve lost the bragging rights it had over in-state rival MSU for the past two years. Instead, the Paul Bunyan trophy stays in Ann Arbor and the Wolverines have a good chance to go bowling. Moore said it was about more than another tally in the win column. 

“It was huge. I thought it was great,” Moore said. “One, it’s the biggest game of the year in-state. So it means a lot for the program to keep Paul home here and have it here for the other 365. That’s the goal, to keep it here forever but it was huge for our kids to get a victory and feel that confidence again, because you know I love seeing the smiles on their faces in the locker room. That makes it better. So it was huge for us.”

Sherrone Moore Comments on the Quarterbacks

As for the quarterback situation, Michigan may have stumbled upon its solution. With Jack Tuttle out due to injury, Davis Warren got his first start since the Arkansas State game in mid September. Warren was able to make throws down the field, which is a first for Michigan quarterbacks this season. Moore said Warren showed him something Saturday night.

“I thought Davis played well,” Moore said. “I think in the first half, he was like 10-of-11, and then ended up being like 13-for-19. So (he) played well, did some really good things. Missed a couple passes that he wants to have back. But my message to him was really just ‘FIDO,’ forget it and drive on. If you made a mistake, just keep pushing. I thought he did that.”

Alex Orji was also deployed at quarterback in certain situations. Orji had a team-high 64 rushing yards, and he ran for the game-sealing first down at the end of the game. Moore said the Orji package depended on the offensive line. 

“(I) thought it worked well, at first it was a little slow,” Moore said. “And the first quarter, first couple drives to the half didn’t really go the way we wanted to. And that’s when the challenge was sent to the O-line, because I thought (Warren) was doing a good job with what his job to do. And I thought the flow with him and Alex was really good. And Alex, I think he had like, 64 yards rushing, definitely gave us a boost offensively. They try to play a lot more hats in the box. And, you know, plus the numbers with the quarterbacks was really good. So I thought they did, the both of those guys did a really good job.”

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