Michigan offensive line responds to Sherrone Moore’s sideline rant

ANN ARBOR – Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore had seen enough.

Like most of the season, the Wolverines’ offense faltered in the first half against Michigan State on Saturday. He picked up just 37 yards on his first three drives and was lucky to only trail 7-0.

Before Michigan’s offense took the field for a new possession with 2:58 left in the first half, Moore rallied the offensive line on the sideline and berated them for the team’s poor start.

The offense and forwards responded and marched 64 yards in 10 plays to find the end zone. Michigan went on to score on four of the next five possessions, turning the momentum around and taking a 24-10 lead.

“If you get my drift, I can’t say exactly what I said, but really it was just the message: ‘We’re not operating to the standards we need, especially on the offensive line,’” Moore said. he said after the 24-17 rivalry win. “The precedent that we set – we’re in that helmet, we’re in that uniform – there’s a standard and I didn’t think we met that standard. I just challenged them, challenged them to do it at the highest level. You’re now in the biggest game of the year so it was our job to maintain the standard and it all starts over. That was the message given to them and they responded.”

The Wolverines’ top two backs – Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards – have been held in check throughout, but the offensive line provides ample time for quarterback Davis Warren, making his first start since Week 3. The ball is over — a rarity for Michigan quarterbacks in 2024.

Edwards wasn’t included on Moore’s offensive sideline, but he said he saw a revitalized unit after the coach’s shout-out.

Moore coached the offensive line from 2021-23; this unit twice won the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in the nation. The Wolverines were losing the game in the trenches to in-state rivalry, which encouraged Moore’s harsh message.

“He generally talked to the offensive line because he had a deep connection with the offensive line,” Edwards said. “It starts with them. I don’t know what he said, but he clearly got the guys fired up and that set them off. We all know that everything starts with them. Without them, we can’t go either. The offensive line played outstanding and Coach Moore energized and fired them up.”

Edwards and Mullings combined for 42 rushing yards on 22 carries, but the running game was jam-packed when Alex Orji came to quarterback as a change-of-pace option.

Orji rushed for 64 yards on six attempts, including a 29-yard run that sparked the offense on the first drive of the third quarter. Needing a couple of first downs in the final two minutes to put the Spartans behind, Orji was behind center and made runs of 15 and 8 yards to move the chains, giving Michigan its third straight win over MSU.

“Guys blocked better,” Moore said of Orji’s effectiveness in the running game. “The men were executed at a higher level. They’re tense and you can hear it. I think when a good run happens, people don’t necessarily hear about it. We hear. You heard the pads explode and saw people moving and being displaced. This is what you want. It really means making someone act against their will, and there’s no better feeling than that. That was the challenge the O-line faced.”

Challenge accepted.

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