Wolverine Digest

REPORT: Michigan Football starting quarterback vs. MSU revealed

Looks like we have our answer...

Matt Lounsberry

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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Michigan football has been coy throughout the week about who will start at quarterback in Saturday's rivalry game against Michigan State, but it appears the answer was revealed on Friday night.

According to a report from 247Sports' Matt Zenitz, the Wolverines are expected to start redshirt junior Davis Warren tomorrow night against the Spartans.

Warren was Michigan's quarterback of choice at the beginning of the season, starting each of the first three games of the year for the Wolverines. In games against Fresno State, Texas and Arkansas State, the redshirt junior completed 48-of-72 pass attempts for 444 yards and two touchdowns. However, Warren also threw six interceptions in those three games and was benched in favor of redshirt sophomore Alex Orji. He hasn't seen the field since.

Of the three quarterbacks Michigan has rotated thus far, Orji was the best at taking care of the football. However, that may have been due to the redshirt sophomore's limitations in the downfield passing game as much as anything. Orji played sparingly in a special package role with Warren as the starter, before making his own starts against USC, Minnesota and Washington.

Orji has completed 23-of-43 pass attempts for 148 yards, with three touchdowns against one interception. He adds an element to Michigan's rushing attack, totaling 124 yards on 35 carries. Orji was benched in the second quarter of U-M's game against Washington, after the Wolverines fell behind by multiple scores.

Seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle replaced Orji against the Huskies, and appeared to be the answer Michigan had been looking for all season, leading the Wolverines to three consecutive scoring drives against Washington. However, it all went downhill from there for Tuttle, as he had two costly turnovers in the fourth quarter against the Huskies, and two more giveaways in U-M's 21-7 loss to Illinois last week. Since those three consecutive scoring drives, Michigan has scored just once on their last 15 possession with Tuttle at quarterback.

That leads head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines back to Warren, who has been Michigan's most efficient quarterback thus far in terms of completion percentage and accuracy. Limiting turnovers will be the challenge for Warren, after the redshirt junior has watched from the sideline in the Wolverines' last four games.

Michigan and Michigan State are scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. at the Big House in Ann Arbor, with Big Ten Network carrying the broadcast.

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Matt Lounsberry
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