Sherrone Moore says there is still a battle at center moving forward

Trent Knoop | Sep 16, 2024

Apr 1, 2023; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Greg Crippen (51) prepares to snap during the Spring Game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Sherrone Moore made a massive change on Monday when he announced Alex Orji was going to start for the Wolverines against USC on Saturday. Moore is handing the reins to the dual-threat quarterback after Davis Warren threw three interceptions this past Saturday. Warren, who started all three games, has two touchdowns compared to six interceptions this year.

The quarterback was the biggest question at hand regarding the Michigan offense, but what about the center poistion? Former defensive lineman Dominic Giudice has been the starter there for all three games, but against Arkansas State, Michigan allowed Greg Crippen to play equal snaps. Both players saw 34 snaps in the 28-18 win over the Red Wolves.

Moore shared there still isn't anything set in stone with that battle. Both players are going to continue to practice and compete. He said Giudice graded out a little better than Crippen against Arkansas State, but Crippen also played well and communicated at a high level.

"We'll still compete at center," Moore said on Monday. "See who -- watch the film. Dom [Giudice] actually graded a little bit better than [Greg Crippen] Crip, but Crip made some tremendous plays within this communication thing. So, for us, we've got to definitely push that envelope to see how we can make that the best it can be.

"Felt like they played a lot more physical. Ran off the box. When you run for 301 yards, it's a really good day on the ground. So, felt that we made some progress there, so we'll continue to push those guys and push everybody in every position to make sure they're playing at their best."

According to Pro Football Focus, Giudice had a 63.4 offensive grade compared to Crippen's 62.8. Giudice was slightly better in pass protection and Crippen was slightly better in the run-blocking department. it was the second time Crippen has seen snaps this season. He played sparingly in the win against Fresno State while not seeing any snaps against Texas in Week 2. After the game on Saturday, Moore said both players were practicing at a high level and deserved to play.

Crippen wasn't the only player who saw more snaps than usual against Arkansas State. Right tackle Andrew Gentry was used as the sixth lineman against the Red Wolves. The right tackle was viewed as his to win this spring and heading into fall camp before redshirt freshman Evan Link won the job. Link has had his struggles, especially in pass Pro., and seeing Gentry used more -- is that a sign of things to come? Moore said Gentry wasn't bad, but still some things to clean up in that area as well.

"Andrew, not bad. Still got to get better, still some stuff to clean up, but played good in that extra lineman role, gave us some power, some thump there, which we needed," Moore said of the right tackle.

Michigan was host USC on Saturday and the game will air on CBS at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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