Michigan Football not overlooking Fresno State, with Texas looming in Week 2

The Wolverines have a highly-anticipated matchup coming in Week 2 against the Longhorns, but head coach Sherrone Moore said his guys are locked in on the opener against Fresno State...

No. 9 Michigan will host No. 4 Texas in Week 2 of the 2024 college football season on Sept. 7, but head coach Sherrone Moore said the Wolverines are locked in on Fresno State in the season-opener this weekend in Ann Arbor. / Christopher Breiler

All eyes will be on Ann Arbor when No. 9 Michigan hosts No. 4 Texas on Sept. 7, in Week 2 of the 2024 college football season. The matchup is already slated for "Big Noon Kickoff" on Fox and it's arguably the top nonconference game of the season.

However, as the Wolverines enter "game week" ahead of their season-opener this Saturday (Aug. 31), Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said all of the attention is on Week 1 opponent Fresno State.

"We've got a really mature culture," Moore said. "Obviously, the past few years we've done what we've done, but I think it's all about, really, today. You can't be worried about two or three days from now because then you're going to lose today. So, you've got to get the advantage today on what you can do to get better, and we know [Fresno State is] a good football team. Last year they went to Purdue the first game of the year and beat them at their place. So, there's no cakewalks anymore in college football. Whoever you play, you've got to be ready to go."

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore talks to quarterback Davis Warren (16) at warmup during the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fresno State is coming off a 9-4 season and a New Mexico Bowl win in 2023. The Bulldogs experienced some shakeup this offseason when head coach Jeff Tedford stepped down suddenly in mid-July over health concerns. Defensive coordinator Tim Skipper was subsequently named Fresno State's interim head coach.

"Whenever you have a new coach, there's the unknown," Moore said, while hinting at the irony of that comment coming as first-time head coach as well. "There's the 'not really sure'. Coach Skipper has been in the system. He's been there. He's been with them, so he's involved in the culture. It's something that's been very successful, so I don't see him diverging too much from what they've done. I know he was the defensive coordinator, so I don't know how much involved he will be with the defense or not, but I can see that there's definitely going to be some wrinkles and things that we've got to be prepared for."

After No. 10 Florida State was upset as a double-digit favorite by ACC rival Georgia Tech in Week 0 this past Saturday, Moore said the Wolverines are on high alert with the Bulldogs coming to Ann Arbor this weekend.

"Yeah, that's why I said you've got to just prepare," Moore said. "Every week, you got to prepare like you're playing the top, the number one team in the country. You know, for us, it's not about the number or the ranking or anything like that. We just, we have to go prepare to win that game. And whoever you're playing, it's a faceless opponent. You got to make sure you're prepared every day to go win that game. So for us, the message is pretty simple. They saw it. So there's not much we have to say about it."

Aug 24, 2024; Dublin, IRL; Florida State University wide receiver BJ Gibson reacts after their loss to Georgia Tech at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tom Maher/INPHO via USA TODAY Sports / Tom Maher/INPHO via USA TODAY Sports

"They're a good football team," Moore said of Fresno State. "They went 9-4 last year. They're tough. They're blue-collar. They play extremely hard, so it's going to be a challenge for us to make sure we do the same thing."

Fresno State is led offensively by redshirt junior quarterback Mikey Keene, who transferred in from Central Florida last season. Keene was an All-Mountain West honorable mention for the Bulldogs last season after throwing for 2,976 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 283-of-422 pass attempts (67%). He threw 10 interceptions in 2023.

"I think it starts, number one, with their quarterback, Mikey Keene," Moore said of Fresno State's offense. "He's not as big as a lot of quarterbacks, but he gets the ball out quick. He's mobile. The offense all goes through him, so for us to be successful against him, it's about how we stop him, how we contain him. He's going to make his throws. He's going to do some really good things. He's going to be able to scramble outside the pocket, so we've got to keep him contained and confuse him a little bit with coverages and things we do and make it messy for him because it really goes through him. When he's healthy for them, he does a really good job of ball control and controlling the offense, and you can see that the offense has a lot more confidence with him in the game."

After a long offseason, Moore and the Wolverines are excited to get their 2024 season underway with a night game at the Big House on Saturday (7:30 p.m. / NBC).

"I think the biggest excitement is that they don't have to bash each other's head in against each other," Moore said. "It's also awesome to game plan and get into that part of preparing for another opponent and the competitive part of it. And then, playing in the stadium with all the fans, we're super excited about that. But, for me, it's been awesome. Camp's been phenomenal, just to be out there with the guys and grinding and really building the callus of our team and who we are and what we're going to be. It's been fun to do that. So, ready to take the next step in preparing for this Fresno team."

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