Ann Arbor, Mich.— Michigan’s running back Kalel Mullings rushed for a career-high 153 yards and two touchdowns, helping the 17th-ranked Wolverines overcome quarterback Davis Warren’s three interceptions in a 28-18 win against Arkansas State on Saturday.
The Wolverines (2-1) struggled to dominate a Sun Belt Conference opponent they were heavily favored to beat, largely due to Warren’s turnovers. He threw interceptions in each of the first three quarters.
“We put the ball in harm’s way too many times, so we made a change,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said.
Backup quarterback Alex Orji replaced Warren and capitalized on the opportunity. He threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Hogan Hansen, extending Michigan’s lead to 28-3 early in the fourth quarter.
“He did a great job,” Moore added.
Warren finished the game completing 11 of 14 passes for 122 yards, but most of his completions were short gains, and his interceptions kept Michigan from pulling away sooner.
“Not the best film for me,” Warren admitted.
Michigan’s ground game was far more effective than their passing attack. The Wolverines, who had not scored a rushing touchdown in their first two games, found the end zone three times on the ground. This came after a tough loss to then-No. 3 Texas, which snapped a 28-game regular-season winning streak and a 23-game home win streak for Michigan.
“They controlled the clock,” Arkansas State coach Butch Jones said. “It took us 10 drives to force a three-and-out.”
The Red Wolves (2-1) managed two late touchdowns but missed opportunities earlier that could have made the game even closer.
“We did a good job defensively taking the ball away, but we couldn’t capitalize offensively,” Jones said.
Arkansas State kept the game close early, trailing just 7-3 in the second quarter after a 27-yard field goal from Clune Van Andel. However, Van Andel missed two other field goals, hitting both the right and left uprights in the first half.
Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State’s starting quarterback, had a chance to cut into Michigan’s lead in the third quarter. But his pass into the end zone was intercepted by Makari Paige, stalling a potential scoring drive. Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 140 yards with one interception before being replaced by Timmy McClain in the fourth quarter.
McClain provided a late spark, throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Reginald Harden with 5:38 left. He also connected with Harden again on a 22-yard score with just eight seconds remaining.
“We had only two explosive plays, both at the end of the game,” Jones said, reflecting on missed opportunities earlier in the contest.
