ANN ARBOR, Mich. — — Davis Warren and Alex Orji both threw touchdown passes, Will Johnson returned an interception for a score and No. 9 Michigan began its defense of its national championship with a 30-10 win over Fresno State on Saturday night.

The Wolverines (1-0) were sluggish on offense most of the night, with new quarterbacks behind a revamped offensive line and Sherrone Moore making his coaching debut as the permanent replacement for Jim Harbaugh.

The Bulldogs (0-1) trailed by just four points in the second quarter and 16-10 midway through the fourth before Michigan took the lead.

Warren, who beat Orji at quarterback, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland, giving Michigan a 23-10 lead with 5:43 left.

Johnson intercepted a pass on the next possession and returned it 86 yards, lopsided the score in a game that remained close for most of the evening.

The game started with a 3-yard touchdown pass that Orji threw to Donovan Warren, but the rest of the night went smoothly for Moore’s team late in the game.

Davis, a former walk-on who overcame leukemia in high school, completed 15 of 25 plays for 118 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Orji was 1 of 2 with a 3-yard touchdown pass and ran five times for 32 yards. Kalel Mullings had 92 yards rushing on 15 carries for the Wolverines.

Mikey Keene completed 22 of 36 passes for 238 yards, with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Raylen Sharpe in the fourth quarter, bringing the Bulldogs to within six points and two interceptions.

Fresno State’s Jalen Moss had six catches for 97 yards, including a leaping, spinning catch along the sideline.

THE PICKUP

Fresno State: Tim Skipper may have improved his case for keeping the job with a competitive performance despite the final score. Skipper was named interim coach in July, shortly before training camp, after Jeff Tedford stepped down due to health reasons.

Michigan: Six offensive linemen from last year’s team ended up in NFL training camps this summer, turning a strength into a weakness. The Wolverines couldn’t create holes for the running game and didn’t give their quarterbacks much time to throw until they wore the Bulldogs down in the fourth quarter.

SURVEY IMPLICATIONS

AP poll voters can see the final score and keep Michigan in the same spot even after an uneven performance. The last time a national champion was ranked as low as the Wolverines in the preseason poll was 2011, when Auburn was No. 23. Before that, the only time a reigning champion was ranked worse than seventh was in 1991, when Colorado was No. 13 in the preseason.

NEXT

Fresno State: Plays at home on Saturday against Sacramento State, which just lost 42-24 to San Jose State.

Michigan: No. 4 Texas visits the Big House on Saturday after a 52-0 win over Colorado State.

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