ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan fans, blessed with good fortune for three years now, haven’t often had reason to seriously doubt their team.

It was taken for granted that Michigan would convert on third-and-short, get the big stop, come up with the clutch drive. The Wolverines did those things over and over again, to the point where it almost felt automatic.

Saturday’s season opener against Fresno State, the first game of the post-Jim Harbaugh era, was a reminder that success is never a sure thing. Michigan won 30-10, but it wasn’t the kind of dominant performance that will inspire confidence going into next week’s showdown against No. 4 Texas.

Here are four key points.

The quarterback’s play needs to improve quickly

Think back to January, when the confetti rained down on NRG Stadium in Houston. If someone had said then that Davis Warren would take Michigan’s next snap at quarterback, the reaction would have been … what? Surprise? Disbelief? Concern? Panic?

With QB-hungry programs now able to find answers in the transfer portal, it’s rare for a program of Michigan’s caliber to enter a season with so little experience at quarterback. Warren has been a reliable backup throughout his career, but was never viewed as the heir apparent to JJ McCarthy. Alex Orji was viewed as a work in progress who needed to develop as a passer. Michigan gambled that its internal options were better than those in the transfer portal, and it remains to be seen whether that was the right decision.

Warren was Michigan’s primary quarterback on Saturday night, completing 15 of 25 passes for just 115 yards with an interception and a touchdown. Orji came on the field for a snap or two at a time and ran for 32 yards on five carries, including a 3-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Edwards on Michigan’s opening drive. Regardless of who took the snaps, Michigan had little success creating explosive plays through the air.

Warren, it should be noted, led a touchdown drive when Michigan needed one. After Fresno State scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull within 16-10, Michigan started feeding Kalel Mullings and found the end zone on an 18-yard pass from Davis to Colston Loveland. That’s the kind of balance Michigan needs if this offense is going to succeed.

Based on what we saw on Saturday, Orji is still a long way from being an all-down quarterback. That means Michigan’s offense can go as far as Warren can take it.

Johnson’s undoubted INT seals it

Michigan’s defense appeared to make two game-winning interceptions in the fourth quarter, but both were reversed. The officials reversed a Quinten Johnson interception on review, and a Makari Paige interception was overturned by a roughing the passer penalty.

With Fresno State driving, Will Johnson stepped in front of a Mikey Keene pass and sprinted 86 yards to the end zone. Johnson’s perfectly timed pick-six made up for some sloppy play by Michigan’s defense and put an exclamation point on the victory.

While the defense was solid for most of the night, the Wolverines had a few lapses, including a cover-zero blitz that went blank, resulting in a fourth-quarter touchdown that pulled Fresno State within six. Michigan committed multiple penalties that extended Fresno State’s drive before Johnson’s interception, but that became a side issue when Johnson blitzed the screen and grabbed the game-sealing interception.

Run game finally catches up with Mullings

Edwards entered the season with high expectations after scoring two long touchdowns in the national championship game. His first game of 2024 looked uncomfortably similar to the early 2023 season, when he struggled.

Edwards finished with 27 yards on 11 carries, an average of 2.5 yards per attempt. Michigan’s offensive line, featuring five new starters, didn’t help matters by creating much crease. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Michigan got its run game going by feeding the ball to Mullings, who finished with 92 yards on 15 carries.

Mullings’ powerful north-south running made him Michigan’s most effective back Saturday night. No matter who carries the ball, Michigan will need improved play from its offensive line, which has a lot of cleaning up to do next week.

Colston Loveland: Still Good

Michigan doesn’t have much to rely on on offense, but Loveland is still a sure thing. The All-America tight end caught eight passes for 87 yards, more than the rest of the team combined, and found the end zone in the fourth quarter when Michigan needed to score.

Michigan entered the game with questions at wide receiver, and many of those questions were left unanswered. But Michigan’s quarterbacks have a security blanket in Loveland, who is arguably the best pass-catching tight end in college football. The Wolverines may need him to carry the passing game while the quarterbacks and wide receivers settle in.

(Photo: Kimberly P. Mitchell/USA Today)