ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Sherrone Moore pumped his fist and screamed in the end zone, firing up fans in the Big House before his first game as Jim Harbaugh’s full-time replacement.
The defending national champions were sluggish on offense in much of Moore’s debut before making plays on both side of the ball to turn a closely contested game into a lopsided win.
Davis Warren and Alex Orji each threw a touchdown pass, Will Johnson returned an interception for a score and No. 9 Michigan beat Fresno State 30-10 on Saturday night.
The Wolverines (1-0) were breaking in new quarterbacks behind a revamped offensive line and Moore, whose enthusiasm was on full display before the game began.
“That’s just who I am,” he said. “Wear my emotions on my sleeve.
“I was excited, so I expressed it, but I was so excited to watch our boys play.”
The Bulldogs (0-1) came to play, trailing by just four points deep into the second quarter and 16-10 midway through the fourth before Michigan pulled away.
“It was going our way,” Fresno State interim coach Tim Skipper said. “I thought first half we controlled the line of scrimmage and did a good job on both sides of the ball.