Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: #7 Michigan 40, Middle Tennessee State 21
Records: Michigan (1-0), MTSU (0-1)
Attendance: 110,811
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 7 -- vs. Army (Michigan Stadium), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan football team racked up 453 yards of total offense in a 40-21 win over Middle Tennessee State to begin the 2019 season Saturday night (Aug. 31) at Michigan Stadium. Senior Shea Patterson went 17-of-29 for 203 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
The Wolverines' new-look offense was balanced on Saturday, getting 233 yards on the ground and 220 through the air. Michigan gained 26 first downs, won the time-of-possession battle by nearly seven minutes and came away with points on four of five trips to the red zone.
Nine different receivers caught a pass, with junior Tarik Black (four catches, 80 yards), junior Nico Collins (three catches, 49 yards) and senior Sean McKeon (two catches, 37 yards) scoring touchdowns. Freshman Zach Charbonnet got the start, rushing eight times for 90 yards.
Senior Khaleke Hudson led the defense with eight tackles, while graduate student Jordan Glasgow had a pair of sacks. Junior Ambry Thomas had an interception and a fumble recovery on back-to-back drives in the second quarter.
The Wolverines got the ball to open the game, but gave it up on the first play off a Patterson fumble, giving Middle Tennessee State the ball at the 42-yard line. It scored four plays later on an 18-yard third-down run from quarterback Asher O'Hara to take a quick 7-0 lead with 12:52 remaining in the first quarter.
Michigan settled into its offense and grabbed points on the next possession on a 34-yard field goal by sophomore Jake Moody. The drive took 12 plays and lasted 5:15.
It quickly became a field-position battle for the rest of the quarter. Senior Will Hart dropped a punt down to the five-yard line and pinned the visitors against their own end zone. After a Middle Tennessee punt, the Wolverines took over at the 40-yard line and needed just two plays to score via a 36-yard touchdown pass from Patterson to Black -- a play made possible thanks to a great blitz pickup in the backfield by senior Tru Wilson. With the score, U-M took a 10-7 lead with 21 seconds left in the opening quarter.
U-M extended its lead with a quick strike in the early part of the second quarter, courtesy of Patterson. After a five-yard rush, he connected with Black on back-to-back passes before lofting a 28-yard touchdown pass to Collins to the Wolverines up, 17-7, with just over two minutes elapsed in the second quarter.
On the ensuing drive, O'Hara rolled out of the pocket left and attempted to loft a ball over Thomas, but the junior cornerback went up and snagged it out of the air for an interception. On the next series, Thomas recovered a fumble forced by sophomore Aidan Hutchinson, which gave the offense great field position at the 28-yard line. It turned into points, as Patterson found McKeon down the seam for a 28-yard touchdown to make it 24-7 with 7:08 left in the first half.
A muffed punt on special teams gave Middle Tennessee State second life, which it took advantage of on a two-yard touchdown pass from O'Hara to Jarrin Pierce. The Wolverines responded with a 27-yard field goal by Moody with five seconds remaining and sent U-M into halftime with a 27-14 lead.
The third quarter was quiet for both teams until the latter stages when junior Dylan McCaffrey entered the game at quarterback. A defensive pass interference call gave U-M the ball at the six-yard line, with McCaffrey running it into the end zone on the next play. The two-point conversation was unsuccessful, making the score 33-14 with less than a minute left in the third quarter.
The Wolverines remained in control through the fourth quarter, switching field position in a big way on a 41-yard run by Charbonnet. Michigan made its way down to the one-yard line and had a fourth-and-goal, but could not punch it in, turning it over on downs. The Blue Raiders, too, were unable to move the ball and punted from the back of their own end zone. Sophomore Ronnie Bell returned it 27 yards to the Middle Tennessee State 15-yard line to set up sophomore Ben VanSumeren to cash in on a one-yard touchdown run that essentially sealed the victory. Middle Tennessee State added a late touchdown on a 59-yard pass from O'Hara to Jimmy Marshall that ended the scoring at 40-21.
The Wolverines will return to action next Saturday (Sept. 7) when the play host to Army. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Michigan Stadium.