Dominant UT, Ewers hand U-M 1st loss since ’22

ANN ARBOR, Mich. —

The Longhorns (2-0) moved the ball at will through the air and on the ground against the defending national champions, whose turnover-prone offense failed to throw or run the ball effectively.

The Wolverines (1-1) had several streaks snapped in the first regular-season matchup of the traditional college football powerhouses.

Michigan had won a Big Ten-record 29 consecutive regular-season games, 23 straight home games, 23 straight nonconference home games and a national-best 16 games in a row since losing to TCU in the 2022 College Football Playoff.

While the stretches of success are over, defensive end Josaiah Stewart said the Wolverines have not lost their opportunity to repeat as national champions thanks to the expanded 12-team playoff.

“Our season’s not over, so one loss doesn’t kick us out of the playoff like it probably would last year,” he said.

Davis Warren was 22 of 33 for 204 yards, to go along with a touchdown when the game was out of reach and two interceptions. Preseason All-America tight end Colston Loveland had eight receptions for 70 yards and an unforced fumble for the overmatched Wolverines.

“It was on us,” Warren said. “They’re a good football team, they played well today, but we shot ourselves in the foot and let them win that football game.”

After the victory, linebacker David Gbenda took Texas’ white flag with an orange longhorn and tried to plant it into the maize block M at midfield but it didn’t stick in the turf.

That was the only play the Longhorns didn’t make all day.

Texas led 24-3 at halftime and didn’t give up a touchdown until Warren threw a 31-yard pass to Semaj Morgan with 1:54 left.

Ewers threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm in the first quarter. Helm, a senior tight end, set career highs with seven catches for 98 yards, showing off for 15 NFL teams in attendance.

Ewers found Matthew Golden for a 5-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and passed to Jaydon Blue for a 7-yard TD in the third as the Longhorns coasted to a lopsided victory with little resistance.

The former Ohio State quarterback completed 24 of 36 passes without an interception, a week after he had 260 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 52-0 win over Colorado State.

The takeaway Texas, in its first season as an SEC school, looks as if it could contend for conference and national championships.

“This one game isn’t going to define our season, but I think it would serve as a pretty good barometer of the type of team that we could be,” coach Steve Sarkisian said.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore’s first mistake as Jim Harbaugh’s successor may prove to be choosing not to add an experienced quarterback from the transfer portal.

He said it “I never really thought about the growing pains, more so just what can we do to get better,” Moore said. “We knew we were a new team. We never try to rest on our laurels that we won the national championship last year.”

Poll implications AP poll voters can’t move Texas much higher while they will likely drop Michigan a lot.

Up next Texas hosts UTSA on Saturday night.

Michigan plays Arkansas State on Saturday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.