This Saturday, Texas football will head to Ann Arbor to take on the defending national champion, the University of Michigan. This is the first time the two teams will meet during the regular season, sparking both preparation and anticipation.
“I’m getting goosebumps right now, you know? And we got five days to go,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said during Monday’s media availability. “It’s pretty special.”
Sarkisian acknowledged that this matchup is not going to be easy for Texas. In fact, the team has been preparing for its time in the Big House since last spring.
Senior offensive lineman Jake Majors believes that the squad prepares for all teams the same way, despite differences in skill level.
“You can’t treat any opponent (as) bigger than the one after them or the one before them,” Majors said. “You gotta treat them all the same. You gotta respect them all the same. You gotta prepare all the same.”
The Wolverines rank near the bottom in the nation for returning players, with 13 of them turning to the 2024 NFL Draft in comparison to Texas’ 11. Michigan’s 30-10 victory over Fresno State last week shed light on a few aspects Texas will need to look out for.
For starters, quarterback J.J. McCarthy left to play for the Minnesota Vikings after becoming a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 10th overall draft pick threw for 2,991 yards with a 72.3% completion rate last season. The Wolverines now have two options for their starting quarterback: junior Alex Orji and senior Davis Warren.
After their matchup with Fresno State, Warren, who played most of the game, completed 15 of 25 passes and had one touchdown and interception. The senior struggled to find other targets besides junior tight end Colston Loveland. Many predictions revealed that while Warren played the season opener, it is probable that Orji will take the field on Saturday against the Longhorns.
Michigan is also known to have an elite special teams, and defense. The defense held Fresno State last week to a mere 10 points, whereas they averaged 30 per game the season prior. Junior defensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and senior edge Josaiah Stewart and defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny, who both had five tackles and three combined sacks, are notable players on the front four who Texas will need to keep an eye on while on offense.
Sarkisian also noted Michigan’s offensive strategies with its quarterback, specifically Orji, being able to run and throw. With this, Texas will have to make sure that they are putting tough pressure up front, but not too much that it boosts Michigan’s passing game.
“Clearly, we’ve got to do great stop in the run,” Sarkisian said. “We need to be better at stopping the run than we were a week ago, but we surely don’t want to do that at the expense of giving up explosive plays in the pass game. I think that’s that fine line that we have to walk going into Saturday.”
Despite all the preparation Texas is doing for one of the most highly anticipated opponents in this year’s schedule, senior defensive back Jahdae Barron reiterates Texas’ admiration for the Michigan program while also getting ready to secure another win for Texas.
“We respect them,” Barron said. “But we don’t fear them.”
