Texas proved it’s a national title contender at Michigan. Can the Wolverines recover?

By Austin Meek, Chris Vannini and Sam Khan Jr.

Texas solidified its status as a national title contender by going to Michigan and dominating last year’s champion 31-12 behind three takeaways from the defense and a strong performance from quarterback Quinn Ewers.

The No. 3 Longhorns ended the No. 10 Wolverines’ 23-game home winning streak, which dated back to November 2020, and it was Michigan’s first regular-season loss since October 2021.

Texas pulled ahead 24-3 in the first half and didn’t look back, as Michigan didn’t score a touchdown until the final two minutes. What did the result mean and what’s next?

Texas is a legitimate national title threat

The Longhorns came into the season with plenty of preseason hype and a top-five ranking in the polls, but some remaining skeptics wondered whether Texas would be a one-hit wonder after going to the College Football Playoff last year. Saturday made it clear that Texas is for real.

Ewers gave his 2024 Heisman Trophy campaign a big boost by masterfully managing the game. He was nails on third down, he was accurate and he took care of the ball. He hit big plays downfield when the Longhorns needed it and looks like the leader the Longhorns said he was turning into this offseason. He finished 24-of-36 for 246 yards and three touchdowns with zero turnovers.

But there’s so much else to like about these Longhorns. The skill position talent around Ewers is plentiful and dynamic. The defense is still one of the best in the country. Steve Sarkisian, known as one of the sport’s best play callers, excelled in calling Saturday’s game.

Texas’ dominance may say as much about how down Michigan is as it does about how good the Longhorns are. But there’s no doubt that this UT squad will be a force moving forward as it enters its first season in the SEC. — Khan

Quinn Ewers and Texas outgained Michigan 389-284. (Rick Osentoski / USA Today)

What does Texas’ path to the Playoff look like?

Passing their first big test in dominating the defending national champions, the Longhorns have positioned themselves well for a run to a 12-team CFP, especially given the extra margin for error. Texas entered Saturday with an 80 percent chance to make the CFP, per The Athletic’s model, and now it’s up to 89 percent after Saturday’s early games.

The Longhorns will get a reprieve the next few weeks with UTSA and ULM at home, followed by Mississippi State in Austin as well. They get a key idle week before the big two-game stretch with the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma in Dallas followed by a home game against Georgia in mid-October.

Trips to Arkansas and Texas A&M in November will produce hostile environments, but with a quarterback in Ewers who’s now won at Alabama and at Michigan in his career, Texas is feeling good about its CFP chances before it even gets into its first season of SEC play. — Vannini

Michigan’s problems are worse than expected

A step back was inevitable after last season, but hardly anyone expected Michigan to fall this far, this fast. Give credit to Texas, one of the best teams in college football. There’s no shame in losing to a top-five opponent as talented as the Longhorns, but to get run off of its home field in this way shows just how far Michigan has to go under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore.

Even without Jim Harbaugh plus J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum and other stars from last year, the Wolverines believed they had the pieces to contend for a bid in the expanded 12-team Playoff, especially on defense. That supposedly fearsome defense got defanged by Texas. The Longhorns found the weak spots and attacked, exploiting Michigan’s new starters at linebacker and cornerback. The offensive struggles were predictable, but if the Wolverines can’t count on their defense, what can they count on?

Based on what we saw Saturday, it’s hard to envision this Michigan team seriously contending for a CFP bid. The Wolverines have a tough schedule and could struggle to win eight games unless they can make some quick adjustments. Their CFP chances fell from 25 percent to 12 percent after the loss, per The Athletic’s model. — Meek

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Is Michigan’s QB situation fixable?

In the short term, it might not be.

Starter Davis Warren didn’t show much evidence that he’s capable of leading a passing attack that can give Michigan a chance against the best teams on its schedule. Warren’s accuracy was questionable at times, and his two interceptions were costly. Warren ultimately finished 22 of 33 for 204 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, but he had only 49 yards in the first half. If Michigan had any hope that Alex Orji could be a better option, he surely would have had a bigger role. The way Michigan used Orji, deploying him in obvious running situations, didn’t generate much optimism for a two-quarterback system. He was held to -1 yard on two rushes.

Jack Tuttle was upgraded to questionable this week and could challenge for the job if and when he’s healthy. If Michigan’s quarterback struggles continue, fans will be clamoring for freshman Jadyn Davis to get a shot. Right now, there’s no obvious fix for the Wolverines. — Meek

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How Texas reloaded

One of the reasons to take a wait-and-see approach to this year’s Longhorns was the sheer amount of elite talent they lost: 11 players from the 2023 roster were chosen in the NFL Draft. But Saturday showcased how well Sarkisian and his staff have recruited and developed players as well as how smartly the Longhorns have used the transfer portal.

Need to replace three starting receivers? Texas got Isaiah Bond (Alabama transfer), Matthew Golden (Houston), Silas Bolden (Oregon State) and signed five-star recruit Ryan Wingo. Bond, Golden and Wingo all made key plays on Saturday and Bolden serves as the primary return option on special teams.

At tight end, where Texas lost electric tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders to the draft, senior Gunnar Helm showed how his patience has paid off. Mostly a role player in his first two years on campus, Helm has gradually developed into a more prominent role and was Ewers’ security blanket on Saturday, catching a team-high seven passes for 98 yards. Four of Helm’s receptions resulted in a first down, including one that was a touchdown.

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Running back Jonathon Brooks was another tough loss, made even tougher when sophomore starter CJ Baxter and freshman Christian Clark were lost in training camp to season-ending injuries. And Jaydon Blue, who started the first two games at running back, got banged up and left briefly in the first half Saturday. No problem for Texas, which turned to Tre Wisner and Jerrick Gibson to fill the void.

The biggest question coming into the season for Texas was replacing the stout defensive line duo of T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy. Texas had experienced options to turn to in Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins, who have been consistent rotational players in recent years, and Sarkisian also signed several defensive linemen in the portal, like Jermayne Lole, Tiaoalii Savea and Bill Norton to fortify depth. Broughton plugged up the middle effectively in the run game on Saturday and so far, it doesn’t seem like there has been a huge drop off in Texas’ run defense. That’s an encouraging sign for what will be the most important position group in SEC play.

Beyond those key spots, one thing is clear: Texas is big and fast just about everywhere. — Khan

found ’em 🎯🤘@QuinnEwers ➡️ @gunnar_helm pic.twitter.com/V4sxFkKFsE

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 7, 2024

O-line was Longhorns’ unsung hero

Much was made about how the Texas offensive line would handle Michigan’s front, particularly Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, but the Longhorns neutralized them. Texas ran the ball effectively and protected Ewers, who wasn’t sacked and didn’t face consistent pressure. Senior center Jake Majors did an impeccable job of managing the calls in a noisy, tough road environment.

It wasn’t perfect — right tackle Cam Williams had a holding penalty that negated Ewers touchdown pass on the first possession and there were a few false start penalties — but the O-line was otherwise impressive. That unit went from one of the team’s weak links when Sarkisian took over in 2021 to gradually better each year and one of the team’s real strengths now. — Khan

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(Top photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)