Things you may not have known about Michigan football’s win over Bowling Green
It wasn’t a pretty game, yet the win for Michigan football was still emphatic in the end.
Week 3 brought a relatively familiar Bowling Green team to town, with head coach Scot Loeffler being a former Wolverine himself. The game appeared to be all Michigan to start, but mistakes piled up and the maize and blue found themselves in a dogfight early before pulling away in the second half, to win, 31-6.
If you were at the game or watched it on TV, there were plenty of things that happened behind the scenes that you may have missed. That’s where the folks at MGoBlue.com have us covered.
Here are some facts, notes, and tidbits from the game you might not have known until now.
Notes/tidbits:
The Wolverines have won 18 straight games at home dating back to 2021. It is the longest home winning streak under head coach Jim Harbaugh and the program’s best since a 21-game streak from 1998-2001 under coach Lloyd Carr.
U-M improved to 3-0 in the all-time series against Bowling Green. The Wolverines defeated BGSU, 65-14, at home on Sept. 25, 2010, in the most recent meeting before tonight.
Today’s announced attendance of 109,955 marks the 311th consecutive game at Michigan Stadium with a crowd in excess of 100,000.
Honorary captains for today’s game were Michigan’s 10th congressional district representative, John James, and Michigan’s 9th congressional district representative, Lisa McClain.
Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore was acting head coach for today’s game and was credited with the victory. He is 1-0 as a collegiate head coach.
Freshman tailback Cole Cabana made his Michigan debut in tonight’s game and registered two carries for six yards. On the season, 21 players have made their Michigan debuts so far this season, including nine true freshmen and eight transfer additions.
Each of U-M’s first five scoring drives lasted no more than 2:45 of game time and in five plays or fewer. Michigan’s longest drive of the game was 3:48 minutes long.
In junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s 16 starts, the U-M offense has produced 68 touchdowns and 27 field goals on the 162 drives during which McCarthy starts and finishes the possession — 42 percent of McCarthy-led drives lead to touchdowns and Michigan has scored points on 58.6 percent of all such possessions.
McCarthy reached 34 career passing touchdowns, one shy of entering the top 10 all-time (Tom Brady, 35). His 7.6 career touchdown percentage ranks fourth-best all-time behind Elvis Grbac’s 8.5 percent.
Senior running back Blake Corum earned 101 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Corum is U-M’s first rusher to reach 100-plus yards in a game this year, and has entered the top 10 all-time for 100-plus yard games with 13 in his career.
With another two rushing touchdowns this weekend, Corum reached 37 for his career and remains sixth all-time at Michigan. Corum needs another two scores to match Chris Perry and reach the top five. Corum’s 2,746 career rushing yards are just 154 shy of the top 10 all-time.
Sophomore quarterback Alex Orji made his first season appearance in the third quarter, replacing McCarthy in the third quarter. He ran the ball two times for 11 yards.
Senior wide receiver Roman Wilson (two receptions, 42 yards) recorded a 33-yard reception touchdown in the second quarter. He entered the day tied for second in total touchdowns in the FBS. Only Desmond Howard (six reception touchdowns in 1991) has as many touchdown catches in the first three games of a season in Michigan history.
Graduate student wide receiver Cornelius Johnson scored on a 50-yard reception for his first touchdown of the season and his longest catch of the year. He recorded three receptions for 71 yards on the day. He was the first player outside of Corum and Wilson to score a touchdown this season.
It was the first time this season that Michigan allowed points prior to the fourth quarter. Bowling Green capitalized on two turnovers to kick for field goals in the first and second quarters. U-M held the Falcons scoreless in the second half.
Bowling Green’s second-quarter sack on 3rd-and-7 marked U-M’s first sack allowed this season.
Graduate student defensive back Mike Sainristil registered his first sack of the season in the first quarter. He was also responsible for three solo tackles and two of 10 total TFL for the Wolverine defense.
Graduate student defensive back Quinten Johnson recorded the first interception of his collegiate career in the second quarter, returning it for two yards.
Senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins’ third-quarter interception was the first by a U-M defensive lineman since Taylor Upshaw’s pick last season against Ohio State (Nov. 26, 2022). It is Jenkins’ first interception of his career.
Junior punter Tommy Doman had a career-long 53-yard punt in the third quarter to pin the Falcons on their 15-yard line, exceeding his previous best of 49 yards.
