Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from pummeling of Colorado State

Michigan football opened the 2022 docket with a victory over an inferior opponent Saturday. The Wolverines flexed their muscle all day and Colorado State had no chance of stopping it.

The maize and blue got the rock first and immediately went three and out. They got it back and swiftly changed their fortunes with a 61-yard touchdown strike from Cade McNamara to Roman Wilson to kick off the scoring. They settled for a couple of more field goals and eventually hit paydirt with every score after the break.

In the first 30 minutes, Michigan football was pretty run-oriented. The offensive line did what they were supposed to against a lesser foe. Karsen Barnhart got the nod at left tackle for Ryan Hayes, who should be back in the lineup possibly as soon as next week, left the game with an injury and Trevor Keegan took his place. Giovanni El-Hadi slid in at guard to take Keegan’s normal role. That lineup gelled pretty quickly.

The second stanza was even more punishing on Colorado State. J.J. McCarthy came in and the offense didn’t skip a beat with him in charge. He moved the offense for two drives that resulted in touchdowns and looked head and shoulders better than Cade McNamara on this sunny September afternoon.

Overall the Wolverines played a near-flawless game. They were just about mistake-free in the penalty department, had no turnovers and they put the exclamation point on things when they had to. That’s what a diehard fan wants to see in these types of non-conference, unevenly matched beatdowns. Here are three takeaways.