Michigan spring game recap: Maize topples Blue in first look at Sherrone Moore's team

The Michigan Wolverines held their annual football spring game on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, giving fans and the public the first look at Sherrone Moore’s inaugural team. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell’s Maize team took down defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s Blue team by a score of 17-7, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to grab the win.

There were no official game stats kept for the contest, so the numbers listed below are unofficial.

First quarter

Michigan opened the game playing 12-minute quarters.

The Blue team started with the ball, led by junior quarterback Alex Orji and senior running back Donovan Edwards. What followed was an 11-play, 75-yard drive that took up most of the 12-minute quarter that ended in an 18-yard QB run from Orji on the option play. He went 3-for-5 with 25 yards on the drive, while Edwards ran five times for 28 yards. Blue would lead 7-0 after the extra point.

Maize took over in the waning moments of the quarter, led by senior QB Davis Warren. Just before the end of the quarter, Warren completed a 35-yard pass to tight end Deakon Tonielli that set Maize up at the 37-yard line to start the next quarter.

Second quarter

The drive continued into the second quarter and was finished off by a 31-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Adam Samaha. The drive went 13 plays and 62 yards with Warren finishing the drive: Blue lead 7-3 with 5:26 to go in the half.

On the following drive, the Blue team went to true freshman Jadyn Davis at quarterback. The drive ended fairly quickly after six plays, followed by a shanked punt that went for 18 yards from senior Tommy Doman. Davis completed one pass on the drive for 11 yards to junior Tyler Morris.

The Maize team took over at the 9-yard line with junior Jayden Denegal in at quarterback in the waning moments of the first half. They ran nine plays, but could not get on the board as Samaha missed a 30-yard field goal as time expired on the half.

Blue went into the locker room up 7-3.

Third quarter

The third quarter was mostly a nothing burgerr for the Michigan offenses. The Maize team started with the ball with Denegal handling quarterback duties. Three plays in, he was intercepted by sophomore cornerback DJ Waller, who then fumbled the ball back to the Maize team, recovered by sophomore wide receiver Fredrick Moore. Four plays later, they turned the ball over on downs.

Blue got the ball with Davis at quarterback. They were off the field in four plays after three runs for three yards from sophomore running back Ben Hall. On the fourth down play, Davis had a nice pass down the sideline to senior wide receiver Peyton O’Leary, but the ball was knocked loose by sophomore defensive back Jyaire Hill, turning the ball over on downs.

A 7-play, 15 yard drive followed for Maize that ended in a pair of incomplete passes from Denegal, sending Doman into put from the 46-yard line down to the 10. Davis and the Blue team came out for an incomplete pass before the clock expired in the third quarter.

Blue leads 7-3.

Fourth quarter

For the fourth quarter, Michigan went to 15 minutes on the game clock.

The Blue team continued its drive at the start of the quarter, running five more plays and inserting Orji back into the game before a Doman punt down to the 30-yard line. Maize took back over and that’s where the biggest fireworks of the day came from. Warren found sophomore wide receiver Kendrick Bell for a 42-yard touchdown halfway through the quarter, helping the team take a 10-7 lead. The Blue team responded with a turnover on downs after five plays.

Warren and the Maize team had more juice left, finding Moore over the middle of the field and taking the ball 48-yard to the endzone, extending the Maize team’s lead to 17-7 with minutes to play. The most intrigue came on the final drive with Blue allowing Orji to throw the ball and run a 16-play drive that ended in controversy. Orji found the endzone from five yards out on a quarterback run, by it was ruled a sack by the officiating crew, essentially ending the game in the waning moments.

Maize ran out the clock and took home the victory 17-7.