Donovan Edwards' conclusion after three games: “This is not the Michigan team from last year”

ANN ARBOR, Michigan – Three games into the new college football season, one of Michigan's team captains has come to a realization.

The 2-1 Wolverines, who just made a quarterback change ahead of Saturday's matchup with No. 11 USC (3:30 p.m., CBS), are no longer the team they were last year, and will have to work hard for every win and play to their strengths that were in abundance a year ago when the team was seeking a 15-0 record and the program's first national title since 1997.

“This is not the team from last year,” Donovan Edwards told reporters openly on Monday. “This is Team 145, not Team 144. There are differences: There are people who can do things well, and there are things we can always work on.”

That's not to say there was a lack of effort, Edwards clarified, saying, “The guys are working their asses off.” But the wins over Fresno State and Arkansas State and the blowout loss to Texas were “a learning process” for the Wolverines, who slipped to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 poll this week.

“In this offense,” Edwards said, “we only brought back one starter, and that's Colston (Loveland). A lot of guys were put in a position they've never been in before.”

Michigan debuted former walk-on Davis Warren at quarterback, who threw six interceptions in three games, prompting the coaching staff to turn to Alex Orji to begin Big Ten play. The Wolverines have five new starters on the offensive line, a group still in development and an inexperienced collection of receivers that have struggled to break away.

More: Who is Alex Orji? A timeline of how Michigan's new starting QB got here

This made for difficult times during the first three games: Michigan needed 16 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Fresno State in the opener, the defense had trouble tackling against Texas, and despite three interceptions, they held on and beat Arkansas State despite rushing for 301 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

“Everyone played a role that we can all relate to in some way: We weren't all the ones who had their number called,” said Edwards, a senior running back. “That's what stands out to me the most. That's what connects us, that's what harmonizes, and that's ultimately what will continue to keep our brotherhood alive.”

It was a slow start for Edwards, too, with just 27 rushing yards (on 11 carries) in the opener and 41 against Texas (on eight carries) before finding his rhythm against Arkansas State last week, turning 17 carries into 82 yards and a touchdown. Why the improvement? Well, for one thing, the game plan helped, but for another, the offensive line did a much better job of blocking runs than it had in the previous two weeks.

And, says Edwards, he has made the number of appearances he needs to get into the rhythm.

“The running back has to make at least 10 to 15 runs to really get into the rhythm or flow of the game,” Edwards said. “Maybe other running backs say something different, they might do it in one run. But in my opinion, when you make the first seven to eight runs, you're really in the game, your legs are in the game, your legs are where they're supposed to be.”

Speaking on the Inside Michigan Football radio show Monday night, Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford admitted that Edwards sometimes applies “too much pressure” instead of opening up a running lane, which may explain the lack of explosive plays over the past three games. While Edwards averages 4.2 yards per run, his longest run was 12 yards. For comparison, backup Kalel Mullings (270 yards, 2 TD) averages 7.5 yards per run and had three runs of 30 yards last week.

“He runs the ball hard,” Alford said. “But I think he has to do things now that he didn't have to do before, like run inside. But no, Donovan is playing well and is still one of the clear leaders of this football team.”

Edwards says the team continues to live by its “1-0” motto and is focused on the game at hand rather than the schedule afterward. But with high-profile opponents still on the schedule — a road game at Washington, games against improved rival Michigan State and Oregon and Ohio State — it's fair to wonder how resilient Michigan's still-developing team is.

Results aside, Edwards is already thinking about the future and is convinced that if some of the players stay, he has a bright future ahead of him.

“I was just thinking about it (earlier this week). When I leave, you have guys like Hogan Hansen, who just scored his first touchdown, Ben Hall coming back, whoever is going to be returning on the offensive line, Fred Moore who has some experience now, Semaj Moran is going to be coming back, Kendrick Bell has more experience,” Edwards said. “After this year, guys are going to have a lot more experience. I'm excited about the future of this program and us. We're just going to continue to grow together.”

• BETS: Read our guide to best sports betting sites in Michiganwhere our team of sports betting experts reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for several sportsbooks. The Wolverines opened as 6.5 points behind to USC. Saturday's Big Ten duel marks the first time since 2021 that Michigan has been an underdog in two regular-season games.