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ANN ARBOR, MI – A rematch of last year's national championship game is happening this weekend in Seattle as the Michigan football team is hitting the road to take on Washington. The Wolverines took down the Huskies 34-13 in Houston back in January to capture the 2023 national championship, and the two teams will now meet nine months later. Sherrone Moore met with the media earlier this week and discussed the matchup.
Both the Michigan football team and Washington are very different than they were a year ago. Both have new head coaches, and both have a lot of new faces on the field. The Huskies clearly aren't as good as they were last year, but Sherrone Moore knows that this will be a tough matchup regardless.
“I think they're a really good football team,” Moore said to the media on Monday. “It starts with the quarterback (Will Rogers) on offense. He does a really good job distributing the ball. I don't think he's thrown a pick. And they've got a lot of yards, and the running back is really good, too. Sound running back, can make you miss, can run over you. And on defense, sound defense, they're going to challenge you. They're going to play a lot of man coverage, a lot of cover one. I expect a heavy box. We've got to do some good things on the outside to go win.”
One important thing to consider for this matchup is that it will be the first road game of the year for this inexperienced Michigan team.
“Obviously, the first time that we're on the road, noise is going to be a great environment,” Moore added. “I think our players are excited to get on the road.It eliminates distractions, eliminates all the outside stuff, and you're kind of in your cocoon with your group. I've seen a lot of guys come by the office and tell them, yeah, we're ready to get on the road and ready to take the show on the road. So I think packing your defense, having a good run game, and being balanced is going to be the main thing.”
Sherrone Moore has a lot of respect for Washington head coach Jedd Fisch
Sherrone Moore is in his first year coaching the Michigan football team, and Jedd Fisch is in his first year at Washington. Fisch is very familiar with the Wolverines as he was on the coaching staff in 2015 and 2016. Moore had a lot of praise for him.
“Really good coach,” Moore said of Fisch. “I don't know him personally as much. I know he's been here, but he's a West Coast guy, very intelligent coach, very good offensive mind. We've got to do a great job with our game plan.”
Obviously, Moore is aware that this Washington team is very different from last year. They are in the exact same boat as Michigan. These are two solid teams, but national title contenders again? No.
“Every team is different, but, yeah, they are different,” Moore said. “Obviously, it starts with the quarterback. Michael Penix was elite. I mean, he's a first-round draft pick quarterback. So it's different. But they're still a good football team. They still can beat you through the air and on the ground and beat you with sound defense. So especially going to their place, it's going to be a challenge for us. And we're excited to go take it on.”
These teams aren't on the elite level that they were on last year, but this is still going to be an exciting game, and it's a huge matchup for a Michigan team that is ranked #10 in the country with all of their goals still in front of them. They need to get a win.
Michigan and Washington will kickoff from Husky Stadium in Seattle at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT on Saturday, and the game will be airing on NBC. The Huskies are currently favored by 1.5 points.
