Michigan Monday: Game 1 vs. Colorado State – University of Michigan Athletics – MGoBlue
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143rd Season of Michigan Football
• The 2022 season marks the 143rd in Michigan Football history.
• The Wolverines have an NCAA-leading 976 victories, have claimed 43 Big Ten Championships and won 11 national titles since the inception of the program in 1879.
• Michigan has a 116-23-3 record in season openers.
• U-M has won 11 of its last 15 season openers and 46 of its last 59 season-opening games dating back to the 1963 season (46-12-1).
• For the second straight season, the Wolverines will play all four games in the month of September at Michigan Stadium.
Colorado State Game Promotions
• Championship Recognitions: Cheer (NCAA Champs), Women’s Golf (Big Ten Champs)
• On-Field DJ: DJ Array
• Michigan Marching Band Halftime Performance
• Football Ticket Redemption: Volleyball vs. Loyola Chicago (Sept. 3) and Men’s Soccer vs. Bowling Green (Sept. 5)
• Full Promotions Schedule
Wolverines and Rams
• Saturday’s game between Michigan and Colorado State will mark the second meeting between the two programs in history.
• In the only previous match-up, the Wolverines defeated the Rams, 24-14, in the 1994 Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California.
Series vs. Colorado State: Michigan leads 1-0
Series Streak: Michigan won 1
Last Meeting vs. Colorado State: 1994 (U-M, 24-14)
Last Michigan Win: 1994
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In the Polls
• U-M begins the 2022 football season ranked in the top 10 of both national polls.
• The Wolverines list No. 6 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and rank No. 8 in the Associated Press Poll.
• U-M finished the 2021 season ranked No. 3 in both national polls, its first top-five finish for the program since 1999 (No. 5) and the highest final ranking since winning the national championship in 1997.
• Michigan has been ranked for all but 13 contests under Harbaugh (83 games). The Wolverines were not ranked the first four games in 2015, four games in 2017 and 2020, and the first two games of the 2021 season.
Game Notes Nuggets
• The Wolverines are set for a four-game home slate to begin the season, including three non-conference opponents to begin the year. U-M is 16-0 in non-conference games played at Michigan Stadium under Coach Jim Harbaugh.
• The offense is coming off a 6,203-yard season, the second-highest single-season total in program history. The unit was anchored by the Wolverine offensive line — which won the Joe Moore Award for the first time in U-M history – and returns three starters. Tackle Ryan Hayes leads the team in career starts at U-M (18).
• Week One starting quarterback Cade McNamara is the program record-holder for highest career completion percentage (65.2) and lowest career interception percentage (1.51 percent).
• McNamara has thrown four of the 10 longest passing plays in program history. He has directed 49.7 percent of offensive drives to end in points (80-of-161) in his career.
• Running back Blake Corum will lead the backfield, paired with Donovan Edwards. Corum averaged a touchdown every 13.9 offensive touches last season and broke 0.34 tackles per attempt last year (No. 2, Big Ten) according to Pro Football Focus College (PFF College).
• The duo is lethal in the receiving game, too, combining for 50 career receptions. Edwards set a running back record with a 10-catch, 170-yard game at Maryland last year.
• Wide receivers Ronnie Bell and Cornelius Johnson will lead the pass catchers with tight end Erick All. Bell (16 games) and Johnson (15) sport long streaks of consecutive games with at least one reception.
• Six Wolverine defenders have at least five career starts, led by Mazi Smith (14), but there will be new faces and playmakers. Linebacker Michael Barrett is the unit’s career tackles leader (71), followed by Junior Colson (61), a freshman All-American last year.
• DJ Turner leads the cornerback unit. His 89.2 press coverage grade by PFF College led the Big Ten last season, and he was listed by the service as the top returning cornerback in the conference heading into the season.
• Michigan’s roster includes three offensive linemen from the state of Colorado: Reece Atteberry (Aurora), Andrew Gentry (Littleton), and Connor Jones (Monument).
