After 4-game hiatus, Davis Warren shows his readiness in return as starting quarterback

Davis Warren had six weeks to think about what went wrong. 

Back in Week 3, when the senior quarterback threw three interceptions against Arkansas State and was subsequently benched, it looked like the end of a short-lived Davis Warren era for the Michigan football team. With six picks in half as many games, it was hard to trust that Warren could pilot the Wolverines’ offense, or even hold onto the ball for that matter. 

For six weeks, Warren had every opportunity to sulk over his benching. But spurred on by Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell, Warren got right back to work, hoping he could earn himself another chance. 

“I felt like I’d always stay prepared,” Warren said of those six weeks. “That’s something Coach Campbell talked about, even after Arkansas State, was, ‘This team’s gonna need you at some point again, and you gotta stay ready.’ 

“… It’s not my job to have the perspective on if getting benched was the best thing that ever happened to me, the worst thing, a learning opportunity, something that I’ll always regret. It’s my job to stay ready.”

So when Warren got the opportunity to start again this week, he was ready. He guided the Wolverines to a 24-17 win over rival Michigan State, completing 13-of-19 passes for 123 yards and touchdown. Most importantly, though, Michigan didn’t turn the ball over all game for the first time this season — a stark departure from Warren’s first tenure as starting quarterback. 

Warren still spoke in a measured manner about his performance postgame. He was critical of a couple of his missed throws on third down, and emphasized that there was still “meat on the bone” for the offense, that the Wolverines could have scored more points. Unlike the last time he uttered those words early this season, it looked plausible that they were capable of scoring more points.

He gave plenty of credit to junior quarterback Alex Orji, too, who helped open up Michigan’s offense with his legs. Together, the pair proved that at least for one game, the offense that the Wolverines intended to run at the start of the season could actually work. 

Warren wasn’t trying to prove anything with his performance, though. At least not to anyone else. 

“I wasn’t proving anything to anyone but myself,” Warren said. “Like, truly. I truly mean that when I say that. I think just what I’ve been through, how far I’ve come to get to this point, I know what’s important, and the most important thing is me.” 

When Michigan’s offense struggled early this season, the most important thing was Warren, who constantly put the onus on himself to improve. When the Wolverines replaced him, the most important thing was Warren, who once again became “the best practice player he can be.” And when he returned to the huddle as starting quarterback, the most important thing was Warren, who never turned the ball over. 

As much as Warren wanted to focus on his own preparation and his own mindset, senior running back Donovan Edwards took the chance to open it up a bit to others. Still wearing the pants from his uniform and a torn undershirt, Edwards needed to make one last point before concluding his postgame press conference and heading back to the locker room to change.

“(There’s) one last thing that I do want to hit on about this guy right here,” Edwards said unprompted, tapping Warren on the shoulder. “I think that if you go through a lot of adversity and expectations on you, the adversity defines who you are. This guy right here didn’t flinch, not one bit.

“… Y’all better stop counting him out, man, because he’s shown time and time again that he overcomes adversity in his personal life and on the football field.”

For six weeks after his benching, Warren faced adversity in not knowing if he’d ever get a chance again. But he stayed ready, he overcame it and he earned himself another opportunity to lead Michigan’s offense. 

And as the Wolverines walked off the field victorious over their in-state rivals, Warren — again the starting quarterback for Michigan — led the way, Paul Bunyan Trophy in hand. 

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