Kirk Campbell assesses Alex Orji's play, provides update on Jack Tuttle

Heading into the sixth game of Michigan's 2024 football season, which marks the halfway point of the 12-game regular season, the Wolverines are 4-1, but the method in which they're winning football games is upsetting to many fans and is arguably not sustainable.

Through five games, Michigan quarterbacks Davis Warren (three starts) and Alex Orji (two starts) have accumulated 577 passing yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions, which equates to 115.4 pass yards per contest, one touchdown per game, and 1.4 interceptions on average.

The Wolverines are the 10th-ranked team in the country and hold one of the best wins in the nation over then No. 11 USC, but the lack of explosive passing attack clearly hinders an offense that, with the success of the running game, would otherwise be, at worst, above average.

However, it's hard to argue against results, and Michigan is 4-1 — arguably just as good or better than many expected it to be at this point in the season.

On Wednesday afternoon, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell met with reporters to discuss the Wolverines' offense through five games. Orji was the first topic of conversation.

"What I saw from Alex was: His first start was in a big game. Huge game. Arguably one of the biggest wins we've had at home since 2021 against Ohio State," Campbell said. "He was thrust in that opportunity. He was poised. He was composed. The stat line might not have showed everything he did, but he had command of the huddle, he had leadership, and we walked away from that game excited."

"Last week, he had some development in the pass game. There were some things we need to clean up, but he's taken leadership at the quarterback position, and when he's in the huddle, he has full command; and the players responded to that."

In Orji's two starts, he's 17-30 for 118 passing yards, with one touchdown and one interception. While the numbers are hardly serviceable and far from great, Michigan has won both games Orji started in, which Campbell said is the team's No. 1 goal every week, regardless of how pretty the product looks on the field.

"The No. 1 goal is for us to win the football game. When you get in the games, they play out different ways, you get big leads in big games, and you want to get to the finish line with a W. Like, that's the ultimate goal."

When asked about how the Wolverines can improve their passing attack to have a more complimentary offense, Campbell said it's all about execution.

"To help out the pass game, No. 1, we've got to execute with more precision and detail across the board, making sure we put them in good position. But then when the plays are called, we've gotta go execute them as well."

Campbell noted that creativity in the offense will come when the team can consistently move the ball and keep defenses guessing. The top priority on offense, Campbell says, is to get the first first down and avoid going three-and-out.

"There's a catch 22 there. Yeah, we can have plays in the call sheet to be creative that everybody wants, but when you're not executing at a high level and moving the football, they're hard to get off the call sheet. So, once you roll first downs, you're able to call those things."

And as far as depth goes, Jack Tuttle was left off of last week's availability report, meaning he was presumably a full-go, but Campbell was reluctant to report that Tuttle is a conceivable option going forward.

"I'm not gonna fully disclose on injuries, but Jack is progressing in a very, very good manner, and he's getting some reps here and there," Campbell said.

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