Wolverine Digest

WATCH: Former Michigan QB scores game-winning touchdown for new team in dramatic fashion

Seth Berry|
Michigan quarterback Alex Orji (10) runs against Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (2) during the first half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
Michigan quarterback Alex Orji (10) runs against Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (2) during the first half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Former Michigan quarterback Alex Orji played his first game with his new team, the UNLV Rebels, on Saturday in Week 0 of the college football season. In fall camp, Orji was in a quarterback battle with Anthony Colandrea, with the former Wolverine getting the nod as the starter and Colandrea getting the majority of the reps for the game overall.

However, despite an opening-drive fumble at the goal line where Orji led the Rebels offense down the field and on the doorstep for a score, Orji bounced back and still played a significant role in the game, as he did on several occasions in the Maize and Blue uniform, particularly with his legs.

With just under nine minutes to go in the team's opener against Idaho State, Orji was flushed out of the pocket on a 4th-and-1 play and allowed his athleticism to take over from there, while taking off and hurdling a defender near the goal line to find the end zone. That score would put the Rebels up 38-31 and would prove to be the game-winning touchdown as UNLV went on to win by that same score.

In the win, Orji completed all three of his pass attempts for 37 yards and ran six times for 34 yards to go along with the touchdown. Even if Colandrea does continue to get a majority of the reps for Dan Mullen's team moving forward, it seems clear Orji still has an important role to play in the Rebels' offense while giving them a dynamic athlete that defenses always have to account for.

Alex
Oct 5, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore bumps chests with quarterback Alex Orji (10) during pregame warmups against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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Seth Berry
SETH BERRY

Seth began writing on Michigan athletics in 2015 and has remained in the U-M media space ever since, which includes stops at Maize N Brew and Rivals before coming onto Michigan On SI in June of 2025. Seth has covered various angles of Michigan football and basketball, including recruiting, overall team coverage and feature/analysis stories relating to the Wolverines. His passion for Michigan sports and desire to tell stories led him to the sports journalism world. He is a 2020 graduate of Western Michigan University and is the former sports editor of the Western Herald, WMU's student newspaper.

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