ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan appears to have a problem at the quarterback position.

Kalel Mullings ran for a career-high 153 yards and two touchdowns to help the 17th-ranked Wolverines overcome Davis Warren’s three interceptions in a 28-18 win over Arkansas State on Saturday.

The Wolverines (2-1) were unable to pull away from a Sun Belt Conference team they were supposed to beat, in part because Warren threw an interception in each of the first three quarters.

“We put the ball in danger too many times and made a change,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said.

Alex Orji replaced Warren and took advantage, throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Hogan Hansen that gave the Wolverines a 28-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.

“He played well,” Moore said.

Warren completed 11 of 14 passes for 122 yards and was mostly limited to completing short passes when not throwing to defensive backs.

“Not exactly great material for a movie,” Moore said.

For the reigning national champion, running was much more effective than throwing.

Michigan scored three runs after going without a single rushing touchdown to start two games, including last week’s loss to then-No. 3 Texas that ended a 28-game regular-season winning streak and a 23-game home winning streak.

“They controlled the football,” Arkansas State coach Butch Jones said. “It took us 10 possessions to force a three-and-out.”

The Red Wolves (2-1) scored two late touchdowns and missed opportunities earlier in the game to make the game even closer.

“We did a great job of taking the ball away defensively, but we didn’t have anything going for us offensively,” Jones said.

Arkansas State trailed by just four points for most of the second quarter after Clune Van Andel converted a 27-yard kick, but he hit the right and left uprights on two more field goal attempts in the first half.

Jaylen Raynor had a chance to cut the Wolverines’ 18-point lead at the 20-yard line, but his high pass into the end zone was intercepted by Makari Paige late in the third quarter.

Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 140 yards and had one interception before Jones brought in Timmy McClain midway through the fourth quarter.

With 5:38 left, McClain threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Reginald Harden and a short pass to the speedy receiver, who scored with a 22-yard pass with eight seconds left.

“We only had two explosive plays and they were at the end of the game,” Jones said.

Battered

Preseason All-American tight end Colston Loveland had three catches for 30 yards before leaving the field with an injury in the third quarter. Moore said after the game that he had no update on his condition.

The conclusion

Arkansas State converted three third down attempts on the opening drive, and with a chance to continue the momentum with a fourth-and-1 at Michigan’s 25-yard line, Jones settled for a kick from Van Andel that hit the right upright.

“I wanted the points,” said Jones, a former Tennessee coach.

Michigan chose Warren after trading away Orji earlier in the season, but Warren hasn’t done much to keep him. Orji is limited as a passer, but his running ability gives the offensively weak team another way to move the ball. He ran the ball three times for 27 yards and completed 2 of 4 passes for 12 yards with one touchdown.

Who will start as center next week?

“We’ll find out in practice,” Moore said.

Impact of the survey

Michigan could slip once again in the AP Top 25 after another lackluster performance. It began the season ranked No. 9, lost one spot after beating Fresno State, and dropped another 7 spots after losing to the Longhorns.

Touching honors

Michigan asked fans before the game to observe a moment of silence for actor James Earl Jones, who died Monday, and to cheer for Greg Harden, a Michigan graduate who died Thursday.

Next

Arkansas State faces a ranked team for the second consecutive year, traveling to face 21st-ranked Iowa State on Saturday.

Michigan plays its Big Ten opener against No. 11 Southern California on Saturday.

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Follow Larry Lage on https://twitter.com/larrylage

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