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Michigan Finds the Right Formula: Final Thoughts on a Classic Win Over USC

Posted on by angelo
Michigan Finds the Right Formula: Final Thoughts on a Classic Win Over USC

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Final thoughts on Michigan’s 27-24 win over USC and a scoreboard Sherrone Moore should frame in her office:

1. Mason Graham showed up to Michigan’s postgame press conference with scratches on his neck, looking like a guy who fought a tiger and lived to tell the tale.

Michigan had to fight for every inch against USC. While most of the attention was on Kalel Mullings and his epic fourth quarter, Michigan’s defensive line was the difference maker in the game. The Wolverines hunted down Miller Moss and blew up USC’s offense in the first half. The Trojans eventually adjusted, but when Michigan’s back four got 1-on-1s, the Wolverines made the most of it.

There aren’t many defenses in college football better than Graham, Kenneth Grant, Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart. We hadn’t seen the best of that unit through three games, in part because other teams were determined to get the ball out quickly. Michigan knew USC was going to get shots down the field, which meant the defensive line would have more opportunities to pressure Moss.

“The first three games, we didn’t have enough time, even though that’s what teams really give us,” Graham said. “We knew USC was going to back off. That’s what they do. They were going to give us opportunities to make plays, and that’s what we did today.”

2. TruMedia credited Michigan with 24 quarterback pressures, the most it’s had in a game since 25 against Ohio State in 2021. The Wolverines pressured Moss on 43% of his dropbacks while blitzing 21% of the time, the lowest blitz rate of the season.

In other words, all four Michigan defenders did their jobs. Eight of those quarterback pressures came from Stewart, who had two sacks and three tackles for loss. Stewart looked like the best player on the field for several stretches of the game, and USC didn’t have many answers for him.

“The defensive line had four sacks, and I think a lot of those sacks were by four men on offense,” Moore said. “I think coach Wink Martindale did a great job. We gave him a game in the locker room. With the mix of coverage, the mix of blitzes, the mix of looks, the twists, the plays, all those types of things, it kept Moss on his toes. Miller Moss is a good player. We hit him a lot.”

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Michigan proved it can win against USC. That’s all that matters, for now.

3. I picked Michigan at 10-2 because I thought the Wolverines had the defensive playmakers to win games with a one-dimensional offense built around Alex Orji and the running backs. While I don’t project Michigan as a 10-win team based on what we’ve seen so far, this game proved that the formula can work.

If Mullings’ 63-yard run was the biggest play of the game, Will Johnson’s 42-yard sixth interception was the second-best. Moss seemed to expect Johnson to run with the outside receiver in man coverage, but Johnson read the quarterback’s eyes and jumped underneath. If you were watching at home, all you saw was a blue blur streaking down the sideline as Johnson threw the third interception of his career.

“Two times before that, Wink was like, ‘He’s going to get one. They’re going to test him, and he’s going to get one,'” Moore said. “All I saw was Will like a missile – phew – take off.”

4. It wasn’t clear what happened to cause Johnson to run down the tunnel to the locker room in the fourth quarter. In retrospect, Johnson was scrimmaging USC’s Quinten Joyner and took a blow to the neck and shoulder area shortly before leaving the game.

Moore said Johnson was allowed to return to the game, but Michigan decided to hold him out. That explanation was a bit odd given that it was a one-point game for the entire fourth quarter, a situation in which Michigan clearly could have used its best player.

The Wolverines had a similar scenario last week with Colston Loveland, who appeared to have injured his shoulder late in the first half against Arkansas State. Loveland returned for the second half, took another hit to the shoulder and ended up missing the game against USC. I guess Michigan didn’t want to repeat that with Johnson.

Finishing a game with Jyaire Hill and Aamir Hall at cornerback would have been a scary thought after what happened against Texas, but to their credit, those players stepped up when Michigan needed them.

“(Johnson) could have come back, but we held him back,” Moore said. “He’s in a good position. I thought the other guys did a great job.”

5. Overall, it was a great game for Michigan’s defense. The Wolverines still have some room for improvement, including the blown coverage that allowed USC to score a wide-open touchdown in the third quarter.

I’m not sure what was supposed to happen here. Zeke Berry had a ton of ground to cover on the nickel blitz, and Michigan didn’t have anyone even close to an open receiver. This is a play Michigan’s defense would love to get back, but the Wolverines made up for it with a couple of big stops later in the game.

6. As expected, the switch to Orji hasn’t been a panacea for Michigan’s offense. He’s superior to Davis Warren in some areas and inferior in others. He gave Michigan’s running game a boost in the first half, but the offense stalled for most of the second half until Mullings got it going again.

With 32 yards in the air, Michigan’s passing game was, well, limited. Orji is an exceptional athlete and a powerful runner, but he’s no Denard Robinson in terms of elusiveness. The best part of Saturday’s performance was how he took care of the ball and didn’t get flustered when the pressure was on.

“He’s got that presence,” Moore said. “He looked at me (in the fourth quarter) and said, ‘We’re about to score.’ He’s got it all.”

There’s no perfect option, but Orji is the right quarterback for the way Moore wants to play. Michigan has to go with him, gradually building confidence in the passing game and hoping the running game is strong enough to carry the offense. It won’t always be pretty, but Orji gives the offense a stable foundation with room to grow.

7. Plus, how many starting quarterbacks can do that?

8. As Michigan pulled away from the field with 41 seconds remaining, Moore turned to offensive line coach Grant Newsome and asked him to make his best play on fourth down. Newsome was ready to respond: I-formation, three tight ends, Max Bredeson at fullback, handoff to Mullings for the win.

No surprise. Moore’s mantra is “smash,” and Michigan would live or die doing what it does best. Whether it was the 32-yard pass against USC or the 32-game rush against Penn State, Moore isn’t going to apologize for doing what it took to win.

The difference this year is that Michigan isn’t thinking about winning a national championship. When the Wolverines talk about living in the moment and taking each game as it comes, it’s because they have no other choice.

“Every game is a season in one game,” Moore said. “We’re going to try to win this game. The guys did an outstanding job executing the plan.”

(Photo by Josaiah Stewart: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images)