Michigan football team keeps playoff hopes alive, but there’s still an elephant in the room

ANN ARBOR, Michigan – The Michigan football team kept its playoff hopes alive with an upset win over USC this weekend, but we can’t ignore the elephant in the room.

The Wolverines jumped out to a 14-0 lead Saturday before an offensive breakdown allowed USC to come back to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

Kalel Mullings was there to save the day, sparking the offense with a 63-yard run and then scoring the game-winning touchdown on fourth down.

It wasn’t easy, and it certainly wasn’t pretty. But it was a victory.

Playoff hopes remain

The importance of this game cannot be overstated. After their disappointing performance against Texas two weeks ago, the Wolverines couldn’t afford to lose multiple times before the calendar even turned to October.

USC came into the game as the No. 11 team in the country, and this win should age very well for Michigan. The Trojans have already beaten LSU and crushed Utah State 48-0, and the rest of their schedule sets up nicely for a playoff run.

It was the type of iconic victory Michigan needed to replace the mental image of what Texas did to the Big House.

There’s no shame in losing to Texas this season — the Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the country, after all. But it was the path Michigan’s loss caused many people to lose faith in the team as a playoff contender.

The Wolverines really needed a big win to turn things around and save face nationally. The rest of the schedule is even more daunting than we thought (Michigan State, Illinois and Indiana are all on the rise), so Michigan couldn’t burn its final mulligan so early.

But the next two weeks present a huge opportunity. If Michigan can take care of Minnesota this weekend, a national championship rematch in Washington will determine whether the Wolverines enter the first bye week 4-1 or 3-2.

If they go 4-1 with wins over USC and Washington, their resume will be really solid. Playoff talk will start up again.

We still have to talk about this big problem. Yes, you know what’s coming.

The Quarterback Situation

Sherrone Moore had no choice but to make a quarterback change this week after Davis Warren threw six interceptions in the first three games.

Technically, it worked, as Alex Orji led Michigan to victory. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Michigan is still an extremely one-dimensional offense. Saturday’s win came despite Orji completing just seven passes for 32 yards. Michigan’s longest pass was a 10-yard pass to Marlin Klein.

USC gradually committed to stopping the run, which is why Michigan went from trailing by 14 in the first half to three straight three-and-outs, a fumble and another three-and-out after the break.

It wasn’t until Mullings broke off that 63-yard run that Michigan got the chains moving for the first time in the second half. There were less than three minutes left to play at that point.

Most of the time, Michigan won’t be able to go 27 minutes without a first down and win. Nor will it be able to completely ignore the passing game.

Mullings and Donovan Edwards are an incredible running back duo, but at some point Orji will have to keep the defense honest. Otherwise, we’ll remember the USC game as a highlight of an otherwise unremarkable season.

On the bright side

Orji’s first start was not entirely negative.

For starters, he takes care of the ball. He only put the ball in danger once Saturday, and it fell incomplete.

His running ability is a valuable weapon, and we saw it on several occasions on key downs. Orji ran for 32 total yards and had three first downs.

There’s no doubt that Michigan is a better team with Orji at the helm. It’s far from a perfect fit, but it’s probably the best option Moore has on his current roster.

If they were good enough to beat USC, they’ll be good enough to win a lot of games. But I don’t think Michigan can be a playoff team without a passing attack.