The Redemption Game for the Reigning National Champions

After a crushing loss to Texas two weeks ago, there were a lot of questions floating around this team. This matchup against USC was the start of conference play for the Wolverines and it was a crucial benchmark game for how far this team could go this season. Through three weeks of play, Michigan has looked disjointed offensively and unfortunately, their defense struggled to pick up the slack. With their change at quarterback to Alex Orji this week, they could only hope that the offense would come together against #11 USC in the Big House.

Michigan was impressive in this game, with a dominant run game that totaled 290 yards and 3 TDs! This rushing attack was headlined by Kalel Mullings who accounted for 17 carries, 159 yards, and 2 TDs in this game. However, it wasn’t just the Michigan offense that secured the win for the Wolverines. The defense and Will Johnson managed to come away with a pick-6 in the second half to give the Wolverines a healthy margin in the fourth quarter. However, even with that boost from the defense, USC came raging back on offense and actually managed to secure the lead late in the fourth quarter. The game came down to one final drive that required the Wolverines to score a touchdown. With the help of a beast-mode run by Kalel Mullings, Michigan was able to get the ball down to within the 10 yard-line. After striking out three times on the goal line, Michigan was finally able to punch in the game-winning touchdown with a key block from Tight End Zack Marshall on the edge of the formation.

Despite the statement win from Michigan against USC, there are a few concerns for the reigning National Champions. Firstly, they still couldn’t find a way to throw the ball effectively through the air as Alex Orji only had 32 passing yards for the game. However, Orji did help the ground game as the mere threat of him taking off on the read option opened up lanes for Edwards and Mullings to rumble. The other concern is the injury to star corner Will Johnson as he left the game early and went to the x-ray room. If Will Johnson misses substantial time, it could be a huge blow to this defense. Hopefully, Will Johnson is ok and the Wolverines can build off this impressive win and take this momentum into next week against Minnesota.