With a chance for another statement win on Saturday, Michigan laid an egg against USC. The Wolverines entered the weekend looking to rebound offensively after an underwhelming 24-10 victory over a hapless Wisconsin team last week. The much-maligned USC defense allowed for the possibility of getting things back on track, but instead, Michigan took several steps in the wrong direction and is looking to regroup once more.
Billed as a toss-up matchup, one of the reasons folks figured Michigan had a chance
to win was its trench play. While this season has been a deflection from what the program has produced at its best on both the offensive and defensive lines, the Wolverines still had something of an advantage on paper up front coming into the game. Furthermore, it boasts one of the best running backs in the country in Justice Haynes, offering some hope the ground game could move the ball at will and keep the explosive USC offense off the field.
Instead, it was the complete opposite, with USC’s running game being the one that stole the show to the tune of 224 yards, a far cry from the 77.0 Michigan’s defense had allowed on a per game basis heading into Saturday.
“(USC) played really well. They executed the times they needed to — we didn’t. We didn’t tackle very well. We’ve tackled a lot better and this was not one of our best tackling performances,” head coach Sherrone Moore said after the game. “We work tackling every week. We work tackling every day. And we didn’t execute. We didn’t tackle when we needed to.”
The Trojans ripped down the field for a 75-yard touchdown drive on their opening drive, but it was their passing game that made that possible, as quarterback Jayden Maiava completed all five pass attempts, including a two-yard touchdown to Ja’Kobi Lane. The drive continued a disturbing trend for Michigan of allowing its opponent to march the length of the field on its opening drive for three straight weeks and four times in six games.
It didn’t necessarily seem like USC’s plan was to run into the teeth of Michigan’s defense. Furthermore, running back Waymond Jordan went down with an ankle injury early in the first half, pressing redshirt freshman King Miller into duty even though he’d only had 11 carries all season prior to facing the Wolverines.
Miller absolutely stole the show and had multiple backbreaking runs. Perhaps his most impactful came on USC’s first drive of the second half. Backed up to 3rd-and-26, the Trojans conservatively handed the ball off, but some woeful tackling allowed Miller to weave his way into Michigan territory on a 49-yard gain. He scored just two plays later on a 15-yard run and finished the night with 158 yards.
“It was a great run. Great job of execution and blocking by them,” Moore said of Miller’s run. “We didn’t fit the run right, so that’s why the holes were so big and they made a play. So again, credit to them, credit to Lincoln and that staff, but there’s things that we gotta look at.”
Michigan’s senior safety Rod Moore had similar thoughts about execution after the game, citing Michigan’s poor tackling as something that helped the Trojans create explosive plays on the ground.
“We gotta get better at tackling,” Moore said. “There was a lot of instances where somebody didn’t keep their leverage, didn’t get off the block, make the tackle. I missed a couple (tackles) coming out of the post, that’s not usually how I play.”
The fundamentals are something the Wolverines have struggled with all season long, and its something that’s doomed them in their two losses. The slate doesn’t get any easier, as next week Michigan welcomes in Washington, a team whose win over Michigan last year was the start of a midseason tailspin for the Wolverines.
With an uninspiring loss on the road, the season is threatening to look like a repeat of last year if the Wolverines aren’t able to adjust quickly. The Huskies boast a similarly explosive offense featuring a running back in Jonah Coleman who is more than capable of putting up big numbers of his own if Michigan’s defense executes as poorly as it did in Los Angeles.
