After suffering an alarming 31-13 loss to the USC Trojans on Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines appear to be at a crossroads as the program can’t allow the recent setback to snowball into a losing streak
in a similar fashion to last season.
In 2024, Michigan started the season 4-1 before heading to the West Coast to face Washington. Not only did a loss to the Huskies halt the early-season momentum, but it snowballed into an awful stretch that included four losses in five games.
The Wolverines entered the matchup at USC at 4-1 last week as well before getting blown out with an embarrassing second half performance. Now, head coach Sherrone Moore must make sure the loss to USC doesn’t lead to a losing streak.
“The guys have been in here, trying to get better and fix all the problems to make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” Moore said. “The message is simple. We have to go back to work. There’s no pouting and there’s no making excuses for it.”
Michigan certainly has no time to dwell on the loss to USC. In order to avoid a similar downward spiral as last season, the Wolverines must regroup and refocus for the next game, which is coincidentally a must-win matchup with Washington.
“The guys are disappointed but we’ll attack the problems, not the people,” Moore told the media. “We’ll fix it and move on because we can’t let this game beat us twice. We have to go play a really good team and win this game on Saturday.”
The Washington game will provide Michigan an opportunity to get back in the win column and prove that this team is different from last year. If the Wolverines lose for a second week in a row, we could be in store for another turbulent season.
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood remained confident in the team’s ability to bounce back from the loss.
“We just have to keep our heads up throughout the entire game, keep a smile on our faces and just know that we can execute the plays,” Underwood told the media. “We have to be the best us that we can be every single snap and go finish.”
There are multiple areas that Michigan needs to improve on if they want to steer clear of having a similar fate to 2024. The offensive line and secondary have been inconsistent all season, but the run defense was also a glaring weakness at USC.
USC recorded 224 rushing yards, which was the most Michigan allowed since the playoff semifinal loss to TCU in 2022. If the Wolverines are going to bounce back, the defense must be more disciplined and fundamentally-sound in their run fits.
Michigan safety TJ Metcalf detailed what the team needs to do to move forward and not dwell on the loss to USC.
“I think as a team, we have to come together more than ever now,” Metcalf said. “We have to do what we need to do to improve for this Saturday. We don’t need to harp on that loss. We have to figure out what we need to do to get better.”
The defensive front has shown flashes of dominance this year — highlighted by seven sacks in a win at Nebraska — but they need to be more disruptive and physical. Additionally, the secondary has to tighten up its coverage and limit big plays.
Even though the loss to USC stings right now, there’s still a long season ahead. The Wolverines have the potential to address their weaknesses and right the ship but they can’t afford to allow this loss define their season like it did in 2024.
