Keys to the Game: Michigan football vs. USC

It’s the start of the second season, as some former Michigan coaches used to call the Big Ten slate, and a huge chance for the Wolverines to get back on track against conference foe USC (still sounds weird, doesn’t it?). USC wasn’t expected to be one of the tougher games on this year’s schedule, but here we are. Not only are the Trojans better than expected, but they also come to Ann Arbor as a 5.5-point favorite. 

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And we get it. They’re much better on defense, apparently, coach Lincoln Riley finally paying attention to that side of the ball. 

“They’re a lot bigger, obviously, up front,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said. “They’ve put on some size, some mass. They’ve got different guys in there, a bunch of transfers on the O-line, and a lot of guys transferred from their defense. 

“But they’re a good football team. I think Lincoln does an outstanding job with the team. He’s always been a great offensive mind. Coach [D’Anton] Lynn‘s come in and brought in that defensive background, and they play really good defense, solid team defense. So, for us, it’s going to be penalty-free, take care of the football and start the game [strong].”

The latter, in fact, will probably be one of the keys to a Michigan win Saturday. We tackle them here: 

Michigan Key No. 1: Be responsible with pass defense, get guys on the ground

That means guys being where they’re supposed to be at all times, not allowing wide open leak-outs or falling prey to double moves. We suspect Miller Moss and Co. will try to pick on the “other” corner, whether it’s Michigan sophomore Jyaire Hill, veteran Aamir Hall, or someone else. It wouldn’t surprise, though, to see them take some shots at junior Will Johnson, too. He needs to bring his ‘A’ game. 

More than anything, they just need to be more disciplined, including the linebackers. They looked lost against Texas. Jimmy Rolder seemed to upgrade the position when he was in there vs. Arkansas State — might we see more of him?

Whoever’s out there, they need to communicate, get more help from the “elite” defensive line we’ve all expected to see, and make Moss and Co. earn every yard. That means getting guys on the ground on first contact, too, not the 135 yards post-hit Texas managed. 

Michigan Key No. 2: Own the trenches on offense

It’s clear what Michigan will try to accomplish with Alex Orji under center. Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell is going to run the ball and run it some more — hopefully more creatively than they have in the past with the junior signal-caller — unless you believe they’ve been waiting for this moment to surprise a team and unleash him as a passer (they haven’t). 

Monday, Moore said they had a package ready for Orji, and we can only assume that means heavy personnel, a large dose of Orji runs, and — hopefully — a lot of Kalel Mullings. USC will undoubtedly be prepared and crowd the line of scrimmage, but you can still move the ball effectively if you get great offensive line play and don’t just try to “smash” between the tackles. 

If the line does its job, the Wolverines can shorten the game and play the complementary football Moore and Co. want to play. They’ll have to improve a lot this week to accomplish that.

Michigan Key No. 3: Win third downs

That likely means avoiding third-and-long on offense — thus the importance of first- and second-down success — and getting off the field on third-and-long on defense. The Michigan defense had a hard time doing that against Texas, giving up 8 of 10 conversions in the first half, many of them longer distances. They also struggled on the first drive against Arkansas State, giving up three lengthy third-and-longs, before tightening it up. 

They might not get away with it against an offense like USC’s. They have to get off the field when they can. They can’t be too aggressive against this offense, or they’ll get picked apart; at the same time, they can’t give Moss all day to throw. 

The team that plays better in this area Saturday will likely have a great shot to win the game. 

The breakdown: Michigan football vs. USC

USC appears to be much improved over a year ago, especially on defense. The question is, “how much?” LSU, its first opponent, doesn’t look like a world beater, having shown plenty of weaknesses in the first three games. Utah State is Utah State, not exactly a great test. 

In a way, this is USC’s first huge test of the year, and even that might be a stretch. This Michigan team looks like a middle of the pack Big Ten squad right now, lacking any one thing to hang its maize and blue helmet on (minus placekicking). But traveling to Michigan and winning would be impressive, regardless, and the Trojans have had two weeks to prepare. 

The key for Michigan is simple — run the ball well, protect the ball (for crying out loud), and don’t give up chunks of yardage.  Handle the basics, and this should be a fourth-quarter game. 

It’s time for these guys to play to the sum of their parts.