USC QB Miller Moss, 'explosive' WR Zachariah Branch pose a big threat to Michigan football secondary

The Michigan Wolverines football defense was been stout in two of three games, holding each of Fresno State and Arkansas State to under 300 yards of total offense. But the Maize and Blue allowed Texas to rack up 31 points and 389 yards (246 passing, 143 rushing).

Michigan bounced back last week in a 28-18 victory over Arkansas State, with the Red Wolves scoring only three points before garbage time, but another big test awaits.

“We’ve got the talent,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said of his defense on the ‘Inside Michigan Football’ radio show Monday night. “For us, it’s just doing your job. And I think right now you’re seeing guys really buying into that more and more and more.

“And just playing their fits in the run [game], being where they need to be in pass coverage and starting to tackle better. I think the first two groups, there weren’t really a lot of missed tackles. Guys were making plays. It’s good to see that, and they’re playing fast.”

USC’s offense has been productive through two games, before having a bye last week. The Trojans put up 447 yards in a 27-20 win over LSU and 544 yards in a 48-0 shutout victory over Utah State.

“Offensively, explosive,” Moore said of USC. “It starts with the quarterback. He does a great job distributing the ball. Very, very smart, knows where to go with it on different pressures, on different looks. He has a lot of weapons around him.

“The O-line is big. I know they got a younger tackle on the left side, but they’re a big O-line.

“And [head coach] Lincoln [Riley] really wants to run the ball. He’s not a throw-first guy. People think he is because it’s a spread offense, but he really wants to run it. So we gotta stop the run again and do a really good job there.”

Quarterback Miller Moss has completed 72.7 percent of his passes for 607 yards and 2 scores. Five receivers have 5-plus catches, and while sophomore Zachariah Branch hasn’t put up gaudy numbers yet, he’s capable. Branch was a first-team All-American as a true freshman last season (return specialist), collecting 31 catches for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also returned 1 kick and 1 punt for a touchdown.

“He’s explosive, twitchy, a big playmaker,” Moore said of Branch.

Branch has seen 48 of his 66 snaps coming in the slot, meaning Michigan junior nickel back Zeke Berry will see a lot of time lined up across from him.

Michigan junior cornerback Will Johnson highlights the Wolverines’ secondary, an All-American last season. Moore discussed how he’s seen Johnson perform so far this fall.

“I’ve seen him play really well,” the Michigan coach said. “The second game [against Texas], they didn’t even throw his way. Last game, they did a little bit, but not as much, not very much. I wouldn’t either, because of how good he is.

“But the guy, man, he works so hard. He works so hard in the offseason and he works so hard now, mentally and physically, to be great. And he wants to push everybody around him to be great. He’s not satisfied with any of the preseason hype or rankings. He just wants to win, so it’s been awesome to watch.”

Sophomore Jyaire Hill is the starter on the opposite side of the field to Johnson, and graduate Aamir Hall has also played a significant amount. Both have been picked on in coverage at times this season, but Moore said he’s seen Hill improve.

“They’ve done a good job overall, always room to get better,” Moore explained of the rest of his secondary. “I think Jyaire has taken a step, especially this game, in coverage. He did a much better job in coverage of staying stuck on guys. I think he missed one tackle in space, and then Zeke was right there to cover it up. It’s all about angles as you go and tackle.

“Those guys have done a good job. And I think [graduate safety] Makari [Paige] has really been a leader back there, done a really good job of keeping everybody together and consistent. It’s been cool to watch them start to emerge even more together.”