ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In the preseason, Michigan football beating USC looked like more of an expectation but by the time that the Week 4 game came along, it was a foregone conclusion that the Trojans would beat the Wolverines.
But that’s why they play the games.
The maize and blue had a solid gameplan in the first half, running an offense that almost solely was based on the run game and the quarterback keeper (which was basically the game plan for the entire game, honestly) and wearing USC down up front. But in the second half, it was ugly, as before the final drive, Michigan had run nine plays for seven yards. But then Kalel Mullings broke out for a huge run to get Michigan back into the red zone and he scored a few plays later on fourth-and-1 and the defense disallowed the Trojans from converting on a fourth down play as time wound down.
Here are our five takeaways from Michigan’s big 27-24 win.
1. This offensive plan could work down the stretch
Now, yes, there likely will need to be more of an effort passing the ball as new starting quarterback Alex Orji attempted 12 passes with seven completions for 32 yards. But the Wolverines used the pass to catch the Trojans off-guard, more so in the first half, and allowed the run game to shine — with Kalel Mullings, Alex Orji, and Donovan Edwards. Michigan had more than 200 yards in the first half.
Now, the second half was a bit of a slog and you’d like to see more creativity on that front, but when it came crunch time, Mullings raced for 63 yards and set the Wolverines up in the red zone with the ability to drain the clock and make things tough on USC.
Going into the game, we said that Michigan needed to run the ball about 75% of the time, and in 58 plays, the Wolverines ran 46 times and passed just 12. And they came away with a win. Not bad.
2. The defense (mostly) looked much better
USC has an offense that’s not too dissimilar from that of Texas and Lincoln Riley had some moments where he called similar plays (particularly to the tight end) but the Wolverines were ready. The defense set the tone early and even though USC managed to stage a bit of a comeback — even taking the lead late. But the defense dialed up pressures at the right times, weren’t always too aggressive, and really shut down the Trojan run game, except for one play — a 65-yard run by Woody Marks.
If the defense comes to play like this every week, especially given the pressure on the quarterback with the front four, then it will be in every game.
3. Better on penalties and turnovers
The first three weeks, Michigan was careless with the football and undisciplined when it came to penalties — a 180-degree difference from that of the last three iterations of the Michigan Wolverines. The maize and blue still committed three penalties for 25 yards but USC had six for 32 yards. Still, managing to be the more disciplined team was a good situation given the first three weeks.
Technically, both teams turned the ball over twice, and both of Michigan’s were easily correctable. And neither was an interception — so that’s a sign of improvement.
4. Sherrone Moore can coach
We already knew that he could given what he did last year as acting head coach with Jim Harbaugh suspended. But now this is his team, and he looked rudderless against Texas in Week 2. But he adapted, didn’t keep trying to stick a square peg in a round hole, and he came up with his first ranked win as the bona fide head coach.
If Moore would have lost the game, the season wouldn’t have been over, but it would have felt like it. But now everything that Michigan wants is still on the table — the College Football Playoff, the Big Ten Championship — all of it. This was as impressive of a win as you can get, especially as the team is rebuilding.
5. Kalel Mullings is your starting running back
Though Donovan Edwards continues to start and still had a good game (14 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown), Kalel Mullings is obviously the feature back at this point. Mullings started the scoring in this game with his first long run. He was dominant on the final drive and scored the game-winner. As the offensive line continues to jell, it seems that Mullings finds a way to evade tackles and fall forward — much like his two predecessors in Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum.
Mullings finished the game with 17 yards for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Five takeaways from Michigan football upset win over USC
