ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football kept its playoff hopes alive with a thrilling upset win over USC this weekend, but we can’t ignore the elephant in the room.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 14-0 advantage Saturday before an offensive funk allowed USC to storm back for a fourth-quarter lead.
Kalel Mullings was there to save the day, though, sparking the offense with a 63-yard run and then scoring the game-winning touchdown on fourth down.
It wasn’t easy, and it certainly wasn’t pretty. But it was a win.
Playoff hopes live on
The importance of that game can’t be overstated. After their unsightly performance against Texas two weeks ago, the Wolverines couldn’t afford multiple losses before the calendar even flips to October.
USC came into the game as the No. 11 team in the country, and this win is likely to age very well for Michigan. The Trojans already beat LSU and clobbered Utah State 48-0, and the rest of their schedule sets up nicely for a playoff run.
It’s the type of signature win Michigan needed to replace the mental image of what Texas did at the Big House.
There’s no shame in losing to Texas this season -- the Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the country, after all. But it was the way Michigan lost that caused many to lose faith in this team as a playoff contender.
The Wolverines badly needed a high-profile win to right the ship and save face nationally. The rest of the schedule is even more daunting than we thought (Michigan State, Illinois, and Indiana are all improved), so Michigan couldn’t burn its last mulligan this early.
But the next two weeks offer a massive opportunity. If Michigan can take care of Minnesota this weekend, a national championship rematch in Washington will determine whether the Wolverines hit the first bye week at 4-1 or 3-2.
If they’re 4-1 with wins over USC and Washington, the resume will look really strong. The playoff conversation will be back in full force.
We still have to talk about that one big problem, though. Yeah, you know what’s coming.
The quarterback situation
Sherrone Moore had no choice but to switch quarterbacks this week after Davis Warren tossed six interceptions in the first three games.
Technically it worked, because Alex Orji led Michigan to a win. But that doesn’t tell the full story.
Michigan is still a severely one-dimensional offense. Saturday’s win came despite Orji completing just seven passes for 32 yards. Michigan’s longest pass play was a dump-off to Marlin Klein that went for 10 yards.
USC progressively committed more and more to stopping the run, and that’s why Michigan went from scoring 14 points in the first half to three consecutive three-and-outs, a fumble, and another three-and-out after the break.
It wasn’t until Mullings broke that 63-yard run that Michigan moved the chains for the first time in the second half. There were less than three minutes remaining at that point.
Most of the time, Michigan won’t be able to go 27 minutes without a first down and win. It won’t be able to completely ignore the passing game, either.
Mullings and Donovan Edwards form an incredible running back tandem, but at some point, Orji will need to keep the defense honest. Otherwise, we’ll remember the USC game as a highlight in an otherwise unremarkable season.
On the bright side
Orji’s first start wasn’t all doom and gloom.
For starters, he’s taking care of the football. He only put the ball in harm’s way once on Saturday, and it fell incomplete.
His running ability is a valuable weapon, and we saw that several times on key downs. Orji ran for 32 total yards and picked up three first downs.
There’s no question Michigan is a better team with Orji at the helm. It’s far from a perfect solution, but it’s probably the best option Moore has on his current roster.
If it was good enough to beat USC, it’ll be good enough to win quite a few games. But I don’t think Michigan can be a playoff team without a passing attack.
