We are talking to Wolverines Wire editor Isaiah Hole before Michigan takes on USC this coming Saturday at the Big House in Ann Arbor on CBS. We asked Isaiah how many points Michigan can afford to allow to USC. Isaiah told us it’s not just about the overall total, but how the first half sets up the second half and shapes the whole game.
“On the amount of points Michigan can/can’t afford to allow, I’d say 24 points, but it depends on when those points are scored,” Hole said. “Texas scored 31 but it got 24 of those in the first half. If the Wolverines had held the Longhorns to, say, 14 points in the first half, it would have been a much more manageable game considering U-M deferred to the second half (as usual). Michigan isn’t built to come back from big deficits, and that was even true with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback. The bigger thing for the Michigan defense is holding USC to 14 points or less in the first half, and keeping things within striking distance in the early going in hopes that the lines wear down for the Trojans and Michigan can hit some big runs late in the game.”
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