Tag: USC Michigan

Michigan, despite having a terrible season, outperforms USC again

Michigan just scored 7 points in a bad loss to Illinois, making USC’s loss to UM even worse. Now, UM just landed a 5-star offensive lineman. Why can’t USC do that?

When we try to make sense of USC football and this lost 2024 season, one of the revealing snapshots is that a not-very-good Michigan football team was still able to beat the Trojans. Michigan scored just seven points in a humiliating loss to Illinois this past weekend. Michigan isn’t good. Yet, the Wolverines beat the Trojans in a result which now looks different than it did at the time (Sept. 21). That loss looks worse and worse for Lincoln Riley.

Now we can add another Michigan victory over USC to the 2024 tally of results. Michigan, for all of its on-field woes this year, was just able to land a five-star offensive lineman for next year.

Wolverines Wire has more on the story:

The Kansas native head coach (Sherrone Moore) went all-in to secure a commitment from 2025 Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, who was long seen as a Stanford lean. However, other schools — Auburn and Oklahoma — got heavily involved late, making things interesting.

However, Moore officially has his first five-star in the fold as Babalola officially made his verbal commitment to the maize and blue.

Michigan looks terrible on the field right now, but Sherrone Moore was able to land a really big fish for his offensive line. USC continues to fail to get five-star offensive linemen under Josh Henson.

If Michigan, amid its many struggles, can get a five-star offensive lineman, surely USC can do the same. The Trojans have to raise the bar in their recruiting, and that applies to the offensive line more than any other group by far.

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What Wisconsin learned about USC in the Trojans’ loss to Michigan

USC’s loss to Michigan might have given Wisconsin fresh confidence that it can beat the Trojans, but the Badgers might not have the personnel needed to prevail.

Wisconsin was surely studying a lot of USC-Michigan film this past Saturday, and into the early part of this week. The Badgers get a crack at the Trojans this coming weekend in Los Angeles, and they had to feel at least somewhat confident that they can exploit some of USC’s weaknesses … right? Maybe not. Ben Kenney of Badgers Wire talked about USC’s loss to Michigan and what it might mean for Wisconsin:

“The loss itself built confidence because the Trojans finally looked less-than-dominant,” Kenney said. “LSU’s performance since that Week 1 matchup has also taken a bit of the shine off USC’s statement win. The old Wisconsin Badgers would see what Michigan did on the ground and replicate it. Unfortunately, I can’t confidently say that the new regime is capable of that type of game plan. Wisconsin also does not have the offensive or defensive line of Michigan and doesn’t have running backs as talented as Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings.

“The manner of USC’s loss to Michigan created a sentiment of ‘Wisconsin better run the ball on Saturday’ less than a belief that it will be able to do so.”

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College football world waits to see if Lincoln Riley, USC can overpower Michigan

USC fans will tell you that the Trojans aren’t soft and that they have cast away that identity for good. The Michigan game will be a final proving ground.

Note the word “overpower” in the title of this story. It’s not “beat” or “outscore,” but something specific. USC outscoring Michigan 42-35 wouldn’t change the national college football narrative that USC is soft. If the Trojans can physically overwhelm Michigan, however, you’re going to stop seeing the “USC is soft” theme on television, radio, and in the newspapers. USA TODAY Sports has more on this:

It’s early, and USC hasn’t played a conference game, but there might be a significant turn being taken on the defensive side of the ball. The program that wandered arm in arm with mediocrity for the better part of 15 years since former coach Pete Carroll left for the NFL in 2009, gets a prove-it moment on the road against desperate defending national champion Michigan.

In a college football world of ever-changing, weekly perceptions, nothing truly sticks until an absolute defining moment. This is where USC’s new defense – with six new starters from the transfer portal, and five more transfer portal starters from 2023 – continues its metamorphosis from sieve to strength.

For a lot of analysts, the Michigan game will prove if USC’s solid start on defense is for real. For a lot of college football commentators, the Michigan game will either affirm or disprove the idea that USC is now tough again, the way it was under Pete Carroll. All that’s left is to go out and prove it.

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Michigan coaches respect one specific feature of USC passing game

The Michigan coaching staff respects Miller Moss, and it is aware of the specific virtues of the USC passing game.

The Michigan football coaching staff knows Miller Moss is playing good football in the early stages of the 2024 season. They are aware that if their defense is not on top of its game, USC could have a very successful Saturday in the Big House when the Trojans visit the Maize and Blue. Wolverines Wire has more on what Michigan defensive back coach LaMar Morgan thinks about the USC passing game:

“I just think they’re doing a really good job of just spreading the ball around,” Morgan said. “I think they have the outside bigger receivers that they can have there. I think the tight end does a good job. If you lock down the guys outside, him down the middle, he just does a good job of spreading the ball around.

“I think the quarterback, I think everybody can talk about him, whatever they want to say. He kind of waited his turn. I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country, seriously. I think if you watch his tape, you see what he does, the placement. He’s on his back foot getting hit, and the ball is on the money. I just think everybody that plays him this year will see a quarterback that is ready for his challenge, has been prepared. I think he’s one of the best players on their offense as the quarterback, without a doubt.”

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Lincoln Riley knows USC-Michigan is about more than the playoff

Lincoln Riley wants to make the College Football Playoff, but USC-Michigan matters for reasons which go beyond the playoff itself.

The USC-Michigan game carries College Football Playoff stakes for the Trojans. That’s the biggest part of this game for the Men of Troy. However, there’s more about this game than the playoff. It’s a special and historic moment. Lincoln Riley knows this, as Wolverines Wire shared:

I don’t think you can ignore it. It’s a big game. I mean, it is. It’s for a lot of reasons. I mean, in any year, it would be a big game. But you go first Big Ten matchup, you’re taking arguably the two most iconic brands in the conference, and two of the most iconic brands in the sport and you pair them up together and I think probably fitting that we’re doing it at their place. Being that they’ve obviously been in the Big Ten forever. And so it’s cool, man. I mean, it is. It’s cool. It’s a great opportunity. And so I don’t think there’s any harm in acknowledging that.

Let’s see if USC can seize this opportunity on Saturday.

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Lincoln Riley hopes LSU test pays off for USC against Michigan

Lincoln Riley knows how hard USC had to work to beat LSU. That 60-minute battle could give USC the winning edge against Michigan.

USC faces Michigan this week. It should be a tough game. The fact that USC has already played LSU in a difficult environment could give the Trojans the experience and toughness they need to handle Michigan. Wolverines Wire has more from USC head coach Lincoln Riley:

I think it helps us having played the LSU game. I mean, that wasn’t a, obviously, that wasn’t a full road game, but at times, those neutral games can kind of feel like it a little bit. And so I think this team, having been in a big time atmosphere, is certainly helpful. Now it’s going to be, it’s different, right? When there’s not anybody cheering when you make a play, and so, or just a very few, there’ll be certainly, I know we’ll squeeze as many in there as we can, but so, yeah, that part’s different. I think it’s you got to have a lot of poise. You got to have an incredible amount of trust in your communication. I think always when you get in these environments, your communication, your operation, have got to be really, really good, because they’re going to challenge you on top of the crowd. I mean, just a really good football team with a lot of really good players on the other side.

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