The Michigan football team improved to 2-1 on Saturday with a 28-18 win over Arkansas State. The Wolverines had a big lead for most of the game, but the score got a lot closer with two late touchdowns by the Red Wolves. Michigan did some things well on Saturday, but there is a ton that they need to clean up before they host USC this weekend.
Michigan's run game dominated on Saturday which was a great sign for the Wolverines. The run game didn't look good in weeks one or two, so it was good to see the Michigan football team get back to their roots.
The biggest issue for Michigan is certainly quarterback play. Davis Warren threw three interceptions on Saturday, and he was replaced by Alex Orji. The QB position is a major concern.
When Davis Warren was taken out of the game on Saturday, he hadn't thrown a pass that wasn't caught. Unfortunately, three of his passes were caught by Arkansas State players. Warren has made some impressive throws, but he can't take care of the football. It's a problem, and he was taken out of the game because of it.
Michigan brought in Alex Orji after Warren's third interception. Orji is a great runner, but he has some question marks in the passing game as well. The fact that the coaching staff rode with Warren through all the mistakes for as long as they did probably says a lot about their confidence in Orji's passing ability.
It would be pretty surprising if Jack Tuttle isn't the guy when he's healthy. He has the most experience out of any Michigan QBs and we have seen him throw the football in the past. Something has to change. Maybe Orji can get it done, but it just doesn't seem like he has the arm talent. The coaching staff has shown no confidence in him when it comes to throwing the ball more than three yards down the field.
On Monday, Sherrone Moore officially named Orji the Michigan football starter for Saturday's game against USC.
One positive for Michigan was the offensive line and the run game. Obviously, Arkansas State isn't a very good football team, but the Wolverines needed to show some life here, and they did. The run game finally got going as Michigan rushed for over 300 yards, and Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards both had a good game. Michigan wants running the football to be their identity, and it was on Saturday.
Donovan Edwards did have a much better day on Saturday and he is going to continue to get a lot of carries, but Kalel Mullings is the best running back on the team. Mullings finished the game with 152 rushing yards on 15 carries and he got into the end zone twice. Edwards had 82 yards on 17 carries, and he found the end zone once. Mullings gives the team the best chance to win.
If Michigan is going to beat USC next week, they need to play a lot better. The Trojans have looked really good in their two wins this season, and they are going to be a tough team for Michigan to beat. If the Wolverines lose that game, they are in trouble.
USC looks like a very good team
USC is coming into this game as the favorite, and they are riding a lot of momentum into the matchup.
Coming into the season, people weren't expecting a lot from this USC football team because of how bad their defense was last year. However, the Trojans have looked good through two games, and one of their wins came against ranked LSU. The Tigers have a very legit offense, and USC was able to slow them down enough to get the win.
This matchup between the Michigan football team and USC looks completely different now than it did heading into the season. The preseason line for this game favored Michigan by 10 points, and they are now 5.5-point underdogs. USC has exceeded expectations so far this year, and the Wolverines have failed to meet theirs.
Saturday's game against USC will be the perfect opportunity for this Michigan team to get their season back on track and prove that they are a contender in the Big Ten. However, they have to play much better football if they are going to make that happen. Here are a few questions that Michigan fans should be asking heading into this matchup?
Can Alex Orji throw the football?
Because of the fact that Alex Orji didn't initially win this quarterback competition, this is a very reasonable question. We also haven't seen any throws from him during games this year that would make Michigan football fans confident in his passing ability. Orji will be the starter for the Wolverines on Saturday, and Moore did say that Orji can throw the ball. If he can find away to take care of the football and just have a decent passing attack, this Michigan offense could look a lot better.
Will the run game show up again against USC?
The Michigan football team ran for over 300 yards against Arkansas State, but can the Wolverines find success against a team like USC? In weeks one and two, Michigan wasn't able to get much going on the ground, but they broke through against the Red Wolves. Obviously, Arkansas State isn't a very good team, but the offensive line did seem to simply execute better. They have to play another good game on Saturday as Michigan doesn't stand a chance if they can't establish the run.
Can the defense keep Michigan in it no matter what?
Coming into the season, everyone looked at this Michigan football defense as one of the best in the country. The unit has been good through three games, but not as good as we were expecting. We were expecting the Wolverines to be in every game because of their defense, but Texas was able to put up 24 points in the first half and pull away from Michigan. However, a big reason why they were able to do that was turnovers by the offense. If the Wolverines can take care of the ball on offense and not give USC short fields, the defense should be able to keep this one pretty close.
The Wolverines and Trojans will kick off from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor at 3:30 ET on Saturday. The game will be airing on CBS, and USC is currently favored by 5.5 points.
Follow Us
Subscribe
