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The Michigan football team is making a quarterback change as Alex Orji will start against USC on Saturday. Davis Warren has been the starter for the Wolverines through the first three games, but he was benched on Saturday against Arkansas State after throwing three interceptions. Orji came into the game after that and finished things out.
“Alex Orji will be Michigan’s starting QB against USC, Sherrone Moore says,” Austin Meek said in a post.
The Michigan football team needs to get a win against #11 USC this weekend as the Wolverines have already suffered one loss this year. Head coach Sherrone Moore believes that Orji gives the team the best chance to win.
Saturday's win vs. Arkansas State had some positives, but the performance from Davis Warren certainly wasn't one of them. Warren actually made some impressive throws at times and he didn't throw an incomplete pass. However, the three passes that he threw that weren't caught by his teammates were hauled in by Arkansas State players.
Some people saw the performance and said “Well, JJ McCarthy threw three interceptions against Bowling Green and Michigan won the national championship.” Unfortunately, this is clearly a very different situation.
Last season, JJ McCarthy only threw four interceptions throughout the entire 15-game season. Yes, he did throw three picks against Bowling Green. However, he only threw one combined in the other 14 games. Davis Warren has already thrown six this season, and he hasn't even played three full games. A change was needed, but will Alex Orji be able to make a difference for this offense?
Alex Orji is one of the best athletes on the entire team. He played in numerous big games last year because he is so talented that the Michigan football coaching staff couldn't keep him off the field. However, he was only even in as a runner. So, if he is so athletic that he played against Ohio State, Alabama and Washington last year, how did he not win this QB competition? That probably says a lot about his passing ability.
That's the big question mark surrounding Orji. Can he throw the football? From what we've seen so far this year, it seems like he struggles a bit in that area. Orji does have two touchdown passes, but they were both on little dump off passes. When he has been tasked with throwing moderately difficult passes, it hasn't looked great. However, he also hasn't been able to come in and establish any sort of rhythm. If he can, maybe that will change things.
If Orji can just become a decent passer and not turn the football over, this offense could completely change because of how athletic he is and how good he is in the run game. Defenses have to plan accordingly no matter what because of the threat Orji brings with his legs, and if he can become a threat in the passing game as well, he will be tough to slow down.
Michigan needs a win this weekend against USC. The Wolverines already have an ugly home loss against Texas, and with what lies ahead in conference play, they can't start with a loss.
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.
