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The Michigan football team picked up a huge win on Saturday against #11 USC. The Wolverines needed to have it, and they got it. The Trojans came into this game as the favorite, but Michigan put their heads down and ran the ball down their throat for a huge win to start Big Ten conference play. Kalel Mullings had a massive game and led the Wolverines to the massive victory to begin Big Ten play.
One of the biggest storylines coming into this game was Alex Orji taking over as the starting quarterback for the Michigan football team. Orji didn't have a ton of success in the passing game, but the Michigan offense dominated on the ground in the first half, and that got them an early lead.
Alex Orji finished the game with just 32 passing yards. The Wolverines need someone that can make more plays in the passing game, but they were still able to find a way to win this one. The defense was a big reason why as they had some dominant possessions in this one.
The first half was especially dominant for Michigan as their defense was smothering and the run game was working well. USC couldn't get anything going on offense, and the Wolverines busted two long runs for touchdowns. Michigan took a 14-3 lead into the break, but USC came out ready in the second half.
USC played much better in the second half, and they ended up coming back in the fourth quarter and taking the lead. The Michigan offense had been struggling and couldn't get anything going, so it looked like the Trojans were in the drivers seat.
When it matter most, the Michigan football team led a terrific drive at the very end of the game to score the game-winning touchdown. They ran the football, and they got the win.
It wasn't pretty for the majority of the game, but the Wolverines got the win. Here are three takeaways from the big victory:
Michigan needs someone who can throw the ball
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Alex Orji got the win in his first start, but he didn't make much of an impact in the passing game. He had just 32 passing yards, and the Wolverines did score a defensive touchdown as Will Johnson had a pick-six in the game. Things worked well enough on Saturday as the Wolverines did get the big win, but they do need have some sort of passing presence going forward. Michigan will probably need to make some games in the passing game in their other big games this year.
The turnovers were still problematic
The Michigan football team almost blew a 14-point lead in this game, and turnovers were a big reason why. One of them happened on a different turnover as Kenneth Grant recovered a fumble and then fumbled himself. USC scored a touchdown off of that. The Trojans also scored off of a Donovan Edwards fumble in the red zone. Those plays hurt the Wolverines big time as 14 of USC's 24 points came from those mistakes.
Kalel Mullings needs to get 75% of the carries
Donovan Edwards has had a couple decent games in a row, but Kalel Mullings has been much better. The Michigan football team has had a ton of success with Mullings, and they need to ride with him as RB1 instead of splitting the carries with Edwards. Mullings had 17 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Edwards had 14 carries for 74 yards, one touchdown and one lost fumble. Mullings has to be the guy.
This was a massive win for the Michigan football team. They needed to get it done, and they did. Now, they have hope going forward. There is still a lot to work on, however.
