4 takeaways from Michigan’s thrilling Big Ten victory over USC

USC and Michigan squared of Saturday afternoon in a historic Big Ten game. It would go down to the wire, living up to the hype as a marquee ranked showdown in Week 4.

In fact, this game had a little bit of everything. Wild turnovers, big-time running plays, defensive scores and a thrilling finish on the goal line showed these two programs are built to compete — and that the Trojans can handle life in the new era of B1G football.

Ultimately, Michigan flexed its resolve and leaned on its ground game to deliver an 89-yard game-winning drive late in the 4th. While USC will be forced to dwell on some missed opportunities in the 27-24 loss, it does show the Trojans are well-suited for the B1G.

Here are the key takeaways from the massive matchup:

Michigan’s ground game is still a problem for opposing teams

Michigan cannot throw the forward pass with much effectiveness (more on that in a bit). But make no mistake about it.

Sherrone Moore’s group can still dial up a ground attack that will cause problems for the opposition.

That was the story early — and late — in the dramatic finish vs. USC. Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings scored from long distance in the first half, and it was Mullings who came up clutch in the fourth quarter.

Backed up on their own 11-yard line, the Wolverines leaned on Mullings to cover the distance needed for a fantastic game-winning touchdown. After a false start penalty, and accounting for a 10-yard pass pickup from Alex Orji, Mullings had 84 yards and the touchdown with less than a minute to go with the game on the line.

Mullings finished the game with 159 yards on 17 carries while Edwards added 74 yards on 14 carries. As a team, the Wolverines finished just shy of 300 yards rushing — and that’s with a QB who accounted for 32 yards passing.

Will Johnson delivers game-changing moment

Coming out of halftime, Michigan held a 14-3 lead, but USC was quick to grab all the momentum. The Trojans marched the length of the field for a touchdown and forced a quick 3-and-out to get the ball back down 14-10.

It felt inevitable that the Trojans would deliver another drive for some points and either take the lead or further cut into the lead. Then, Will Johnson struck.

On a 3rd-down play, Johnson jumped a pass that was intended for Zachariah Branch in the flat. Branch was falling away from the pass, and his inability to come back to the ball left the opening for Johnson to grab the ball and head back for a crucial pick-6.

Instead of USC cutting further into the deficit, Michigan rebuilt its lead to 20-10. That play was the difference in the game.

Miller Moss delivers big-time statement

It may be easy for some people to forget that Miller Moss was making just his 4th career start dating back to last season’s bowl game. Saturday also marked his first-ever true road start, and it came in a ranked matchup against the defending national champions.

It was not an easy performance, by any means. He spent most of the first half on his back and running from Michigan’s defensive line before some halftime adjustments opened things up.

Even once he found a second-half groove, Moss nearly doomed USC’s chances with a bad throw that resulted in a pick-6 by Will Johnson in the 3rd quarter. Fortunately, the QB rallied in epic fashion.

Moss would throw 3 total touchdown passes in the second half, including one to Ja’Kobi Lane in the fourth quarter that gave the Trojans a late lead.

TROJANS ON TOP!!!@uscfb stuns the Big House ✌️ pic.twitter.com/UPCGjIV38r

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2024

While Moss could not deliver a game-winning moment with less than a minute to play, he ended the game with 283 passing yards and 3 touchdowns against a tough defense. We’ll see how he bounces back, but it is a respectable outing for the Trojan.

Michigan’s QB situation is worse than expected

Anyone who watched Michigan’s offense in the first 3 games knew the Wolverines were in need of some serious adjustments. Sherrone Moore finally delivered those adjustments, making the switch from Davis Warren to Alex Orji under center for Week 4.

The switch is undeniably needed after Warren threw 6 interceptions across the first 3 games. However, Orji was not given much of a chance to impact the game with his arm against the Trojans.

In the first half, Michigan piled up over 200 yards of offense, mainly via some big runs from Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards to score 2 first-half touchdowns. Orji’s legs also accounted for some of the early rushing numbers.

The ground game was shut down by the Trojans in the 2nd half, and Orji was unable to threaten with the passing game. He finished 7-for-12 for 32 yards through the air, and that’s not going to win many games in a Power 4 conference.

Michigan was able to find a way to avoid the loss in this one, but those numbers are a problem moving forward.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.