Andy & Ari On3 - Michigan PUNCHES it in to beat USC | What does it mean for the Wolverines and Trojans?

Starting point is 00:00:00 welcome to your instant reaction to exactly what we want out of a college football game that's right fourth and goal 37 seconds to go michigan and usc a fullback on the field it is everything we we could ever want. And it came down to that play and Max Bredesen, the fullback, we're going to start by talking about the fullback. Max Bredesen crushes the end man on the line of scrimmage. Kolo Mullings scores. And that's your ball game, folks. What a game. What a win what a game what a win for Michigan what a win for Michigan because it was it had turned it had probably turned there at the end of the first half and it looked like it was going to be all USC in the second half that they were going to figure

Starting point is 00:00:59 that they'd figured it out even even after the pick six from Will Johnson, that USC had just taken control. And that was going to be that. But then Michigan mounts one more drive. Khalil Mullings rips off a massive, massive run to get them down near the goal line. And I'm telling you right now, as good as Donovan Edwards is, Khalil Mullings is Michigan's best back. Let's get that out in the open right now. That's the guy you want to hand the ball to at the end of the game.

Starting point is 00:01:34 He's the guy. Just a tremendous performance. Chris in the chat, USC is still that soft program everyone said they were. I disagree. I disagree. I disagree. And we'll talk about that. But let's keep talking about that final series by Michigan.

Starting point is 00:01:53 Because this was what Michigan had to do to win this game. It was not a pretty game by any stretch. And Michigan won this game because Jerome Moore made a quarterback switch. Jerome Moore made an offensive philosophy switch that he had to make because it wasn't working with Davis Warren. They kept throwing the ball to the other team. So they go to Alex Orji. Now, would this work against Oregon? No. Would this win you a game against Ohio State? No. Would it have won you a game against USC if USC had had two games worth of film on this offense? No, it would not have, but it worked today. And that's what matters. It buys Michigan time because Michigan now is 1-0 in Big Ten play. Needed this win.

Starting point is 00:02:46 Now look, it's not an easy road for Michigan. They play Minnesota and Washington. They should beat those teams. But then they're at Illinois. That's not a gimme. You saw Illinois beat Nebraska on Friday night. You saw Illinois beat Kansas. Illinois is a good team.

Starting point is 00:03:04 Michigan State under Jonathan Smith. not a pushover. Then they play Oregon. The question is, by the time they hit this stretch of Illinois, Michigan State, and Oregon, will they have developed a more functional offense with Alex Orji as the quarterback? Because if they have, I think they have a chance. But 7-12 for 32 yards passing is not going to get it done most of the time. Now, 46 carries for 290 yards and three touchdowns will get it done a lot of the time. Michigan's offensive line played great. I thought they were just going to break USC at one point. As I'm watching in the first half, I thought they're going to have a few more drives like this in the second half,

Starting point is 00:03:50 and they're just going to break them. The dam's going to break, and then every time they get the ball, they're going to score. But that's not what happened. That's not what happened. USC did a great job. And the biggest thing USC did, because I remember thinking at halftime, there's no halftime adjustment you can make because you're getting your ass whipped up front on both sides of the ball. So you can't make any schematic adjustment, but you can make a personnel adjustment. And that's what USC did. And it worked. So they replaced their left tackle. They moved Mason Murphy from right tackle to left tackle, and they put in redshirt freshman Tobias Raymond at right tackle. Their offense was better.

Starting point is 00:04:28 They were blocking that hellacious Michigan defensive line better. It wasn't great, but it was better. And that's what matters. I don't just throw out USC because of this loss. I thought the way they responded when last year's USC team, the year before his USC team would have completely collapsed in this game, would have completely collapsed. But they didn't. And look, you can complain like Zach in the chat says,

Starting point is 00:05:02 I always call an eight yard hitch when it's fourth and nine. It works every time. Look, it wasn't perfect. No, but they did not quit. The defense responded. The defense made a huge play, forcing that Donovan Edwards fumble. Anthony Lucas forcing that fumble was a massive, massive play. It allowed USC to take the lead. The defense did not hold up. But again, that's against a Michigan offense that is designed to do this to you. Most of the teams on USC's schedule can't do this to you. That's the thing. I'm looking at the rest of the Big Ten schedule.

Starting point is 00:05:42 Who's going to be able to do this to them? Maybe Penn State? That's pretty much it. So I do think USC has a chance to wind up having a really good first season of the Big Ten. I think they showed that in the big house. And the fact that they didn't collapse, they didn't give up. They didn't let themselves getting beat early in the game up front, cause them to just give in. I think it's a promising situation for USC. And I realized it's very disappointing right now. I realized when a team just runs the ball down the field on you, it is going to be frustrating.

Starting point is 00:06:26 The angry Trojan is angry. USC lost to a guy with a noodle for an arm. His arm is so noodley that Campbell Soup is trying to offer an NIL deal. Yes, Alex Orji may be getting that Campbell's NIL deal. But back to Michigan, I think the big question is the next couple weeks, can they develop an offense around Alex Orji that allows him to throw the ball about? Now, remember, they played without Colson Loveland in this game. Colson Loveland is their biggest weapon in the passing game.

Starting point is 00:06:53 He is, bar none, their best offensive player. Khalil Mullings is up there. But you add Colson Loveland back into the mix, I think there's a good chance that you have a passing game, at least a semi-functional passing game. I'm not asking for much. I'm not asking for Gardner Minshew running the Mike Leach offense at Washington State.

Starting point is 00:07:20 That's not what I want. You just need to be able to throw the ball when the defense puts nine guys in the box. That is really all you need at that point. Michael in the chat says, fundamental tackling cost USC that game. Look, you're not going to make every tackle. The difference between USC this year and USC last year, night and day. Think about how many open field tackles USC is making this season. You have to accept the progress where it is. You have to accept the progress.

Starting point is 00:08:01 Miranda Davis says, USC don't throw a pick six and they win exactly you're right you're right and that one you know you saw on the broadcast they were pointing it out I Zach Branch kept backing off on that play letting Will Johnson just get closer and closer and and then go get the ball Will Johnson went and took that ball because Zach Branch didn't aggressively go get it that's that's really the game right there that's the game Will Johnson went and took that ball because that branch didn't aggressively go get it. That's really the game right there. That's the game. M. Goboski, Michigan is bad.

Starting point is 00:08:34 USC is worse. Here's the thing. Michigan is worse than Texas. True. But Texas is really good. USC did lose to Michigan. Again, if you've got two weeks of film on that Michigan offense with Alex Orji running it, then I don't think you lose that game.

Starting point is 00:08:59 But I do think Michigan is not bad. Michigan is better than most of the teams it's going to play. Is Michigan going to be able to beat Oregon and Ohio State like this? No. Michigan Is Michigan going to be able to beat Oregon and Ohio state like this? No, Michigan is not going to be able to beat Oregon and Ohio state like this. Something will have to change. The Wolverines are going to have to find a way to build a functional passing game. And also remember Will Johnson out with an injury at the end of this

Starting point is 00:09:21 game. That is a big, big deal, big deal. Big deal. And I think this is something we're seeing throughout the country. When somebody good is out, one player, two players, it makes a huge difference because teams are just not as deep as they have been. In the era of the transfer portal and NIL, players are spread much more efficiently around the landscape.

Starting point is 00:09:49 So the players who are best at their positions go find places to start and play and be stars. And that makes it tough. So when you lose a Will Johnson, it fundamentally changes your defense. Mr. Big Play Bray, Andy, bottom line, do you think USC will make the playoffs? No, I don't. I think they'll drop one more. And even if they do make the Big Ten Championship, because if they drop the Notre Dame game and they win the other ones, there's a really good chance

Starting point is 00:10:22 they're still in the Big Ten Championship game. But I think they would lose to Notre Dame game and they win the other ones, there's a really good chance they're still in the Big Ten Championship game. But I think they would lose to Notre Dame because Notre Dame plays in a similar fashion to Michigan. You're going to get the same thing from Notre Dame, except Riley Leonard is a more dynamic quarterback. The Northern Illinois game notwithstanding. And I think they would have trouble with whoever they'd seen in the Big Ten Championship game. Whether that's Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, they would have trouble. And remember, they also have to beat Penn State. So even if they beat Penn State, they're still going to have a problem. Teddy, why are you finding every reason on why USC lost? Well, I don't have to tell you what the reasons

Starting point is 00:11:06 were. The reasons were they got their asses whipped up front in the first half and they let Michigan drive down the field on them at the end. But the fact of the matter is the getting their asses whipped in the first half didn't end the game and didn't turn it into a blowout, which is what it would have been had this been last year's USC team. So yes, I am encouraged by USC, even though the game ended the way it did. Nuke says they need a new O-line. Well, they had a new O-line essentially in the second half and it worked better. So that's part of it. Congratulations to Lincoln Riley and company on making some adjustments that helped.

Starting point is 00:11:48 Was it perfect? No, but USC has a good chance of, of being a double digit win team still. And if they get better, okay, let's say this line, let's say this combination of offensive linemen that they use in the second

Starting point is 00:12:02 half, they continue playing with it and it gets better. Who's to say they can't beat Penn State? They might be able to beat Penn State. And if they can, then there's a really good chance that they make the Big Ten Championship game. And money-muscling entertainment Fed talk. Every team doesn't have the Michigan defensive line. Correct. In fact, none of them do. None of them. Actually, while we have this opportunity, let us mention Kenneth Grant,

Starting point is 00:12:36 possibly my favorite player in college football this year. The man was not built to carry the football. Well, he is built to carry the football. He's not trained to carry the football. Well, he is built to carry the football. He's not trained to carry the football. So he was moving pretty well with it. But I don't know if he knows about three points of contact, about high and tight, about how you keep the ball if you want to have good ball security,

Starting point is 00:13:00 because ball security is job security if you're a running back, but not if you're the best defensive tackle in the country. So poor Kenneth Grant fumbles after recovering a fumble and running it a long way down the field. And that actually helped USC get back in the game because if Michigan holds onto the ball there and goes on a long drive, that game's over at that but what a game. Like I said, fourth down fullback on the field. You're either going to win or you're going to lose on this play. And Michigan goes, we're going to be who we are and we're going to win this game. And that is the biggest thing for Sharon Moore.

Starting point is 00:13:40 He made a big decision by changing quarterbacks. It was a decision he had to make. What was happening wasn't working. He had to make a change. Now he was put in a very difficult situation. The Michigan coaching transition, because of when Jim Harbaugh took the Chargers job, they couldn't go get a quarterback in the portal. They were already gone. So they're doing the best with what they have. And we'll just have to see what happens. But I'm very impressed with the decision, the game plan.

Starting point is 00:14:20 Teddy says, just give Michigan their flowers. Doesn't matter if USC would have had film on orgy or not at all saying, love your show though. Yes, it does matter. You got two weeks to study that offense. USC would have stopped a few more things. Michigan's going to have to evolve this thing. They're going to have to be able to find a passing game that they can run out of this. Otherwise, they're not going to be able to win all the games they need to win.

Starting point is 00:14:47 But I will say this is their way to win. Jerome Moore figured out the best way for them to win. And that is all you can ask of a young head coach is look at your roster, see what you got. Even if it isn't pretty, come up with the best way to win. He did it. They had a fourth and goal. If they didn't make it, they were going to lose. If they made it, they were going to win. They punched it in. They won. That's all you can ask for. And that's all you can ask from college football. Thank you so much, Michigan and USC. That is how you play a football game.

Starting point is 00:15:28 Cannot wait to talk to Ari about this and all these other games. Vandy Missouri is coming down to the wire as we speak. We talk about all of that on the post game show, 1130 p.m. Eastern, Saturday night, right here on the On3Sports YouTube channel. So come join us subscribe to the on three sports youtube channel subscribe wherever you get your podcast never miss

Starting point is 00:15:50 a show because we're gonna have some hellacious shows as this season goes on and the one at the end of tonight is going to be unbelievable because we have so much to talk about and we got games that haven't even started yet we'll talk to you again soon

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Andy & Ari On3 - Michigan PUNCHES it in to beat USC | What does it mean for the Wolverines and Trojans?

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