GAME USC @ Michigan 3:30pm ET CBS

[Collegefbfan]

Michigan literally did nothing on offense outside of that run in the 2nd half. Riley’s play calling that drive before Michigans game winning one was criminally awful. Both of these teams are 4/5 loss squads.

Yeah, I thought the Southern Cal defense was gonna be improved. Yeah, only option was to run the ball.

 

[Voltaire]

Michigan literally did nothing on offense outside of that run in the 2nd half. Riley’s play calling that drive before Michigans game winning one was criminally awful. Both of these teams are 4/5 loss squads.

Offensively, we didn't do much ... but we did enough. I saw the game, it was what many would call an Ugly Win, but that is still a win. 8-4 or 7-5 would be fine with me. Hell, I would be happy with 4-8 if our only other victory is against ohio state.

 

[navamind]

Game took a year or two off my life. Mullings came up huge, as did the defense. I think Martindale deserves some credit, I thought he called a great defensive gameplan aside from that one wide open bust in the end zone. Held Miller to just 28/51 for only 283 yards, sacked him 4 times. USC had them on the ropes (the UM offense did them no favors in not sustaining drives), but they came through when needed later in the game. Felt like the linebackers played a lot better than they did against Texas, and the DL was relentless.

As for the offense, it was nice to see fairly even distribution of carries between the three, though it still doesn't feel like the coaching staff has a good feel for how to implement certain players. I don't like running inside with Edwards, those should be Mullings plays. They need to get more creative with him in the passing game, especially with the poor WR play and Loveland hurt. Would have been nice to see more outside of those big three 40+ yard runs, but at least we saw some explosives in the running game. Didn't seem like we saw much zone read with Orji.

Hail.

 

[navamind]

Yeah, I thought the Southern Cal defense was gonna be improved. Yeah, only option was to run the ball.

I think it is improved. There's not much starpower on their defense, but it felt like there was at least some competence that you didn't see during the Grinch tenure. I think in a year or two before the Lynn hire really starts to pay off. Michigan didn't do that well on the ground outside of the two Mullings runs and the one Edwards run, though Mullings was still managing some good carries. Michigan did fuck all in the air, but not sure how much of that you could attribute to USC's defense versus the incompetence of our QB play/WR play.

 

[trojanfan12]

That 63 yard run due to USC not being able to tackle

Tell me didn't watch the game without telling me you didn't watch the game.

Up until that drive where there was 1 missed tackle (that unfortunately went for 63 yards lol) they had held Michigan to a total of 12 yards for the 2nd half. You don't do that against a team trying to run the ball if you can't tackle.

 

[Collegefbfan]

I think it is. Michigan didn't do that well on the ground outside of the two Mullings runs and the one Edwards run, though Mullings was still managing some good carries.

Mullings still had about 100 yards outside of the 63 yard run. I will take 9.4 yards per carry and Edwards' 5 yards a carry. Gotta get some offense somehow. Sure won't come from the passing game. Still say teams will figure this out, and it won't be pretty.

 

[CorpRebel]

 

[navamind]

Mullings still had about 100 yards outside of the 63 yard run. I will take 9.4 yards per carry and Edwards' 5 yards a carry. Gotta get some offense somehow. Sure won't come from the passing game. Still say teams will figure this out, and it won't be pretty.

As I've said many times before, I think there's no question who the better of Michigan's two running backs is. It's Mullings. He has better vision than Edwards and is way better at churning yards after contact.



Dude.

 

[trojanfan12]

I think Martindale deserves some credit, I thought he called a great defensive gameplan aside from that one wide open bust in the end zone.

He really did. Especially in the first half. I said after the LSU game that our o-line needed work and your defense completely exposed them.

At halftime, our coaches made adjustments that put us in position to win the game, but then late in the game when we had a chance to put the game away...the o-line fell apart again. We'll win our fair share of B1G games this year, but we're going to have to shore up the o-line if we're going to compete for league titles in the B1G, let alone the playoff.

 

[osubuckeye89]

He really did. Especially in the first half. I said after the LSU game that our o-line needed work and your defense completely exposed them.

At halftime, our coaches made adjustments that put us in position to win the game, but then late in the game when we had a chance to put the game away...the o-line fell apart again. We'll win our fair share of B1G games this year, but we're going to have to shore up the o-line if we're going to compete for league titles in the B1G, let alone the playoff.

#72 (Page?) looks particularly awful on the OL. Guy looked like he could barely move whenever they ran a speed rush on him. Was getting clowned the whole 1st half.

 

[Voltaire]

Tell me didn't watch the game without telling me you didn't watch the game.

Up until that drive where there was 1 missed tackle (that unfortunately went for 63 yards lol) they had held Michigan to a total of 12 yards for the 2nd half. You don't do that against a team trying to run the ball if you can't tackle.

Being an ohio state person, he is unable to say something good about Michigan. I watch the entire game on TV, my analysis of the game is we got lucky. I'm good with that, luck sometimes will bite you back. We gotta improve.

 

[osubuckeye89]

Mullings still had about 100 yards outside of the 63 yard run. I will take 9.4 yards per carry and Edwards' 5 yards a carry. Gotta get some offense somehow. Sure won't come from the passing game. Still say teams will figure this out, and it won't be pretty.

Michigans problem is going to be that they are way too reliant on those long runs this year. They aren’t putting together solid sustained drives like the last couple of years. The offense is basically a bunch of ugly and pray you hit a home run. That’s not really a winning formula most of the time.

 

[trojanfan12]

#72 (Page?) looks particularly awful on the OL. Guy looked like he could barely move whenever they ran a speed rush on him. Was getting clowned the whole 1st half.

Yeah, Elijah Page. Oh man, he was horrible. I forget the kids name from Michigan, but he was running past him like Page didn't even see him. Part of the 2nd half adjustment was they benched him.

There were times where he moved to make the block after the defender was already past him.

 

[Collegefbfan]

Michigans problem is going to be that they are way too reliant on those long runs this year. They aren’t putting together solid sustained drives like the last couple of years. The offense is basically a bunch of ugly and pray you hit a home run. That’s not really a winning formula most of the time.

Oh nah, I agree. I felt the Texas game was gonna be a loss. I really felt that Southern Cal would win by 20+. I mean, the Wolverines have looked semi decent against not so good teams. I know teams can get better as the weeks go by. But there is absolutely no passing threat.

 

[osubuckeye89]

Oh nah, I agree. I felt the Texas game was gonna be a loss. I really felt that Southern Cal would win by 20+. I mean, the Wolverines have looked semi decent against not so good teams. I know teams can get better as the weeks go by. But there is absolutely no passing threat.

There’s not much easy left on the schedule. I’ll give them Northwestern as a sure W basically. Northwestern looks awful. Everyone else is at least capable though.

I don’t think hinging hopes on Tuttle is a good thing either. Guys a mediocre at best Indians cast off, I don’t care what he did in garbage time last year. He’s maybe slightly better than Warren that’s it.

 

[osubuckeye89]

Yeah, Elijah Page. Oh man, he was horrible. I forget the kids name from Michigan, but he was running past him like Page didn't even see him. Part of the 2nd half adjustment was they benched him.

There were times where he moved to make the block after the defender was already passed him.

Yea he looked like he was either half asleep or the most un athletic linemen I’ve ever seen lol.

 

[Collegefbfan]

I am lost on this: What was the thinking about not trying to find a "good" QB in the offseason? I mean you just won a natty. There had to be someone out there that would come to Ann Arbor.

 

[osubuckeye89]

I am lost on this: What was the thinking about not trying to find a "good" QB in the offseason? I mean you just won a natty. There had to be someone out there that would come to Ann Arbor.

They keep saying they were “confident in going with what they had” that alone would make me seriously question this coaching staff

 

[trojanfan12]

Being an ohio state person, he is unable to say something good about Michigan. I watch the entire game on TV, my analysis of the game is we got lucky. I'm good with that, luck sometimes will bite you back. We gotta improve.

As former Lakers announcer the late, great Chick Hearn used to say..."Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good and if you can be both, you might have something".

I don't know about lucky. At the end of the game, each team needed to make a play to win the game. You guys made the play, we didn't.

Your offense definitely needs some work, but that defense is really good. Can't remember the last time I saw a Lincoln Riley offense struggle like they did today. Especially in the 1st half, I don't think we got a first down until something like the 4th or 5th offensive series.

 

[osubuckeye89]

As former Lakers announcer the late, great Chick Hearn used to say..."Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good and if you can be both, you might have something".

I don't know about lucky. At the end of the game, each team needed to make a play to win the game. You guys made the play, we didn't.

Your offense definitely needs some work, but that defense is really good. Can't remember the last time I saw a Lincoln Riley offense struggle like they did today. Especially in the 1st half, I don't think we got a first down until something like the 4th or 5th offensive series.

I guess I haven’t watched USC much lately. Has Riley always had a boner for a bunch awful screens while he’s been there? The play calling was pretty bad.