Michigan football heads to the Colosseum for a Saturday night clash with the USC Trojans, where they are a +2.5 point underdog going into a tough environment. Last year, this game was a classic where Michigan needed a late touchdown run from Kalel Mullings to win 27-24. Both teams are coming in with a loss, so this game can be pivotal for playoff chances.
Michigan is coming off a good win against Wisconsin, where, although the Wolverines didn’t play the best they could, they still controlled the game after Wisconsin’s first possession. Although there was some inconsistency on offense, we saw a great game from quarterback Bryce Underwood, who threw for a career-high 270 yards, and we also saw running back Justice Haynes continue his fantastic season, where he rushed for 100+ yards and had a run for 40+ yards in 5 straight games.
Michigan will face a high-powered offense in USC with quarterback Jayden Maivia, who has thrown for 1,587 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception so far this season. He has been a significant upgrade for this offense compared to what we saw last year. USC is coming off a bye week after a tough loss against Illinois. This can be a good motivator for them, especially since they will be fresh after an off week.
With the schedule only getting tougher from here, this game may be one of the most important games this year, so here are the three biggest factors to Michigan winning this game.
Wide Receiver Consistency
This wide receiver room is one of the most talented groups we have seen in many years, but what is the issue? The team has 14 drops this year, which is the second most in the Big Ten and four more than the team had all last year. The question of the receivers being able to get used to Underwood's velocity on his throws is something that gets brought up, but we have seen some of his hardest throws being caught, like the touchdown to Donoven McCulley or the bullet he threw to Marlin Klein in the home opener.
There were some key drops in the game vs Wisconsin. We saw Underwood make a great scrambling play to his right and found a wide-open Kendrick Bell, which was thrown a little high but was definitely a catchable ball. Another play where Max Bredeson found a soft spot in the defense and dropped a pass that hit his chest.
So, how do we see more consistency for the wide receivers? The connection between Underwood and McCulley needs to continue, as he is our leading receiver and can be a great weapon for Underwood. Andrew Marsh, who in his first start played amazingly with four receptions for 80 yards, can be a great No.2 to McCulley, who, with those two, gives you good options.
The problem comes after those guys: who is gonna step up for this offense? So finding those other options for Underwood is going to be key to getting this offense more consistent.