Saturday night in Los Angeles was a rude awakening for the Michigan football team.
The USC Trojans were favored to beat the Wolverines. So the loss to USC wasn't shocking. The manner in which it happened was.
USC out-gained Michigan football on the ground 224-109. The Wolverines allowed a 42-yard run to a walk-on running back on a third-and-26, when they only trailed by seven early in the third quarter.
That was the backbreaker. The final straw was when Bryce Underwood was intercepted, after an egregious hold on receiver Donaven McCulley, which caused the interception was ignored. Officials also missed an offensive pass interference on the Trojan's first touchdown, among some other bad calls, but the outcome was so lopsided it didn't matter.
It easily could have been 40-10 if the ball bounced a few different ways. It was an embarrassing effort by the defense, yet it was even more embarrassing for the coaching staff.
There is losing and getting demoralized. Michigan was treated to the latter on Saturday at the hands of USC and here are five things we learned from it.
Sherrone Moore isn't meeting expectations
This isn't about one loss. Michigan has gone on the road twice now against Oklahoma and USC and looked completely unprepared. His overall record is 12-7. That's simply not good enough.
If Oklahoma doesn't make some bone-headed mistakes, that game should have been more lopsided, just like Saturday's result.
The fact that Michigan lost those games by a combined 31 points says a lot. It could have been much worse and should have been.
That's on the head coach. Michigan couldn't tackle. It couldn't block. It couldn't execute. The defense has taken a step back and Bryce Underwood looks too much like a freshman.
Sherrone Moore didn't have any head-coaching experience when he took over for Jim Harbaugh. It shows. There are routine mistakes that shouldn't be happening. Makai Lemon's foot appeared to be out of bounds on a third-down catch, and instead of challenging, Michigan allowed USC to hurry and run a play.
It's little things, but when you're the head coach, it's all the little things that matter. Those were the things that made Michigan great under Harbaugh. The attention to detail.
Right now, it's just not there. Coaching mistakes nearly cost Michigan against Nebraska, but it hasn't improved with Moore back on the sidelines. It might be worse.
Nobody should be calling for Sherrone Moore to get fired. But there are troubling signs and red flags all over the place.
Michigan's defense isn't elite or even good
It's time to face facts: This Michigan football defense isn't good.
The run defense was supposed to be good, yet USC, without its starting center or left tackle, ran all over the Wolverines to the tune of 224 yards.
Beyond that, Michigan barely pressured the quarterback. The Wolverines didn't get a single sack, which shouldn't surprise people, since they got just one last week.
In the five games outside of Nebraska, Michigan has six sacks. And even when the Wolverines got seven against Nebraska, they still should have allowed 30 points if not for a chip-shot field goal missed by the Huskers.
USC, Oklahoma, and Nebraska averaged over 27 points against Michigan. All three quarterbacks shredded Michigan, even Dylan Raiola of Nebraska when he was upright.
Jayden Maiava probably looked as comfortable as he does during scout team reps during practice. That's how little Michigan affected the quarterback. Wink Martindale had no answers. Not for the screens. Not for anything.
Lincoln Riley ate his lunch, just like every other competent offense has done this season. And outside of a three-game stretch to close out 2024, the hire of Wink Martindale as defensive coordinator feels like a massive mistake.
Andrew Marsh is a dude
Maybe the one positive from Saturday night from a Michigan football perspective was the play of Andrew Marsh.
The true freshman wide receiver stood out for the second week in a row. After four catches for 80 yards against Wisconsin, Marsh caught eight passes for 138 yards, which included a 69-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Marsh was the only Michigan receiver outside of McCulley to have more than one reception. Marlin Klein had one catch. Hogan Hansen had zero.
it's too bad that McCulley will only have one season playing for Michigan football. He's a legit No. 1 wide receiver. Marsh is turning into 1B quickly. He will probably be the No. 1 wide receiver next season. The Wolverines need to add multiple guys from the portal, but at least they have something in Andrew Marsh.
That's one thing we learned on Saturday night that Michigan fans can feel good about.
The offensive line isn't good enough
After a positive performance against Nebraska, it's clear that was more about the Huskers than it was about the Wolverines.
Saturday's effort was ugly. Giovanni El-Hadi returned to the starting lineup, yet his play wasn't up to snuff, just like it hasn't been for most of his career.
There was some movement in the running game. It didn't help that Justice Haynes got hurt, but the pass rush of USC was winning. They were winning up front, too.
That's just not acceptable. The offensive line was a strength of this program during its three-year run to glory. That started to drop off last season and in 2025, it's not looking like an anamoly.
Considering Sherrone Moore was formerly the offensive line coach, that's even more disappointing. Michigan won't be Michigan until it fixes that, though.
You can't win championships or even compete for them unless you are solid in the trenches and right now, Michigan still has too many question marks.
Bryce Underwood hasn't walked the walk
Bryce Underwood is the least of Michigan's problems. Let's start right there. He was 15 of 24 for 207 yards against USC with two touchdowns and one interception, which should not have happened.
There were some errant throws and some mis-reads. Those things are going to happen but Underwood was overhyped this offseason and part of it, he did himself.
Remember when he said that college football had never seen a freshman like him, or something akin to that? It was a bold statement and one he hasn't lived up to, yet.
The kid has been solid for a true freshman. He's accounted for eight touchdowns and three turnovers, while throwing for over 200 yards per game on an offense lacking weapons, certainly compared to USC.
But Underwood hasn't even been the most impressive freshman quarterback in the Big Ten. You can see all the talent and all the potential. The production is starting to come, too.
Growing pains were always going to be expected, but through six games, it's hard to say that Underwood has met his own preseason expectations. The entire team needs to play better, and that includes the freshman quarterback.