5 things we learned from thrilling Michigan football win over USC

The defense can be ELITE

Outside of Michigan football running for 290 yards (over 300 last week) the most encouraging thing that came out of the win was the play of the defense.

USC finished with 379 total yards. But the Trojans probably don't reach 20 points if Donovan Edwards doesn't gift them a fumble in the red zone. Kenneth Grant also did them a favor, fumbling a ball he recovered after a strip sack by Stewart, back to the Trojans.

Still, the Wolverines forced two takeaways, had four sacks, and pressured Miler Moss all game. He needed 61 pass attempts for 283 yards and if the Michigan offense had been able to do anything in the second half, the numbers would have been even more modest.

The defense was on the field for nearly the entire second half and they still made plays. Jyaire Hill had his best game as a Michigan football player and even though he dropped an interception, Zeke Berry had a really good game too.

Wink did bring some pressure but mostly let the front four do its thing and that needs to be the formula. When you have Mason Graham, Grant, Stewart, Derrick Moore, Rayshaun Benny, and TJ Guy, you should be able to get plenty of pressure without blitzing.

And now that the secondary is starting to gel, assuming Will Johnson is healthy, the arrow is pointing up. The defense is elite and if Michigan can have an elite defense and running game, it will have a shot to get to the 12-team playoff.