Urban Meyer says Michigan football should play two quarterbacks

Michigan football fans don't like Urban Meyer and they never will. But the man knows football. He also knows a thing or two about being successful with a running quarterback.

What's ironic is that Meyer is exactly the kind of offensive mind that Michigan football needs right now. The Wolverines have a super athletic quarterback in Alex Orji who can be a dangerous runner. He's limited as a passer and it's clear the coaching staff has no idea how to use him.

It's like the Wolverines have never heard of the zone-read offense. Orji is more a power runner than a speed runner. He can't threaten a defense like Denard Robinson. Michigan football fans might remember a play last week when Orji broke the pocket and looked like he was going to run for a first down, and more. Yet, he was stopped for five and needed six.

Orji isn't a sprinter. He could be a bruiser though. He could help wear down defenses and eventually, you'd probably see some explosive runs like we saw last week. Those were more a product of Kalel Mullings and USC just being bad against the run.

Tackling was an issue for the Trojans. Michigan football ran for 290 yards and Orji only threw for 32 yards, something Meyer said has "zero chance" of working all season. He also advocated for playing Davis Warren Alx Orji.

“They can’t [succeed]. There’s zero chance with that kind of balance,” Meyer said on the Triple Option Podcast. “They got to play both quarterbacks. I said that when we were there. Alex Orji is good enough to play. He’s got to play. I think he’s a tremendous player. But, to answer your question: no. I like how rugged the Wolverines were on offense and defense, and that’s kind of a trademark of who they are, but there is zero chance unless you balance that thing up. At some point, it’s going to be nine up, and you’ll stop the run.”

Being "rugged" only works for so long. If Michigan isn't going to change the playbook to adapt to Orji, which it hasn't, then two quarterbacks probably are needed. Or, the coaching staff needs to recognize what it has and adjust.