Well, the Wolverines got thoroughly outplayed by USC on the road on Saturday night – particularly in the second half where Michigan looked rather lifeless on both sides of the ball. Here’s a look at who some of the biggest contributors were as we try to find some bright spots on an otherwise ugly night in Los Angeles:
Michigan’s offense didn’t have much going throughout the game, especially after Justice Haynes left in the first half – but Saturday marked the second consecutive game that we’d seen Andrew Marsh produce. When Michigan’s offense was working, it was through the passing game and Marsh being a focal point of it. He finished the night with as Michigan’s leading receiver with eight receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown
After the bye week two weeks ago, the Wolverines made it clear that Marsh was going to be a bigger part of the offense going forward, and it’s been evident across the game against Wisconsin and USC. His chemistry with Bryce Underwood has really been on display, particularly when the two connected for a 69-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. While there weren’t many bright spots in the game, Marsh stood out and his breakout might have to be what flips the switch for the Michigan offense down the stretch.
Say what you will about Michigan’s defensive performance as a whole in this game, but there certainly isn’t any blame that belongs on the shoulders of Jaishawn Barham. For the past several weeks, Barham has been the best player on Michigan’s defense and that was no exception on Saturday.
Barham finished the night with four tackles including one for a loss. He also recorded one hurry against Jayden Maiava. Maiava and Lincoln Riley were making it tough on the pass rush all night long, getting the ball out quickly to limit the impact that guys like Barham can have – but he was still getting into the backfield regularly and making plays where he could. With several adjustments needed on the defensive side of the ball before another tough matchup against Washington next week – Barham is still standing out as a big contributor.
Well, the positivities for Michigan end there, as not much good happened from start to finish on either side of the ball. One player that did stand out though in the game was USC’s true freshman backup running back King Miller, who was pressed into duty in the first half after starter Waymond Jordan went down with an ankle injury.
Although Jordan, one of USC’s biggest offensive weapons was out of the game, it didn’t matter as Miller made light work of the Michigan defense, coming up with several big plays. His biggest play of the night came at the start of the third quarter, on a third-and-26. The Trojans opted to stay conservative and run the ball, but Miller sliced his way through a handful of Michigan tackle attempts for 49 yards and then scored a touchdown two plays later. On a night where many expected Justice Haynes to put on a show on the ground, it was Miller that went for 158 yards rushing as part of USC’s 224 yard rushing total
The USC defense was much-maligned coming into the night – particularly its secondary. Saturday represented a good opportunity for the Wolverine offense to get back on track after a not-so-great performance against Wisconsin, and instead things went in the wrong direction thanks to the performance of USC and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn – who had his group ready to play.
With Justice Haynes going down in the first half, Michigan didn’t really have many avenues to success. Underwood, Marsh, and the passing game showed some flashes, but weren’t really able to string anything together consistently aside from a 69-yard touchdown late in the game. Even the best drive Underwood had orchestrated all night ended in an interception in USC territory. Furthermore, USC was able to get to Underwood in the backfield for three sacks in the game, while stuffing Jordan Marshall and Bryson Kuzdzal as well. The Trojans stepped up big time to avenge their poor performance against the run last year and had probably their best defensive performance of the year.