Last Week at The Wolverine Den
Tailgate Attendance
92
Michigan 27- University of Southern California 24 (Stripe Out)
Michigan Stadium
September 21, 2024 - 3:30 p.m. ET
Tailgate Pictures
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Game Preview
The Michigan Wolverines open Big Ten Conference play on Saturday against the University of Southern California Trojans. This will be the first-ever Big Ten game for USC. After a demoralizing season last year where USC brought back the Heisman Trophy winner and was ranked in the top 10, only to lose 5 of their last 7 games. What do teams like USC do when they have a bad year? They buy players in the transfer portal. This is not the same team as last year’s disappointment. They are not as good on offense because they lost Caleb Willims as the #1 draft pick. But they are much better at defense.
Pre-game Menu
Taco, Burrito, & Nacho Bar
Queso Fundido
Mexican Black Beans
Cornbread Casserole
Mexican Rice
Post-game Menu
Brats
Snacks
USC is led by their third-year coach Lincoln Riley. He was a student assistant to Mike Leach at Texas Tech back in the early 2000s where he learned the air raid offense. Riley perfected his version of the air raid at Oklahoma from 2017-2021. He moved to USC at the ripe old age of 39 after the 2021 season. Two years at USC haven't been great. Well, the offense was great, Nut the defense was horrible. In 2022-2023, USC gave up over 40 points in 13 of their 26 games. But they were scoring over 50 points per game. Lincoln Riley is not a good coach on defense. So, he went out and found the best defensive coach he could, D'Anton Lynn from their rival UCLA. Lynn is only 34 years old and played defensive back at Penn St from 2008-2011. He is a perfect fit for a Big Ten defense. Plus, USC brought in 5 new starters on defense via the transfer portal.
The Wolverine Den Trivia
Q: Which college football team "claims" to have invented the wave?
A: Washington (next week's opponent) claims to have started the wave. But the true origin is the Oakland A's in 1981, about 2 weeks before Washington. Of course when the wave arrived in Ann Arbor, we perfected it with the slow wave, the fast wave, the split wave and the reverse wave.
Caleb Williams followed Lincoln Riey to USC in 2022. He was great with his throwing accuracy and ability to create, perfect for the Air Raid. Waiting in the wings was Miller Moss. Moss is not the prototypical Air Raid quarterback. He is a pocket passer without much ability to run. But he is accurate, and he has learned from one of the best. USC did not have much of a returning running back, so they pulled in Woody Marks from Mississippi St. Zachariah Branch, a WR and returner, is a game breaker. He is small and quick, returning both a punt and a kickoff for a TD last year. Michigan will need to contain him.
After three games, Michigan has yet to establish their identity. With over 300 yards on the ground last week and now making Alex Orji the starting QB, it is clear the Wolverines want to run the ball and control the game. The Michigan defense was better last week but the competition steps up on Saturday. USC is not a team that takes a lot of sacks. They look to create mismatches with quick throws and run after catch yards. Mixing and disguising coverage is a key for the Maize and Blue.
Michigan has a 4-6 record all time against USC, with all 6 of the losses coming in the Rose Bowl. The only game ever played in Ann Arbor was a Michigan win in 1958.
The Wolverines are a 5½-point underdog.
Post-Game Summary
The Michigan Wolverines beat the Southern California Trojans 27-24 on Saturday at a striped--ut Michigan Stadium. It was the first Big Ten game of the season and the first-ever Big Ten game for USC. The Maize and Blue started fast, taking a 14-0 lead while forcing the Trojans to punt on their first four possessions. A late field goal by USC made it 14-3 at the half. But Michigan was dominating the game with 199 rushing yards. Michigan struggled on offense in the 2nd half and turned the ball over on two fumbles to allow USC back in the game. But a pick-6 by Will Johnson and then an 89-yard drive capped off by a Kalel Mullings touchdown with 37 seconds left sealed the win. Josaiah Stewert led the defense with 2 sacks and 3 TFLs and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Stewart's 92.9 PFF rating is the highest for any defensive player in the country this year.
Michigan has now won 26 consecutive Big Ten games. Will Johnson's pick-6 was his second this year and 3rd of his career and is the most ever for a Michigan player in history.
Next up is the battle for the Little Brown Jug with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Craig's Prediction
27-24
Brown's Prediction
24-23
Tim's Prediction
24-21
Steve's Prediction
24-21
Brown 12, Craig 12, Tim 10, Steve 6