USC suffers gut-wrenching loss to Michigan on late, brutal 89-yard drive in Big Ten debut
The Trojans fall 27-24 after Wolverines RB Kalel Mullings’ 1-yard touchdown run on 4th down with 37 seconds left
MICH RB Kalel Mullings rumbles for a 1-yd TD on fourth down with 37 seconds left despite the efforts of USC LB Mason Cobb earlier today in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Luca Evans (OC Register) — ANN ARBOR — It ended the only way it could’ve, a test of newfound beef against the class of a conference, Trojan luster against Michigan grit in a 4th-and-1 to decide the first chapter of a new USC era.
USC had readied, for an offseason, for Big Ten football, for this new age and monumental shift in collegiate athletics. The gains came in bulk, and widespread, with whisperings of 1,400 pounds gained in the offseason and linemen showing up with tree trunks for limbs and carefully lit social media before-and-afters. It had worked for two games, smash-mouthing from the trenches, a completely new look for a program bullied and bruised in 2023.
But this was Michigan, the reigning national champions entering Saturday’s clash with USC wounded at 2-1 and carrying a point to prove. And after an afternoon of smashmouth football, a first half completely shutting down the Trojans’ offensive attack and a second half turned drunk and giddy in USC’s favor, Kalel Mullings lined up from the goal line down four points and charged right down the gullet.
He waited as the bodies dropped around him, and tree-trunk legs motored, and linebacker Mason Cobb’s shove to the turf was simply too late – the ball crossing the plane with less than 37 seconds left to seal a 27-24 win for Michigan and a gut-wrenching loss for USC.
After an afternoon spent running for his life, an afternoon spent arguably with as much time on his back as upright, USC quarterback Miller Moss stood for a third-and-16 with seven minutes remaining. And with no sign of the blows to his chest on the day, no sign of the third-quarter pick-sixhe’d thrown to Michigan’sWill Johnson, Moss unfurled a 24-yard strike to trusted 6-foot-4 receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, the sophomore rolling into the end zone with a 24-20 lead and arms firmly outstretched in glee.
It was impossible for this crowd in the Big House to not be entertained Saturday, after a first half in which Michigan (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) ran roughshod over USC’s defense and shut down their offense, only for a remarkably improbable third quarter to ensue. Needing a major adjustment after a half with negative rushing yardage and freshman left tackle Elijah Paige bull-rushed too often by Michigan edge Josaiah Stewart, USC (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten) completely reshuffled its offensive line.
Paige was benched. Mason Murphy, the program’s starting right tackle, shifted to Moss’ blind side, while redshirt freshman Tobias Raymond entered for the biggest snaps of his young career. Suddenly, Moss, who hadn’t looked quite as sharp in sailing a couple throws, was afforded entire cushions of Ann Arbor daylight. And he capitalized early, with a gutsy drive to start the third quarter culminating in a touchdown strike to Duce Robinson.
Johnson’s 42-yard interception return brought Michigan’s lead to 20-10 at 5:26 of the third quarter, a lead built by earlier 53-yard and 41-yard rushing touchdowns gashing up the middle of USC’s defense. And after another USC drive keyed by a 65-yard run from tailback Woody Marks, disaster returned as Moss was sacked by Stewart and lost the ball – only for a gutsy Marks to somehow charge and strip the football back away from rumbling Wolverine defensive lineman Kenneth Grant, setting up a touchdown from Moss to Auburn transfer Jay Fair to cut Michigan’s lead to three.
Moss was 28 of 53 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and the one interception. Marks finished with 100 yards after totaling five yards on six first-half carries.
USC tight end Lake McRee, who tore his ACL before last season’s Holiday Bowl and returned to play in just six months, was hit low on a pass in the third quarter and didn’t return.
USC’s defense held firm for much of the second half, Eric Gentry continuing to play like his 6-foot-6 frame was on fire with 12 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble and Jaylin Smith coming up with a massive third-down tackle to set up the Moss-to-Lane fourth-quarter score.
But with the Trojans needing one stop to clinch victory, Mullings went motoring up the gut and spun off a tackle, the Big House erupting as a 63-yard gain set up the backbreaker that ruined USC’s first Big Ten day.
Michigan ran for 290 yards and threw for just 32. Generally speaking, the Wolverines simply dominated USC on both sides of the trenches which will have to improve for the Trojans as they continue Big Ten play.
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Wisconsin will run the ball and play good defense. Typical BIG football. The game is in our house, so I see a win over the Badgers. I was only 8 years old, but I remember the 1963 Rose Bowl game where undefeated USC was way ahead of WIS only to see WIS stage a furious comeback under QB Ron Vander Kelen and nearly catch the Trojans. Vander Kelen was named the MVP of the game even though his team lost.
USC’s OL Troubles Antonio Morales (The Athletic) — All eyes this week — and probably every week moving forward, to be honest — will be on USC’s offensive line. That group was a concern throughout the offseason and preseason. Well, Michigan placed a large spotlight on all of the offensive line’s issues on Saturday afternoon. It was noticeable live, but after re-watching the game, left tackle Elijah Paige and right guard Alani Noa had serious issues with the Wolverines’ defensive front. and were physically overmatched. I believe in those players long-term, but this season is being played right now so Lincoln Riley and offensive… Read more »
As everyone knows……You can get stronger, you can get experienced, you can get your footwork and hand placement improved but quickness, high motor and speed…..not much. If you’re 6′ 1″ working hard is not going to make you 6′ 6″. It’s ok for Riley to say at year end 10-2……a good record. It’s not ok to listen to him tell us that due to the 10-2 or 11-1 record we are close to competing with Ohio St, Georgia etc. We don’t have the raw talent……and unless a new Riley is created…..I don’t see it changing. He does not seem to… Read more »
Spending 10 mil on a new D staff isn’t committed… say what!
Tough tough loss on the road w/ a new qb and a young team.
Think back over the 10 years before LR, you want that crap again.
Win next two, beat unbeaten PennSt at home … Michigan will be a distant bad memory.
So SC has a young but talented Oline … so does 50 other teams. In two years they will be 3 year starters. They got better as the game went on and field position improved. Not like that Michigan D isn’t any good. NFL guys everywhere. Ya Texas this Texas that. Mich foolishly blitzed too much vs Texas vet qb and four 3 year starters on their Oline. Then handed the ball over 4 times.
Is SC oline terrible .. no. Just young with a young qb.
Thinking more Paige, Noa, and Talalele, maybe Raymond.
Never liked idea of moving Monhiem to center from left tackle but I’ll let SC staff coach their guys. They will figure it out. We are much better than I thought we would be. Great, no but good with much upside.
When your best tackle because of horrible problems at center is Mason Murphy, you’re already behind the eight-ball. MICH revealed that fact big-time and USC was completely unable to protect Miller Moss all game long.
The Trojans simply got mauled in the trenches. You and I were clearly watching different games.
1988…..your defense of our team is admirable…..but its comments like yours that result in the retention of coaches that just don’t get it done….No I don’t want to go back….I want to go forward….why we keep getting stuck with coaches that are paid huge sums for making decisions that are predictably wrong is beyond me.
Which game did you watch. Moss did not even count to 2 before they were on him. Monheim young? He allowed 4 pressures. Murphy young? He had 6. Elijah is not a Freshman and had more than I can count. Pregnon is a junior. In three years 4 of the USC starters will be gone. NFL guys everywhere……Michigan has two NFL DL and a very good corner. There are 11 defensive players on the field. As for spending 10 million…..what has that have to do with his personal commitment. It’s admin that authorized that cash because they realized that he… Read more »
I do not think that Henson is amazing or terrible. I think an upgrade is easily found and should be pursued. But, there is no coach in the world that could have made Paige or Murphy match up. They are just not mobile enough. Raymond played the best by far. Good news is that’s the best DLine we will face.
How many O line coaches has USC had in the last 10 years. I lost count. Chris is right, at least about Murphy, he has peaked, it ain’t getting any better from him. Would another new O line coach create a big difference? That is the 64k question. It is obvious Henson is not a great salesman though. He needs recruiting help badly.
It’s probably going to take more than $64k to land an excellent O-line coach, unless you’re talking monthly😀. We have to reign in one of the top 5 O-line specialists. Like the presence of D’an Lynn on defense (o has attracted excellent defensive players and made current players better, a great O-line coach will do the same for our O-line play.
I just hope the existing kids can maximize their potential for the rest of the season.
No disrespect, but I don’t agree. Caleb ran for his life both years, and ‘SC didn’t just have a bad offensive line during those 2 years… it was nonexistent… and based on the Michigan game, it looks like it will be the same deal this year. The run blocking this year appears to be better, but whether the OL players are young or not, I refuse to believe that the ‘SC OL pass blocking skills are literally the worst in the country – again. Like another comment said, it was rare that Miller Moss even had 2 seconds to pass,… Read more »
Antonio Morales is simply pointing out that it’s about time USC finally fixed this long-standing, now habitual USC football weakness. Not a bad idea at all.
I think a team can get by with the weak link at center, but for sure will get the QB killed with the weak spot at LT. Monheim needs to be at LT the rest of the season.
The center makes the line calls and requires additional skills besides blocking. We all know how critical is the blindside left tackle. The fact that Henson had to rob the Peter position to serve the Paul position shows you the talent issue is still a persistent thorn in SC’s flesh.
Reggie suing everyone including USC. I don’t know how to feel about it but I suppose the school isn’t happy with him any longer. Probably won’t have a big celebration for him now.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Southern California football star Reggie Bush has filed a lawsuit against his school(USC), the NCAA and the Pac-12 in a bid to recoup money made on his name, image and likeness during his career with the Trojans two decades ago. In a brief news release from Bush’s attorneys announcing the filing Monday, the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback’s representatives claim he should be paid “to address and rectify ongoing injustices stemming from the exploitation of Reggie Bush’s name, image, and likeness during his tenure as a USC football player.” “This case is not just about seeking justice… Read more »
Yikes, this smells a lot like “reparations” to me. There would be no end to lawsuits if he wins this. How about MJ at NC? Peyton Manning at TN? Brady at Mich? On and on and on….
I have not been on here for awhile, but sorry I was doubter in Lynn. It’s a process boys gotta stay true to the commitment, and keep building on defense. We need big bodies on both offensive and defensive lines to compete in Big 10 football. SC also needs to return to the days of old and power running if you are going to compete in the Big 10 as well. Michigan beat us because they can lean on there run game and tire out a defense. It is classic Big 10 football. You cannot rely on a pass first… Read more »
The smashmouth football I thought was almost extinct. Michigan revived it. Hell, even Iowa is throwing the football now. It seems most B1G team are predominately passing more than running these days according to some stats I read. Even Saban is a believer in the passing game these days.
I definitely think that more teams are implementing the pass, and of course that’s our advantage, but I think to compete at high level you have to have a balance on offense and play smash mouth to set up west coast. Gives you more options and you are able wear out defenses more if you are equally effective at running the ball. We are definitely in a different era of football, but I think our Hall of Famers said it best in the pre-game vs Michigan Allen and Lott. “ We had great defense, and we ran the football.” Not… Read more »
Smash mouth needs to be available when we are trying to kill clock, certainly. The pass run balance that PC strived for needs to become our reality. LR needs to remove this pass-happy, Big-12/PAC12 mentality from his coaching preferences. I think he knows this, but will he do so? I’m not sure.
Watching the game again, there is no doubt the defense was playing hard and it is just the fact there were a few times Michigan made the right blocks and/or our players missed the opened gaps for the long runs & TDs. But I did notice on Moss’s pick six, he threw the same pass against LSU as he did against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl and it was almost picked then. Miller, don’t throw that pass anymore!
I didn’t watch the LSU game a second time but did the receiver move backwards like Branch did against MI? I agree, USC needs to take that play and make it a pump and go, if only Moss had time
I thought receiver technique was to move toward the pass to catch it…. Branch was backing up a couple of times that I remember on passes thrown to him that led to incompletions. I hope the receivers coach will be working with him on this flaw.
I still think USC’s defense is solid. They stopped Michigans pass game. True, Michigan gained 290 yards on the ground in 46 carries but 150 of those yards came on 3 plays. Take those away and you have 140 yards on 43 carries which is barely over 3 yards a carry. I’m a little concerned about their receivers and dropping passes and not getting open. But the receivers are talented and that can be corrected. But the big problem on that team is the O-Line. Michigan rushed 4 guys(for the most part) through most of the game and still Miller… Read more »
Three questions USC must answer after tough loss to Michigan (Luca Evans/OC Register) 1) What on earth can be done about the offensive line? According to Pro Football Focus, USC gave up a pressure on 40% of Miller Moss’ dropbacks Saturday, simply overwhelmed by Michigan’s front. OL coach Josh Henson, now, has trouble on his hands. Does he continue showing faith in Elijah Paige’s development to protect Moss’s blind side? Does he roll with Tobias Raymond at RT and shift Mason Murphy over, a redshirt junior who gave up six pressures Saturday? Does he completely re-shuffle things and move mainstay… Read more »
I wonder if Monheim was moved to center to give him a better chance at the pros or team needs. Moving him to left tackle and Elijah to right with Tobias at the right or left guard might improve things assuming they have somebody that can snap the ball.
Either way……a bad time to figure it out.
We always knew the USC OL was a potential problem while all the other parts of the offense would work just fine.
Well, everyone was exactly right. USC had undecided first-teamers way too late in the game not to figure that lack of talent was a part of that problem.
As you know, luckily Michigan was probably the best defense we face this year and aside from the lousy QB might be one of the best OL’s. As for our O line…..some blame Henson……I have only one person in mind……everyone knows who it is. This problem,,,,,that problem…..after a while seems like a lot of problems. In the third year. When Ramsey and Humphrey missed the take down on that last long run It looked like they were exhausted. Just did not have the energy to force the dude down. I noticed that the Michigan players even in the 4th were… Read more »
Humphrey played like 5 plays the whole game he wasn’t tired why was he in there ! where was Smith !
Ramsey is a great football player … make the play !
Arnold missed him too at the LOS
Good question Allen. Paige has to get more coaching on technique, especially being bull rushed the way he was. I am a little miffed Hensen & LR didn’t make the switch sooner in the first half on the O-Line. Seeing Moss getting beat into the ground that many times? That was all on the coaches to put a stop to that. What the he*l were they waiting on? My guess to your question though is keep the same OL played in the 2nd half. We aren’t going to play another DL any better than Michigan’s the rest of the season… Read more »
What on earth can be done about the offensive line? I don’t know but if it isn’t fixed by the end of this year, then the only answer is to replace Josh Henson. Also, if you are going to throw those lateral type passes, throw them to Zachariah Branch or somebody who can get some yards after catch. Don’t throw them to Lake.
I’m thinking that there has to be something else going on there, and that (1) short term, against the stronger teams, ‘SC will need to run alot more pro and wing formations, which is a bit inconsistent with Lincoln Riley’s offensive style, and (2) there needs to be some blame put on the coaching staff, and that some type of long-term change needs to happen. I don’t think this bodes well for Josh Henson. This OL problem is the same thing we have seen over the last 3 years, obviously, without either short term or long term improvement. Last Saturday,… Read more »
I am sort of left wondering if the result would have been different if we had let them score once they busted that third back-breaking long run. Not saying we clearly should have (without hindsight, anyway). We had otherwise been shutting them down defensively and had reason to believe we could defend 17 yards to keep them out of the end zone. Heck, we were one play away from doing it at the end. Add to this, that our last offensive possession was a hot mess too, so there wasn’t a lot of reason to believe we could engineer a… Read more »
Not up by 4 … just stop them, we didn’t we let them go 90 yds without completing a pass not good has Lynn been reading his press clipping, not a good job
No, two kids made grievous errors in missing tackles on the final long run. Lynn’s second half adjustments were effective. Half of MICH 300 yards came on three one-off runs, where I suspect one or two kids made bad plays each time. That will happen. Silly clock management and dumb pass plays called by Riley.
Just saw the all 22 of the 4th and goal. Lucas was not just held but almost tackled. He had that lane and played stopped dead. He bullied the TE and had the play blown up.
I actually think those rankings are pretty generous. Our O LINE is a real mess, and if we don’t get it fixed, we are looking at maybe another 2-3 losses. I am still optimistic about our defense.
Only dropping two spots from 11-13 gives USC a lot of credit for handling games against LSU (which I still have some doubts about. Low life UCLA was tied with them 17-17 at half in BR) and MICH fairly well. With MICH coming in right above USC, that seems pretty darn fair, and we’re still appropriately above both LSU and ND. We got knocked out by a knock-out puncher that can lose a lot of rounds but still put you on your back. I agree that our OL is a “real mess.” Pulling starters and moving mediocre tackles to the… Read more »
RE: the o/l. A glass half full observation. SC coaches are now making adjustments and personnel changes real time. In recent years poor play was never addressed. Trojans are a top 15 team & top 15 teams have weaknesses. Work still left to be done for this team to become top 10.
Good paragraph about the tough Trojan defeat yesterday
R.J. Abeytia (USCFootball.com) — “The loss stung a USC team so close to ending the Wolverines’ now-26-game Big Ten winning streak in its first Big Ten combat. USC came away from the game battered and bruised, but the Trojans did not bend the knee. They forced Michigan to knock them out, and a knockout is what Michigan delivered in the form of that final drive.”
It was no shame to loose to the National Champs.
It was a great fight all the way and Michigan just the clock running
out for USC.
The Michigan defensive line was great and the USC OL could not handle them.
Riley running up the middle on Michigan was folly.
Play calling has to get better, Had the ball with momentum, the lead and 5 minutes! 50 seconds were used with a 3 and out, 2 incomplete dangerous shovel passes and 1 run! had to keep the clock running or make them use their timeouts, or get the ball back with less than 2 minutes. They had 0 1st downs going into the final minute of the 2nd half, Cant lose when the other team has 32 passing yards, and they did exactly what we knew they could do well, run the ball. USC said we dare you to try… Read more »
Lincoln Riley has undiagnosed dyscalculia. He has a covert inability to determine time, even on an analog scale. Can USC obtain a retroactive medical-legal exam?
I wonder if our staff has a guy who could call plays for the last 5 minutes of games if we are ahead by one score and put Riley in time-out. Never happen, but it’s an idea….
Yes the players played hard and stood up to Michigans physical play. But just the same, I can’t get over D’anton Lynn not stuffing the box on that last Michigan drive to win the game and our last drive with LR calling pass after pass and not running the damn clock. If Pete Carroll was watching the game at the end, he’d be shaking his head.
Stewart Mandel on USC battling MICH to the wire Mandel (The Athletic) — Saturday’s USC-Michigan thriller was a three-hour advertisement for New College Football. Two marquee brands that may have previously only met in a Rose Bowl, playing an intra-conference Big Ten game in September with Playoff implications for both teams’ resumes, as well as those of their opponents. And it came down to the end, with the 18th-ranked Wolverines (3-1) prevailing 27-24 after their defense thwarted the 11th-ranked Trojans’ (2-1) last-minute drive. Hearing Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson call a Big Ten game on CBS after all those years at Alabama and LSU still feels unnatural.… Read more »
I don’t care for Danielson at all. He can go back to the SEC. Being a former Lions guy, he seemed biased to me, or maybe it was just my bias that made him seem biased. Regardless, he was annoying to me.
He completely sucked with SEC … I was at the game and only listen to Arbo and Cody by sync when home. Done with the networks pxp.
Already deleted game from dvr lol. Not watching they finish twice, would be sending out copies had they won!
Wait till next year? Wait till buyout? The sky isn’t falling but it’s propped up with toothpicks? Every year we get a little better but the upshot is still close but no cigar. I wonder if USC even likes cigars anymore. So what is the formula to fix it next year? My guess is close the border of California to personnel poachers. Get those kids from our neighborhood that are beating us from across the field. Then send Riley to clock management school. Sometimes a running play beats an incomplete pass by a mile. USC beat big 10 teams for… Read more »
right, Riley has to have an offensive playbook for running the clock down, even if its bring Malueve in for some option. those 2 shovel passes on that drive were terrible and dangerous, 50 seconds were used, trust the defense but they were on the field a long time due to offensive inefficiencies and sketchy play calling
Column: USC’s loss to Michigan a reminder that Lincoln Riley falters under pressure Dylan Hernandez (LAT) — ANN ARBOR, Mich. — USC played a team that passed for 32 yards. Not on one play. In the entire game. Coach Lincoln Riley described the 27-24 loss to Michigan on Saturday as a game his team could have won, saying, “We came up one play short.” In truth, this was a game the Trojans should have won. This was a game in which the defending national champion Wolverines were booed in their own stadium. This was a game in which USC had the ball and a four-point lead in the… Read more »
I railed about that last night and I am still furious about Riley this morning. Whether you get first downs or not, that 3&out should have been three runs. Except for the two kids missing that tackle on the long run (they will never forget that play for the rest of their lives unfortunately) we proved we could stop them. This loss is on Riley. Mental error with poor clock mgmt as we have seen before.
All true. We had ’em right where we wanted ’em. No coach is perfect of course, and Riley choked big-time with five minutes to go and the game in his hands, just like UCLA grad Hernandez said in the Times. USC’s expert play-caller suffered a brain freeze. It happens. It’s too bad it cost USC its inaugural B1G win, in Ann Arbor no less, but that’s how it went down. Following USC’s misguided “shovel passes to nowhere series”, Mulling’s fantastically dazzling 60+-yd run up the middle will now go down in MICH lore as a highlight clip to be relished… Read more »
I thought the kids played very hard. Tackling was good. A note….Will Johnson sits on the side throws for interceptions….he got one that was almost identical 2 or 3 weeks ago…..maybe a coach could have mentioned it to Moss? Riley…..our 10 million dollar offensive genius…….is more like a chevy with a bad transmission. If it is not one thing it is another. 3 points in the first half. It finally arrived that a freshman had to play right tackle…..in the middle of the Michigan game. In preseason the site mentioned LB and OL and DL as concerns. Well, no surprise.… Read more »
I’m banking on Moss learning from this loss. He’s truly been in the fire now and I doubt he anticipated the type of pressure he faced yesterday. How could he have? MICH was simply abusing our OL much of the game. This is only his fourth game, and frankly, he had no time to do much. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever seen a USC QB on his ass more during a game. He’s lucky he didn’t get hurt, and he’s also damn lucky Marks somehow miraculously got back that fumble he lost… Read more »
I agree….we all learn from experience. Hopefully the coaches can buy him some extra time.
Maybe by next year the beef in front of him will be a bit stouter.
I cannot imagine we will line up against a DL that has two 300+ pounders who are first round picks for the rest of the season. That will help. You gotta believe that the OL will improve. They won’t be elite, but they will be more than serviceable.
Oops. I see I have repeated myself about those MICH DTs in an earlier post on this thread. My bad. And I am not at the stage of life where I am repeating myself yet….
#0 was something for Michigan. Those huge tackles of course were too. Shocked SC didn’t have a play to bait Johnson into biting on something.
Remember way back in 1991. Florida State had this great corner, Buckley or something, had like 3 pick 6s in first 3 games or something. First play of game vs Michigan, they do the old hitch n go vs him. He bites … 80 yd TD.
Oh well MM is smart and now tough, he went from a 4 year starter to 8 game starter after that battle.
AW, letting almost a day pass after the game, reading nearly every single opinion both columnists and Trojan fans, identifying the primary cause of this heart wrenching loss is limitless. Of course the low hanging fruit in most posts, not all, is Riley’s decisions in crunch time ( game mgmt.) with some inferring he was psyched out in The Big House. Yes, seems the focus was on the shuffle / shuttle passes,along with first half conservative play calling. I do recall that our field position in the first half was not good. Riley sticking with the run, which we’ve criticized… Read more »
Michigan dominated in the trenches. I thought going into the season that USC would have to improve in the trenches to compete in the BIG. It will take a couple of years to recruit the OL and DL that we need to win a BIG championship. I still believe USC will have a good season after this tough loss on the road.
Agree 100% TR. Michigan had superior athletes on the D line especially and that meant Moss was scrambling for his life and ended up too many times looking up at the sky. I said this last year and it seems that nothing has really changed between Lincoln Riley’s ears. He believes he is smarter than everyone else but in crunch time situations, he proves all he knows how to do is get in his own way. Screen pass, shovel pass and the like when clock management is of the utmost importance. Make the clock run and make Michigan have to… Read more »
A point to remember. MICH first score (I think) came the next play after the SC defense clearly stopped a 4th and one at around midfield. One of many blown calls by the PAC-12, well no, the B1G refs that went against SC. You understand my confusion at who the officials were on Saturday.
Thinking the same thing ATL DDS, and I read the Servite player signed with Michigan just as LR came on board and they didn’t have time to connect. It is obvious the Tackle wanted no part of Clay Helton. So the lingering effects of the Cat on the Trojan program hasn’t ended yet.
Let’s face it. How many teams will we face this season with their two tackles 300 pound behemoths and first round picks next year. That kid from Servite would never have gotten away from Pete Carroll. We need to build that recruiting wall around California again.
COINCIDENTLY: The back breaker for the Trojans was the 63 yard run by Mullings in the last minutes. Mullings managed to break free from Humphrey’s [19] grasp, and Ramsey [7] flew by Mullings, managing only slight arm touch.
Humphrey’s attempt was sound; Ramsey’s was sloppily over run. Coincidently, both Humphrey and Ramsey are UCLA transfers.
Riley has to be able to run more clock, they got the ball with 5 minutes, 2 incomplete shovel passes later punt!! should have at least made them burn timeouts or run 3 minutes off clock.
There’s still hope and a lot to play for. The B1G conference championship game is determined by the 2 teams having the best records. So, USC needs to run the conference table from here on out, have tOSU beat Mich in their game, and have one other trip up by Mich and USC would face tOSU in the conference championship game.
A few dominoes need to drop, but not too far out there.
I think the 2nd half OL lineup will stick for a while. Every B1G opponent will try what Mich did to us in the first half. There was much bullfighter blocking on MM’s blindside in the first half.
We went from hearing a weeks worth of stories about how we are gritty, tough, and overcame a big defect twice to take a game on the road to basically the same narrative to start the year. No moral victories allowed in big boy college football. Go win games like this, completely winnable. Good teams do that. I anticipate we will.
Wow is Marc Kulkim laying into LR for his horrific playcalling in the first half and that last drive at the end of the game where LR called passing plays. I have to admit, he has a point when everyone under the moon says USC needs to get out front in scoring to force Michigan out of their game plan, which he didn’t and was behind 14 to 3 at the half. Further, why did Lynn only have 6 and a few times 7 at the line of scrimmage to stop the rushing? Not that LR will pay any attention… Read more »
It was easily within our grasp. Yet we got beat by a totally one-dimensional team because of our weakness in the trenches and inability to finish well. Poor Miller Moss was on his butt so much it was hard to believe. Lots of things to fix, both short and long-term.
Not sure I agree with “lots of things need to be fixed.” Coaches made good adjustments in the second half and put the team in a position to win. Gotta give credit to the RB-great run against a tired defense. However, in my opinion, losing to Michigan by 3 on the road will not hurt the team’s resume even though this is a down year for Michigan. USC needs to just take care of business at home and beat Penn State and ND, who both should be ranked when they play. I believe that this year’s team is not a… Read more »
Since USC beat UTAH ST 48-0 two weeks ago, the Aggies have lost at home to unbeaten UTAH 38-21, and were defeated again today by previously winless TEM in Philadelphia 45-29 (which lost to OU 51-3 to kickoff the season).
After an afternoon spent running for his life, an afternoon spent arguably with as much time on his back as upright, USC quarterback 
Jayden Daniels looked superb tonight on MNF.
Is Wisconsin any good?
Ask ALA. 42-10 in Madison. Alex Grinch is on their staff. Does that help?
Ha!
Wisconsin will run the ball and play good defense. Typical BIG football. The game is in our house, so I see a win over the Badgers. I was only 8 years old, but I remember the 1963 Rose Bowl game where undefeated USC was way ahead of WIS only to see WIS stage a furious comeback under QB Ron Vander Kelen and nearly catch the Trojans. Vander Kelen was named the MVP of the game even though his team lost.
USC’s OL Troubles Antonio Morales (The Athletic) — All eyes this week — and probably every week moving forward, to be honest — will be on USC’s offensive line. That group was a concern throughout the offseason and preseason. Well, Michigan placed a large spotlight on all of the offensive line’s issues on Saturday afternoon. It was noticeable live, but after re-watching the game, left tackle Elijah Paige and right guard Alani Noa had serious issues with the Wolverines’ defensive front. and were physically overmatched. I believe in those players long-term, but this season is being played right now so Lincoln Riley and offensive… Read more »
As everyone knows……You can get stronger, you can get experienced, you can get your footwork and hand placement improved but quickness, high motor and speed…..not much. If you’re 6′ 1″ working hard is not going to make you 6′ 6″. It’s ok for Riley to say at year end 10-2……a good record. It’s not ok to listen to him tell us that due to the 10-2 or 11-1 record we are close to competing with Ohio St, Georgia etc. We don’t have the raw talent……and unless a new Riley is created…..I don’t see it changing. He does not seem to… Read more »
Spending 10 mil on a new D staff isn’t committed… say what!
Tough tough loss on the road w/ a new qb and a young team.
Think back over the 10 years before LR, you want that crap again.
Win next two, beat unbeaten PennSt at home … Michigan will be a distant bad memory.
So SC has a young but talented Oline … so does 50 other teams. In two years they will be 3 year starters. They got better as the game went on and field position improved. Not like that Michigan D isn’t any good. NFL guys everywhere. Ya Texas this Texas that. Mich foolishly blitzed too much vs Texas vet qb and four 3 year starters on their Oline. Then handed the ball over 4 times.
Is SC oline terrible .. no. Just young with a young qb.
Redshirt JR OT Mason Murphy is not young and he’s never been good. Just an average, inconsistent guy at best who gets beaten a lot, and always has.
Thinking more Paige, Noa, and Talalele, maybe Raymond.
Never liked idea of moving Monhiem to center from left tackle but I’ll let SC staff coach their guys. They will figure it out. We are much better than I thought we would be. Great, no but good with much upside.
When your best tackle because of horrible problems at center is Mason Murphy, you’re already behind the eight-ball. MICH revealed that fact big-time and USC was completely unable to protect Miller Moss all game long.
The Trojans simply got mauled in the trenches. You and I were clearly watching different games.
1988…..your defense of our team is admirable…..but its comments like yours that result in the retention of coaches that just don’t get it done….No I don’t want to go back….I want to go forward….why we keep getting stuck with coaches that are paid huge sums for making decisions that are predictably wrong is beyond me.
Yes … how about some help w/ #0. Adjustments were made but wasted 2 quarters trying to figure it out.
Overall team better … not Oline, knew that would be a problem but still will improve.
Which game did you watch. Moss did not even count to 2 before they were on him. Monheim young? He allowed 4 pressures. Murphy young? He had 6. Elijah is not a Freshman and had more than I can count. Pregnon is a junior. In three years 4 of the USC starters will be gone. NFL guys everywhere……Michigan has two NFL DL and a very good corner. There are 11 defensive players on the field. As for spending 10 million…..what has that have to do with his personal commitment. It’s admin that authorized that cash because they realized that he… Read more »
I do not think that Henson is amazing or terrible. I think an upgrade is easily found and should be pursued. But, there is no coach in the world that could have made Paige or Murphy match up. They are just not mobile enough. Raymond played the best by far. Good news is that’s the best DLine we will face.
How many O line coaches has USC had in the last 10 years. I lost count. Chris is right, at least about Murphy, he has peaked, it ain’t getting any better from him. Would another new O line coach create a big difference? That is the 64k question. It is obvious Henson is not a great salesman though. He needs recruiting help badly.
It’s probably going to take more than $64k to land an excellent O-line coach, unless you’re talking monthly😀. We have to reign in one of the top 5 O-line specialists. Like the presence of D’an Lynn on defense (o has attracted excellent defensive players and made current players better, a great O-line coach will do the same for our O-line play.
I just hope the existing kids can maximize their potential for the rest of the season.
No disrespect, but I don’t agree. Caleb ran for his life both years, and ‘SC didn’t just have a bad offensive line during those 2 years… it was nonexistent… and based on the Michigan game, it looks like it will be the same deal this year. The run blocking this year appears to be better, but whether the OL players are young or not, I refuse to believe that the ‘SC OL pass blocking skills are literally the worst in the country – again. Like another comment said, it was rare that Miller Moss even had 2 seconds to pass,… Read more »
2016 and 2017 … who gives a %*^# about those poorly coached SC teams.
Antonio Morales is simply pointing out that it’s about time USC finally fixed this long-standing, now habitual USC football weakness. Not a bad idea at all.
I think a team can get by with the weak link at center, but for sure will get the QB killed with the weak spot at LT. Monheim needs to be at LT the rest of the season.
Injury to Quinones must be worst than we thought … he is a center too I believe
The center makes the line calls and requires additional skills besides blocking. We all know how critical is the blindside left tackle. The fact that Henson had to rob the Peter position to serve the Paul position shows you the talent issue is still a persistent thorn in SC’s flesh.
Reggie suing everyone including USC. I don’t know how to feel about it but I suppose the school isn’t happy with him any longer. Probably won’t have a big celebration for him now.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Southern California football star Reggie Bush has filed a lawsuit against his school(USC), the NCAA and the Pac-12 in a bid to recoup money made on his name, image and likeness during his career with the Trojans two decades ago. In a brief news release from Bush’s attorneys announcing the filing Monday, the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback’s representatives claim he should be paid “to address and rectify ongoing injustices stemming from the exploitation of Reggie Bush’s name, image, and likeness during his tenure as a USC football player.” “This case is not just about seeking justice… Read more »
SC probably had to be a part of law suit … Reggie loves SC, he will pay SC back his winnings, if he hasn’t already
We have to see what he is really asking for? I can’t say much till I know all the facts.
Yikes, this smells a lot like “reparations” to me. There would be no end to lawsuits if he wins this. How about MJ at NC? Peyton Manning at TN? Brady at Mich? On and on and on….
I have not been on here for awhile, but sorry I was doubter in Lynn. It’s a process boys gotta stay true to the commitment, and keep building on defense. We need big bodies on both offensive and defensive lines to compete in Big 10 football. SC also needs to return to the days of old and power running if you are going to compete in the Big 10 as well. Michigan beat us because they can lean on there run game and tire out a defense. It is classic Big 10 football. You cannot rely on a pass first… Read more »
The smashmouth football I thought was almost extinct. Michigan revived it. Hell, even Iowa is throwing the football now. It seems most B1G team are predominately passing more than running these days according to some stats I read. Even Saban is a believer in the passing game these days.
I definitely think that more teams are implementing the pass, and of course that’s our advantage, but I think to compete at high level you have to have a balance on offense and play smash mouth to set up west coast. Gives you more options and you are able wear out defenses more if you are equally effective at running the ball. We are definitely in a different era of football, but I think our Hall of Famers said it best in the pre-game vs Michigan Allen and Lott. “ We had great defense, and we ran the football.” Not… Read more »
Smash mouth needs to be available when we are trying to kill clock, certainly. The pass run balance that PC strived for needs to become our reality. LR needs to remove this pass-happy, Big-12/PAC12 mentality from his coaching preferences. I think he knows this, but will he do so? I’m not sure.
Watching the game again, there is no doubt the defense was playing hard and it is just the fact there were a few times Michigan made the right blocks and/or our players missed the opened gaps for the long runs & TDs. But I did notice on Moss’s pick six, he threw the same pass against LSU as he did against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl and it was almost picked then. Miller, don’t throw that pass anymore!
and how!
I didn’t watch the LSU game a second time but did the receiver move backwards like Branch did against MI? I agree, USC needs to take that play and make it a pump and go, if only Moss had time
I thought receiver technique was to move toward the pass to catch it…. Branch was backing up a couple of times that I remember on passes thrown to him that led to incompletions. I hope the receivers coach will be working with him on this flaw.
Our punter, Eddie Czaplicki (Charlotte Providence, NC/ASU), is awesome.
He’s gonna be a definite factor for this USC’s team’s chances to move into a sure-fire playoff spot.
A great punter continuously gives a team great field position
I still think USC’s defense is solid. They stopped Michigans pass game. True, Michigan gained 290 yards on the ground in 46 carries but 150 of those yards came on 3 plays. Take those away and you have 140 yards on 43 carries which is barely over 3 yards a carry. I’m a little concerned about their receivers and dropping passes and not getting open. But the receivers are talented and that can be corrected. But the big problem on that team is the O-Line. Michigan rushed 4 guys(for the most part) through most of the game and still Miller… Read more »
Three questions USC must answer after tough loss to Michigan (Luca Evans/OC Register) 1) What on earth can be done about the offensive line? According to Pro Football Focus, USC gave up a pressure on 40% of Miller Moss’ dropbacks Saturday, simply overwhelmed by Michigan’s front. OL coach Josh Henson, now, has trouble on his hands. Does he continue showing faith in Elijah Paige’s development to protect Moss’s blind side? Does he roll with Tobias Raymond at RT and shift Mason Murphy over, a redshirt junior who gave up six pressures Saturday? Does he completely re-shuffle things and move mainstay… Read more »
I wonder if Monheim was moved to center to give him a better chance at the pros or team needs. Moving him to left tackle and Elijah to right with Tobias at the right or left guard might improve things assuming they have somebody that can snap the ball.
Either way……a bad time to figure it out.
We always knew the USC OL was a potential problem while all the other parts of the offense would work just fine.
Well, everyone was exactly right. USC had undecided first-teamers way too late in the game not to figure that lack of talent was a part of that problem.
As you know, luckily Michigan was probably the best defense we face this year and aside from the lousy QB might be one of the best OL’s. As for our O line…..some blame Henson……I have only one person in mind……everyone knows who it is. This problem,,,,,that problem…..after a while seems like a lot of problems. In the third year. When Ramsey and Humphrey missed the take down on that last long run It looked like they were exhausted. Just did not have the energy to force the dude down. I noticed that the Michigan players even in the 4th were… Read more »
Humphrey played like 5 plays the whole game he wasn’t tired why was he in there ! where was Smith !
Ramsey is a great football player … make the play !
Arnold missed him too at the LOS
Smith is lights out a corner. I wonder if he was hurting.
Noa was the center plan, I believe ???
Good question Allen. Paige has to get more coaching on technique, especially being bull rushed the way he was. I am a little miffed Hensen & LR didn’t make the switch sooner in the first half on the O-Line. Seeing Moss getting beat into the ground that many times? That was all on the coaches to put a stop to that. What the he*l were they waiting on? My guess to your question though is keep the same OL played in the 2nd half. We aren’t going to play another DL any better than Michigan’s the rest of the season… Read more »
Do they have a rule that USC can only adjust at halftime? Thats what it seems like.
What on earth can be done about the offensive line? I don’t know but if it isn’t fixed by the end of this year, then the only answer is to replace Josh Henson. Also, if you are going to throw those lateral type passes, throw them to Zachariah Branch or somebody who can get some yards after catch. Don’t throw them to Lake.
I’m thinking that there has to be something else going on there, and that (1) short term, against the stronger teams, ‘SC will need to run alot more pro and wing formations, which is a bit inconsistent with Lincoln Riley’s offensive style, and (2) there needs to be some blame put on the coaching staff, and that some type of long-term change needs to happen. I don’t think this bodes well for Josh Henson. This OL problem is the same thing we have seen over the last 3 years, obviously, without either short term or long term improvement. Last Saturday,… Read more »
I am sort of left wondering if the result would have been different if we had let them score once they busted that third back-breaking long run. Not saying we clearly should have (without hindsight, anyway). We had otherwise been shutting them down defensively and had reason to believe we could defend 17 yards to keep them out of the end zone. Heck, we were one play away from doing it at the end. Add to this, that our last offensive possession was a hot mess too, so there wasn’t a lot of reason to believe we could engineer a… Read more »
Not up by 4 … just stop them, we didn’t we let them go 90 yds without completing a pass not good has Lynn been reading his press clipping, not a good job
No, two kids made grievous errors in missing tackles on the final long run. Lynn’s second half adjustments were effective. Half of MICH 300 yards came on three one-off runs, where I suspect one or two kids made bad plays each time. That will happen. Silly clock management and dumb pass plays called by Riley.
Just saw the all 22 of the 4th and goal. Lucas was not just held but almost tackled. He had that lane and played stopped dead. He bullied the TE and had the play blown up.
Refs were definitely cooking at home for MICH
Latest AP Poll — Week 5
1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. Tennessee
6. Ole Miss
7. Miami
8. Oregon
9. Penn State
10. Utah
11. Missouri
12. Michigan
13. USC
14. LSU
15. Louisville
16. Notre Dame
17. Clemson
18. Iowa State
19. Illinois
20. Oklahoma State
21. Oklahoma
22. BYU
23. Kansas State
24. Texas A&M
25. Boise State
Brett McMurphy’s new AP Top 25 ballot
1-Georgia
2-Texas
3-Ohio St
4-Alabama
5-Tennessee
6-Miami
7-Ole Miss
8-Penn St
9-Oregon
10-Utah
11-Mizzou
12-Iowa St
13-Clemson
14-Michigan
15-USC
16-LSU
17-Notre Dame
18-Louisville
19-Illinois
20-BYU
21-Okla State
22-Oklahoma
23-UNLV
24-Pitt
25-Kansas St
I actually think those rankings are pretty generous. Our O LINE is a real mess, and if we don’t get it fixed, we are looking at maybe another 2-3 losses. I am still optimistic about our defense.
Only dropping two spots from 11-13 gives USC a lot of credit for handling games against LSU (which I still have some doubts about. Low life UCLA was tied with them 17-17 at half in BR) and MICH fairly well. With MICH coming in right above USC, that seems pretty darn fair, and we’re still appropriately above both LSU and ND. We got knocked out by a knock-out puncher that can lose a lot of rounds but still put you on your back. I agree that our OL is a “real mess.” Pulling starters and moving mediocre tackles to the… Read more »
RE: the o/l. A glass half full observation. SC coaches are now making adjustments and personnel changes real time. In recent years poor play was never addressed. Trojans are a top 15 team & top 15 teams have weaknesses. Work still left to be done for this team to become top 10.
Good paragraph about the tough Trojan defeat yesterday
R.J. Abeytia (USCFootball.com) — “The loss stung a USC team so close to ending the Wolverines’ now-26-game Big Ten winning streak in its first Big Ten combat. USC came away from the game battered and bruised, but the Trojans did not bend the knee. They forced Michigan to knock them out, and a knockout is what Michigan delivered in the form of that final drive.”
247sports.com
It was no shame to loose to the National Champs.
It was a great fight all the way and Michigan just the clock running
out for USC.
The Michigan defensive line was great and the USC OL could not handle them.
Riley running up the middle on Michigan was folly.
LR made many bad calls in this game. If USC is to get better it starts with him.
In case you missed it
Go #11!
Play calling has to get better, Had the ball with momentum, the lead and 5 minutes! 50 seconds were used with a 3 and out, 2 incomplete dangerous shovel passes and 1 run! had to keep the clock running or make them use their timeouts, or get the ball back with less than 2 minutes. They had 0 1st downs going into the final minute of the 2nd half, Cant lose when the other team has 32 passing yards, and they did exactly what we knew they could do well, run the ball. USC said we dare you to try… Read more »
Lincoln Riley has undiagnosed dyscalculia. He has a covert inability to determine time, even on an analog scale. Can USC obtain a retroactive medical-legal exam?
I wonder if our staff has a guy who could call plays for the last 5 minutes of games if we are ahead by one score and put Riley in time-out. Never happen, but it’s an idea….
Yes the players played hard and stood up to Michigans physical play. But just the same, I can’t get over D’anton Lynn not stuffing the box on that last Michigan drive to win the game and our last drive with LR calling pass after pass and not running the damn clock. If Pete Carroll was watching the game at the end, he’d be shaking his head.
Chris has pointed out that the final score by michigan was blown up but for a non-call of holding (an O-lineman tackled J. Mohamed).
Stewart Mandel on USC battling MICH to the wire Mandel (The Athletic) — Saturday’s USC-Michigan thriller was a three-hour advertisement for New College Football. Two marquee brands that may have previously only met in a Rose Bowl, playing an intra-conference Big Ten game in September with Playoff implications for both teams’ resumes, as well as those of their opponents. And it came down to the end, with the 18th-ranked Wolverines (3-1) prevailing 27-24 after their defense thwarted the 11th-ranked Trojans’ (2-1) last-minute drive. Hearing Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson call a Big Ten game on CBS after all those years at Alabama and LSU still feels unnatural.… Read more »
Well written.
I don’t care for Danielson at all. He can go back to the SEC. Being a former Lions guy, he seemed biased to me, or maybe it was just my bias that made him seem biased. Regardless, he was annoying to me.
He completely sucked with SEC … I was at the game and only listen to Arbo and Cody by sync when home. Done with the networks pxp.
Already deleted game from dvr lol. Not watching they finish twice, would be sending out copies had they won!
Wait till next year? Wait till buyout? The sky isn’t falling but it’s propped up with toothpicks? Every year we get a little better but the upshot is still close but no cigar. I wonder if USC even likes cigars anymore. So what is the formula to fix it next year? My guess is close the border of California to personnel poachers. Get those kids from our neighborhood that are beating us from across the field. Then send Riley to clock management school. Sometimes a running play beats an incomplete pass by a mile. USC beat big 10 teams for… Read more »
right, Riley has to have an offensive playbook for running the clock down, even if its bring Malueve in for some option. those 2 shovel passes on that drive were terrible and dangerous, 50 seconds were used, trust the defense but they were on the field a long time due to offensive inefficiencies and sketchy play calling
Contest Standings after Week #4
Go to the Post to get a full accounting for week 4
https://trojandailyblog.com/tdb-football-contest-2024-week-4/
Column: USC’s loss to Michigan a reminder that Lincoln Riley falters under pressure Dylan Hernandez (LAT) — ANN ARBOR, Mich. — USC played a team that passed for 32 yards. Not on one play. In the entire game. Coach Lincoln Riley described the 27-24 loss to Michigan on Saturday as a game his team could have won, saying, “We came up one play short.” In truth, this was a game the Trojans should have won. This was a game in which the defending national champion Wolverines were booed in their own stadium. This was a game in which USC had the ball and a four-point lead in the… Read more »
I railed about that last night and I am still furious about Riley this morning. Whether you get first downs or not, that 3&out should have been three runs. Except for the two kids missing that tackle on the long run (they will never forget that play for the rest of their lives unfortunately) we proved we could stop them. This loss is on Riley. Mental error with poor clock mgmt as we have seen before.
All true. We had ’em right where we wanted ’em. No coach is perfect of course, and Riley choked big-time with five minutes to go and the game in his hands, just like UCLA grad Hernandez said in the Times. USC’s expert play-caller suffered a brain freeze. It happens. It’s too bad it cost USC its inaugural B1G win, in Ann Arbor no less, but that’s how it went down. Following USC’s misguided “shovel passes to nowhere series”, Mulling’s fantastically dazzling 60+-yd run up the middle will now go down in MICH lore as a highlight clip to be relished… Read more »
I thought the kids played very hard. Tackling was good. A note….Will Johnson sits on the side throws for interceptions….he got one that was almost identical 2 or 3 weeks ago…..maybe a coach could have mentioned it to Moss? Riley…..our 10 million dollar offensive genius…….is more like a chevy with a bad transmission. If it is not one thing it is another. 3 points in the first half. It finally arrived that a freshman had to play right tackle…..in the middle of the Michigan game. In preseason the site mentioned LB and OL and DL as concerns. Well, no surprise.… Read more »
I’m banking on Moss learning from this loss. He’s truly been in the fire now and I doubt he anticipated the type of pressure he faced yesterday. How could he have? MICH was simply abusing our OL much of the game. This is only his fourth game, and frankly, he had no time to do much. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever seen a USC QB on his ass more during a game. He’s lucky he didn’t get hurt, and he’s also damn lucky Marks somehow miraculously got back that fumble he lost… Read more »
I agree….we all learn from experience. Hopefully the coaches can buy him some extra time.
Maybe by next year the beef in front of him will be a bit stouter.
Cheap shot on Lemon was BS … I bet they have #39 circled for next years game.
I cannot imagine we will line up against a DL that has two 300+ pounders who are first round picks for the rest of the season. That will help. You gotta believe that the OL will improve. They won’t be elite, but they will be more than serviceable.
Oops. I see I have repeated myself about those MICH DTs in an earlier post on this thread. My bad. And I am not at the stage of life where I am repeating myself yet….
#0 was something for Michigan. Those huge tackles of course were too. Shocked SC didn’t have a play to bait Johnson into biting on something.
Remember way back in 1991. Florida State had this great corner, Buckley or something, had like 3 pick 6s in first 3 games or something. First play of game vs Michigan, they do the old hitch n go vs him. He bites … 80 yd TD.
Oh well MM is smart and now tough, he went from a 4 year starter to 8 game starter after that battle.
AW, letting almost a day pass after the game, reading nearly every single opinion both columnists and Trojan fans, identifying the primary cause of this heart wrenching loss is limitless. Of course the low hanging fruit in most posts, not all, is Riley’s decisions in crunch time ( game mgmt.) with some inferring he was psyched out in The Big House. Yes, seems the focus was on the shuffle / shuttle passes,along with first half conservative play calling. I do recall that our field position in the first half was not good. Riley sticking with the run, which we’ve criticized… Read more »
Michigan dominated in the trenches. I thought going into the season that USC would have to improve in the trenches to compete in the BIG. It will take a couple of years to recruit the OL and DL that we need to win a BIG championship. I still believe USC will have a good season after this tough loss on the road.
Agree 100% TR. Michigan had superior athletes on the D line especially and that meant Moss was scrambling for his life and ended up too many times looking up at the sky. I said this last year and it seems that nothing has really changed between Lincoln Riley’s ears. He believes he is smarter than everyone else but in crunch time situations, he proves all he knows how to do is get in his own way. Screen pass, shovel pass and the like when clock management is of the utmost importance. Make the clock run and make Michigan have to… Read more »
A point to remember. MICH first score (I think) came the next play after the SC defense clearly stopped a 4th and one at around midfield. One of many blown calls by the PAC-12, well no, the B1G refs that went against SC. You understand my confusion at who the officials were on Saturday.
Thinking the same thing ATL DDS, and I read the Servite player signed with Michigan just as LR came on board and they didn’t have time to connect. It is obvious the Tackle wanted no part of Clay Helton. So the lingering effects of the Cat on the Trojan program hasn’t ended yet.
Let’s face it. How many teams will we face this season with their two tackles 300 pound behemoths and first round picks next year. That kid from Servite would never have gotten away from Pete Carroll. We need to build that recruiting wall around California again.
COINCIDENTLY: The back breaker for the Trojans was the 63 yard run by Mullings in the last minutes. Mullings managed to break free from Humphrey’s [19] grasp, and Ramsey [7] flew by Mullings, managing only slight arm touch.
Humphrey’s attempt was sound; Ramsey’s was sloppily over run. Coincidently, both Humphrey and Ramsey are UCLA transfers.
I noticed that two about them being sucla transfers, but I think they didn’t blow it on purpose PROBABLY 🤣
Riley has to be able to run more clock, they got the ball with 5 minutes, 2 incomplete shovel passes later punt!! should have at least made them burn timeouts or run 3 minutes off clock.
There’s still hope and a lot to play for. The B1G conference championship game is determined by the 2 teams having the best records. So, USC needs to run the conference table from here on out, have tOSU beat Mich in their game, and have one other trip up by Mich and USC would face tOSU in the conference championship game.
A few dominoes need to drop, but not too far out there.
I think the 2nd half OL lineup will stick for a while. Every B1G opponent will try what Mich did to us in the first half. There was much bullfighter blocking on MM’s blindside in the first half.
We went from hearing a weeks worth of stories about how we are gritty, tough, and overcame a big defect twice to take a game on the road to basically the same narrative to start the year. No moral victories allowed in big boy college football. Go win games like this, completely winnable. Good teams do that. I anticipate we will.
Wow is Marc Kulkim laying into LR for his horrific playcalling in the first half and that last drive at the end of the game where LR called passing plays. I have to admit, he has a point when everyone under the moon says USC needs to get out front in scoring to force Michigan out of their game plan, which he didn’t and was behind 14 to 3 at the half. Further, why did Lynn only have 6 and a few times 7 at the line of scrimmage to stop the rushing? Not that LR will pay any attention… Read more »
It was easily within our grasp. Yet we got beat by a totally one-dimensional team because of our weakness in the trenches and inability to finish well. Poor Miller Moss was on his butt so much it was hard to believe. Lots of things to fix, both short and long-term.
Not sure I agree with “lots of things need to be fixed.” Coaches made good adjustments in the second half and put the team in a position to win. Gotta give credit to the RB-great run against a tired defense. However, in my opinion, losing to Michigan by 3 on the road will not hurt the team’s resume even though this is a down year for Michigan. USC needs to just take care of business at home and beat Penn State and ND, who both should be ranked when they play. I believe that this year’s team is not a… Read more »
Just because a lot still needs to be fixed (IMO) doesn’t mean we aren’t a good team. We are. Last year’s team would have lost this game by 25 points.
I’m very proud of how the Trojans showed up today. We closed very badly, but showed a lot of promise and potential to be a playoff team, as you say.
Got some tough games ahead. Gonna be a fun season to watch.
MICH isn’t that great, that’s for sure. They’re beatable. No passing game whatsoever. OHIO ST will hammer them, just like TEXAS did.
Since USC beat UTAH ST 48-0 two weeks ago, the Aggies have lost at home to unbeaten UTAH 38-21, and were defeated again today by previously winless TEM in Philadelphia 45-29 (which lost to OU 51-3 to kickoff the season).