Michigan wins despite horrific QB play as Sherrone Moore may have key decision to make following USC game
After three games of Davis Warren playing worse than any other power conference quarterback in college football Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore decided to make a change at quarterback. And Moore didn't wait to make the announcement either. He made it clear early last week that Alex Orji would be the starting quarterback against USC. […]
After three games of Davis Warren playing worse than any other power conference quarterback in college football Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore decided to make a change at quarterback. And Moore didn't wait to make the announcement either. He made it clear early last week that Alex Orji would be the starting quarterback against USC. But is Orji the answer at QB either?
Michigan did pull off a hard-fought victory against the USC Trojans on Saturday, but it almost didn't happen because of Alex Orji's extreme passing limitations. Orji finished the day completing seven of his 12 passes for just 32 yards and that stat line makes his performance actually look better than it was.
Orji failed to complete even one pass for more than 10 yards the entire day, missing badly or nearly throwing an interception on all five of his incompletions. He did managed to tally 43 rushing yards, and his athleticism did put some extra stress on USC's defensive front that clearly caused some hesitation on a few key run plays, but Orji generated just three yards per play by himself on his 13 carries and 12 pass attempts. That's actually a worse mark in per play efficiency than Davis Warren.
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Thankfully, Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards pulled off three impressive runs when it mattered most. Mullings got things rolling for the offense early with a 53-yard rushing touchdown where he hit the gap at just the right time to break free for the long score. Then Edwards answered with a 41-yard touchdown of his own just two drives later as it looked like Michigan was cruising. Mullings would also save the day again late.
However, after that Edwards touchdown the offense went completely silent as they totaled just 32 yards over the next six offensive drives combined. USC adjusted to Michigan's run-only approach knowing that Orji couldn't do a single thing through the air.
After Will Johnson completely bailed Michigan out with a pick six it seemed the Michigan might still cruise to a victory, but the offense just couldn't do anything at all. Slowly, but surely, USC's offense clawed their way back into the game as USC claimed a 24-20 lead late in the fourth quarter following a Donovan Edwards fumble.
With four minutes to go and nearly 90 yards of field to drive Michigan needed a miracle, and it surely wasn't coming from Alex Orji through the air. Luckily, Kalel Mullings broke through some contact and ripped off a 63-yard carry, getting Michigan within scoring range. The Wolverines finally took their game-winning lead with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter on 4th and goal from the one (and maybe a half) yard line on Mullings' second touchdown of the day.
If it weren't for Will Johnson's pick six and the running backs saving the day Alex Orji would have led Michigan to their second loss of the season. Sherrone Moore is going to have to take a good long look at his quarterback situation yet again as Alex Orji is completely inept in the passing game. Jack Tuttle (or even freshman Jadyn Davis) deserves a shot at some starting reps this week if Moore wants an offense that can do more than just run when it matters most. Michigan is going to need that if they want to win many more games at all this season.
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