Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore breaks down decision to go with Alex Orji in Week 4 against USC
When news broke earlier this week that Alex Orji would be the starting quarterback for Michigan against USC instead of Davis Warren that shouldn't have surprised anyone. Warren was benched amid Michigan's 28-18 victory over Arkansas State this past Saturday after he tossed his sixth interception in just 72 pass attempts on the season. When […]
When news broke earlier this week that Alex Orji would be the starting quarterback for Michigan against USC instead of Davis Warren that shouldn't have surprised anyone. Warren was benched amid Michigan's 28-18 victory over Arkansas State this past Saturday after he tossed his sixth interception in just 72 pass attempts on the season.
When Alex Orji came in he wasn't asked to do much through the air but he kept the offense on schedule, scoring his first passing touchdown of the season on a throw to tight end Hogan Hansen.
Michigan head coach made his rounds on a number of shows and media availability this week, and as fans might guess, he was asked about the quarterback situation quite often. On one of those particular shows (this Wednesday) coach Moore offered up significant details on his quarterback situation and why the Wolverines will be going with Alex Orji this week (and perhaps moving forward).
Moore spent plenty of time talking up Alex Orji as a versatile runner, but also emphasized just how good he can be as a thrower of the football as well. And of course, he addressed the unfortunate turnover issues that were plaguing Davis Warren through the first three weeks.
"The biggest thing is, as a program, we've got to take care of the football. When the football is put in jeopardy too many times we felt like it was [Alex] Orji's chance…He went in there and executed and we're ready for him to take the reins."
Orji didn't exactly wow with just 39 yards of total offense accounted for personally, but apparently that was enough to prove that he was a better option than Davis Warren. Warren had been the absolute worst quarterback among all power conference passers through three weeks in numerous categories. From adjusted yards per pass attempt, to interception rate, to most every meaningful raw yardage total, Warren was abysmal.
When asked about why he revealed his quarterback decision on Monday as opposed to waiting until game time of Week 4, Moore had this to say:
"At this point, for us, the players, for them to see me announce it to everybody else, and understand the confidence I have in Alex [Orji] and have in our team, I think it was important that I did that. I felt like it was an important thing for us to do as a program."
That's a nice way of saying that the team needed to be reassured they weren't going to be put through even one more down of dealing with Davis Warren at quarterback. The team needed to know they could start fresh, with a new leader at the helm as they prepared for a tough matchup against USC.
When it comes to how much the offense will change and what strengths Alex Orji brings to the table? Moore had a lot say on that too:
"Great offenses, you know the ones that score points and move the football do things to [utilize] their players strengths. So we're going to do everything we can to optimize Alex [Orji]'s strengths along with the guys around him…We have a plan developed that we've had in place for Alex. So we're excited to put it in place…Obviously Alex is one of the most athletic guys on the team. Pound for pound, as strong as anybody on the team. He's a good runner, but he's actually a better thrower than people think. He's just got to prove it and execute on game day."
Alex Orji has attempted just seven career passes in live game action so far, so it is a bit of a projection to expect significant success from him as a passer, but Sherrone Moore and the Michigan coaching staff seem confident in his ability to execute this week against USC.
If Orji utilizes his mobility to put stress on USC's still questionable defensive front while picking his spots with some solid passing (perhaps off of play action) Michigan may just pull off the victory. Michigan is still 2-1. The season doesn't have to be completely derailed just yet despite Michigan having the worst power conference quarterback play in the country so far. Orji certainly can't be any worse than Warren.
Davis Warren finally and mercifully benched, setting Michigan free to make critical changes to their offense
Michigan finally make the easy right choice at QB
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