With Davis Warren being relegated to the bench for this week’s game against the USC Trojans, the Men of Troy will now have to prepare for Alex Orji at Quarterback.
Warren started this year for the Wolverines with a lackluster 48 for 72 and just 400 yards with six interceptions thrown over the course of three games.
There’s not currently much film on Orji given that he’s played less than 20 snaps in college, however, it’s very clear Orji is much more willing to run the ball.
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USC Trojans Rush Defense Getting Better
In 2023 the Rush defense for the Trojans was bad, like all-time bad. Last season USC allowed an average of 187 rushing yards per game with an average of five yards a carry.
Against LSU, outside of a couple of long runs, Lynn’s defense was on pace to hold the Tigers to under 100 yards rushing. That LSU team has five seniors who are all going to get a chance in the NFL.
To follow that up, in USC’s most recent game against Utah State the Aggies only managed 87 yards of the ground.
These are important to remember because if you know anything about Michigan football it’s that they like to run the ball. With Orji starting, Lynn will have to key in on the ground game even more so given Orji’s athletic ability.
This may not be Jim Harbaugh’s team anymore but the culture and scheme surrounding the offensive side of the ball have not changed.
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From Worst To First?
Through the first two games, the Trojans have only allowed a total of two touchdowns. LSU and Utah State are both very capable of putting up points but were met with the “bend but don’t break” scheme of coach Lynn.
One of the main areas of concern for USC Trojans fans last year was the defense’s ability to get off the field on third down. This year, albeit very early in the season, they are ranked in the top 35 in defensive third-down percentage at just 29%. Last year the Trojans weren’t ranked in the top 100 of any defensive statistical category. In fact, the Trojans were ranked 121st in total defense out of a possible 133 FBS teams.
It’s entirely possible that this article will age like old milk given that we are in September and there really isn’t enough data collected yet to make any clear judgments. But I digress.
What I can tell you is that seeing the difference in attitude and simplicity in the defensive scheme, it’s entirely possible that USC is no longer the school that will score 100 points and allow 100 points.
Defense has been the talking point for many college football analysts when it comes to USC mainly because it’s always been the downfall of a Lincoln Riley-led team. However, this year after going out to grab defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn from across town, it’s clear through two games, that the Trojans have made defense a strength rather than a weakness.