The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 125 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Not only will the USC Trojans play non-league tilts against LSU (Sept. 1) and Notre Dame (Nov. 30) this fall, they'll also have to adjust to life in a new con- ference and all the challenges that come with it. At the same time, Michigan and its Big Ten brethren will have to recali- brate their own efforts with the Trojans, Oregon, UCLA and Washington all enter- ing the conference. USC head coach Lincoln Riley im- mediately turned the program around in 2022, after leaving Oklahoma for the then-Pac-12 power. The Trojans won 11 tilts and made the Pac-12 title game in his first season, but they disappointed with an 8-5 record last year despite having the defending Heisman Trophy winner behind center in Caleb Williams. The biggest issue for USC in 2023: de- fense. The Trojans allowed 34.4 points per game overall, ranking 121st in the country, and gave up 41.6 points on av- erage in losses to Notre Dame (48), Utah (34), Washington (52), Oregon (36) and UCLA (38). Riley hit the reset button on defense this offseason, firing coordinator Alex Grinch — who came with him from Okla- homa — and replacing him with UCLA's D'Anton Lynn. The 34-year-old engi- neered an incredible turnaround job with the Bruins a year ago, helping them fin- ish 10th nationally in total defense after ranking 87th in 2022. After one season, he made the move to the cross-town ri- val. Lynn runs a similar system to Michi- gan, having worked for U-M coordinator Wink Martindale with the Baltimore Ra- vens in 2021, the first of his two seasons with the NFL franchise. Lynn is attempting to lead quite the turnaround with the Trojans, who fin- ished worse than 100th nationally in scoring defense (121st), total defense (119th), rushing defense (119th), pass- ing defense (103rd), third-down defense (109th) and red-zone defense (115th in touchdown percentage) last season. Having some trusted players will help. Lynn brought with him two potential im- pact defensive backs in redshirt sopho- more safety Kamari Ramsey and redshirt senior cornerback John Humphrey, who combined for 3 interceptions and 10 pass breakups for UCLA last season. Three starters in the front seven are set to re- turn, led by redshirt senior defensive end Jamil Muhammad, who led the team with 6.5 sacks. Conducting a high-flying offense is where Riley shines. In Riley's seven years as a head coach (2017-21 at Oklahoma and 2022-23 at USC), his offenses have never finished worse than eighth in the country in points per game. The Tro- jans were third last year, putting up 41.8 points per contest. Replacing Williams is a huge task, though. He threw for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdown passes last season. However, Riley almost always has a very produc- tive quarterback, having mentored three Heisman winners in Williams (2022), Kyler Murray (2018) and Baker Mayfield (2017). That's why there's confidence that Holiday Bowl star Miller Moss, a redshirt junior, will be at least a solid re- placement if he hangs onto the job. He completed 23 of his 33 passes for 372 yards with 6 touchdowns and 1 intercep- tion in a 42-28 win over Louisville that served as his coming-out party. Three returning starting offensive line- men and an electric playmaker in sopho- more wideout Zachariah Branch surround Moss. Branch — a 5-foot-10, 175-pound speedster — hauled in 31 receptions for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns while also scoring twice on returns (1 punt, 1 kick) during his freshman season. ❑ USC Trojans Hit Reset Button Upon Entering The Big Ten Quarterback Miller Moss went 23-of-33 for 372 yards passing and threw for 6 touchdowns in his first USC start to lead the Trojans to a 42-28 victory against Louisville while earning Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP honors. PHOTO BY KATIE CHIN/USC ATHLETICS 2024 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2023 Result Sept. 1 LSU* — Sept. 7 Utah State — Sept. 21 at Michigan — Sept. 28 Wisconsin — Oct. 5 at Minnesota — Oct. 12 Penn State — Oct. 19 at Maryland — Oct. 25 Rutgers — Nov. 2 at Washington L, 52-42 Nov. 16 Nebraska — Nov. 23 at UCLA L, 38-20 Nov. 30 Notre Dame L, 48-20 * at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas REASONS FOR OPTIMISM • Lincoln Riley, offensive genius • Weapons around QB Miller Moss • D'Anton Lynn's system USC had to do something about its defense and made a big-time move by hiring Lynn. On the other side of the ball, Caleb Williams left as the No. 1 NFL Draft pick, but it's hard not to trust Riley's chops as an offensive guru. REASONS FOR CONCERN • Steep hill to climb defensively • Physicality of the Big Ten • Nonconference slate Lincoln Riley's defenses have finished better than 65th nationally in yards allowed per game just twice in seven seasons, no matter who the coordinator has been. If the Trojans don't make drastic improvements, the adjustment to the Big Ten will be tough. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: USC leads 6-4 First Meeting: U-M 49, USC 0 (Jan. 1, 1948 in Pasadena, Calif.) Last Meeting: USC 32, U-M 18 (Jan. 1, 2007 in Pasadena, Calif.) Head Coach: Lincoln Riley, 19-8 (third year) at USC, 74-18 overall (eighth year) 2023 In Review: 8-5, 5-4 Pac-12 (T-4th Pac-12) Final 2023 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 10 (4 offense, 4 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2023 (Holiday Bowl vs. Louisville, W 42-28) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Miller Moss (681 yards, 7 TD) Rushing: Quinten Joyner (125 yards, 1 TD) Receiving: Duce Robinson (351 yards, 2 TD) Tackles: Mason Cobb (85) Sacks: Jamil Muhammad (6.5) Interceptions: Jacobe Covington, Eric Gentry (1) GAME 4 • USC TROJANS • SEPT. 21