Michigan switching to Alex Orji at QB helped Wolverines recapture identity in comeback win over USC

Orji starting under center helped unleash a more effective -- and familiar -- rushing attack for Michigan

Michigan's identity crisis is over. It remains imperfect, but the Wolverines once again seem to know who they are. 

No. 18 Michigan knocked off No. 11 USC 27-24 in a thriller at the Big House on Saturday and may have salvaged its season in the process. It wasn't pretty, but very little about the Wolverines in recent years has been.

The decision to replace Davis Warren with Alex Orji at quarterback paid immediate dividends, even though there were bumps along the road. The Michigan rushing offense looked significantly better against the Trojans than it had at any point in the first three games. The Wolverines averaged only 4.35 yards per carry against Fresno State before faltering to 3.48 against Texas. Things picked up last week after the Wolverines made the switch to Orji during a win over Arkansas State, and it continued against a much tougher USC team. 

The Wolverines rushed for 220 yards in the first half, including touchdown runs of 53 and 41 yards by Kalel Mullings and Donovan Warren, respectively. They averaged 7.4 yards per carry. It was clear that by adding Orji to the equation and forcing defenses to play 11-on-11 in the run game, it made life easier for Michigan's running backs.

In the first three games, linebackers were free to flow among the backs with little fear of Warren's legs or the possibility of him punishing them with the passing game. With Orji, those linebackers began to hesitate; over-pursue and Orji has the athleticism to take off for a long touchdown run. That hesitation bought the running backs and the offensive linemen time to execute.

The problem Michigan faced, and will continue to face until proven otherwise, is USC stopped worrying about anything more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. The run lanes shrunk, and the Michigan offense stalled.

Then, the defense showed up. Will Johnson had a pick six in the third quarter to open the lead again after USC got back into the game. It held out for as long as possible before relenting, but the run game returned to save the day as Michigan put together an 89-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes after managing only 13 yards on offense in the second half before then.

It was ugly. It was stressful. But, it was successful, too.

That's who Michigan will have to be to have a chance the rest of the way. Lean on the run game and defense and hope Orji can develop enough as a passer to make life easier for all involved.

If he can, this team has a chance to bounce back from the Texas loss and continue to be a force in the Big Ten. If he can't ... well, you've already proven you can win ugly anyway.