How Michigan’s pass rush dominated the USC offense

After a nail-biting game at the Big House, the Michigan Wolverines started 3-1 and defeated USC by a final score of 27-24. It was a game few expected Michigan to win, and at times it actually looked like Michigan would finish Week 4 with two losses on its record.

A big reason for the initial pessimism was that the defense didn’t really look like the dominant unit we saw a year ago. Michigan’s opponents had averaged 20 points per game before the game, and the Wolverines were picked apart by Quinn Ewers and Texas just two weeks earlier. It was fair to wonder if the defense could hold up against another great offense like USC’s, but it held its own on Saturday, thanks in large part to the great performance of the big guys on offense.

The defensive line made its presence known almost immediately, sacking Miller Moss in the first half with Kenneth Grant and Josaiah Stewart, while holding the Trojans to -16 total yards rushing before halftime.

Dominance against the run was part of the game plan, according to junior defensive tackle Mason Graham, who finished the day with six total tackles (including one for a loss), looking like one of the best defensive tackles in the country.

“I feel like that’s always the game plan for every game — stop the run,” Graham said when asked if he made USC one-dimensional in its offensive strategy. “That’s what we did.”

By preventing USC from gaining momentum on the ground, Michigan was able to force USC into some obvious passing situations early on. This made it much easier for the defense to get down the field on third down attempts, which had been a problem in the first three games. This time, however, USC converted just one of its seven third down attempts in the first half.

Additionally, the pass rush was successful on a few occasions, forcing the USC offense into obvious passing situations. The defense recorded four sacks in the game and also landed a few extra hits on Miller Moss that embarrassed him. In just his fourth career start, it seemed as though the early uncertainty prevented the Trojan offense from stringing together attacks.

Josaiah Stewart stood out, recording two sacks and three tackles for loss during the game.

“Winning our one-on-one situations – Coach (Wink Martindale) put us in great positions to make plays,” Stewart said after the game when asked what helped the pass rush succeed in the game.

Getting to the quarterback has been a mystery for the Wolverine defense this year, having recorded just four sacks before the game. It was certainly impressive to see Michigan manage four more on Saturday, especially considering Michigan didn’t look as aggressive on the blitz today, running just four players on multiple occasions.

Graham admitted he had been waiting for a game like Saturday’s to get to the quarterback more often, so he and the defensive line were happy to take advantage of USC’s desire to throw the ball and a flow of play that promised them plenty of opportunities to do so.

“I feel like we didn’t have enough time in the first game (to get to the quarterback),” Graham said after the game. “We knew they were going to drop back – they were going to give us opportunities to make plays and I think that’s what we did today.”

The defensive line made plays all afternoon that helped Michigan win, as did the secondary, which intercepted a few passes and held coverage long enough to put pressure on Miller Moss. That defensive effort was especially needed as the offense continued to struggle, especially in the second half, when it didn’t get a first down until Kalel Mullings’ 63-yard run at the end.

Michigan has come quite a long way with its defensive line over the past three seasons and it looks like it will continue to do so heading into the 2024 season.