The USC Trojans were riding high in the 2024 season when suddenly they faced a brutal defeat by the Michigan Wolverines. They started the season with an impressive 27-20 win over LSU in week one, followed by an amazing 48-0 win over Utah State in week two. As of now, they are holding a 2-1 overall record in the season. Besides, critics have started calling out head coach Lincoln Riley for the Trojans’ performance in the game against Michigan.

College football analyst Josh Pate made sharp remarks on the Lincoln Riley-led team after they faced a horrible loss to the Wolverines, effectively reminding the California team of their status in college football. “This is college football. This is the way it works. A team like Michigan, with the pride of that program, does not get double-digit losses hung on them times in September at home. History. Know your history. That is not the way the sport works.” One word for this: brutal but true. What were the Trojans even thinking before heading toward this crucial matchup? That it will be an easy win or something like that? They were facing national champions. Michigan had a rough start this season and lost to Texas. But hey, if you remember last season, they always found a way to bounce back, and that was within a game. They were undefeated last year.

The epic USC vs. Michigan matchup, which took place on September 21st, 2024, at the Big House, resulted in a 27-24 win for the Wolverines. Michigan started taking charge of the game from the start, with a 53-yard touchdown run by Kalel Mullings and a 41-yard run by Donovan Edwards leading to the 14-0 score. After this, the USC answered with Miller Moss throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Kobi Lane, which made the score go up to 24-20 in the fourth quarter. However, towards the end, and with only 37 seconds remaining in the game, Mullings scored a game-changing touchdown on a 2-yard run, which ultimately sealed the victory for Michigan.

Moreover, this game was more of a testament to Mullings’s success, as he had a career-high 159 yards rushing. Mullings made the highest efforts to grant a big victory to his team. “Our players never flinched, and that’s what you’re really proud of,” said head coach Sherrone Moore, who sealed his first major win in his first year of head coach position following the legend Jim Harbaugh. Besides, let’s learn what went wrong for the Trojans.

Lincoln Riley’s team in the Michigan vs. USC game

Josh Pate pointed at the USC offense, which struggled throughout the USC vs. Michigan game and remained in the headlines after the game. “USC is much improved, but USC’s run defense did not meet the freeze point, the minimum baseline standard you have to meet in a certain aspect of this sport in order to contend.” Pate explained the much-talked-about USC offense, which was said to be improved before the 2024 season. Given Lincoln Riley’s strategies to build a strong team, it was expected to see an advanced version of their offense, but after watching Saturday’s game, it looks like they still have a long way to go.

The offensive flaws were especially exposed in the 4th quarter. Lincoln Riley’s men just couldn’t make the most of their possessions. On the other side, Michigan was mostly going three-and-out and had around 10 yards from four possessions at one point in the fourth quarter. They weren’t helped by some sloppy plays by Miller Moss, but a credit also goes to Michigan defense which kept things tight for the USC QB throughout the quarter.

Pate then pointed at an improved defense compared to what they had last year, saying, “USC’s overall level—of physicality and offensive line, defensive line play in general—is better than it was last year. There is no doubt the Trojans are doing quite better than last year’s blunders but according to Josh, either their offense or defense did not meet the freeze point, which should have been to handle a team like Michigan.

This over-the-top game marked USC’s first Big Ten debut game against Michigan but ended up in a disappointing loss. After facing a tough team like Michigan, Lincoln Riley is heading towards their next game on September 28 against Wisconsin. This game marks the Trojans’s second home game in the Big Ten Conference, aiming for an exciting showdown as they aim to bounce back from their recent loss to the Michigan Wolverines.

If you want to know more about college football, please watch this ES Think Tank podcast interview with Doug Sanders.