USC had victory within its grasp on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich., until Michigan running back Kalel Mullings slipped away and sparked a dramatic 27-24 win over the Trojans. There’s a lot to sort through after that loss from the Trojans’ perspective so let’s get to some final thoughts from the game.
1. All eyes this week — and probably every week moving forward, to be honest — will be on USC’s offensive line. That group was a concern throughout the offseason and preseason, but we were never going to truly know what to expect until the Trojans faced a real, tough and sturdy defensive front, and the Wolverines have one of the best units in the country.
Well, Michigan placed a large spotlight on all of the offensive line’s issues on Saturday afternoon. It was noticeable live, but after re-watching the game, left tackle Elijah Paige and right guard Alani Noa had serious issues with the Wolverines’ defensive front.
Paige struggled against Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart — a one-time USC transfer target. On a sack, Paige was slow out of his stance. Another time, he overset on his stance and was beaten across his inside shoulder, which is a no-no for an offensive lineman. There was a false start and other issues. Noa had some issues with Wolverines defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and just generally staying on blocks.
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Both struggled to match the physicality of Michigan’s front. We highlighted Paige and Noa’s youth in this space often throughout the preseason. The reality is — and was in August — that those two are pups still. Paige played meaningful snaps in one game before this year. Noa earned real playing time in two games.
I believe in those players long-term, but this season is being played right now so Lincoln Riley and offensive line coach Josh Henson have some serious problem-solving on their hands. This situation brings up some other issues. …
USC rushed for just 96 yards against Michigan. (Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images)
2. In the second half, USC’s coaching staff moved Mason Murphy to left tackle and slid Tobias Raymond in at right tackle — where Murphy usually plays. The offense played better in the second half, but there were still issues with the line.
Murphy is inconsistent, and that was displayed in the second half. That’s a concern if he’s protecting Moss’ blindside moving forward. Raymond is inexperienced, and Saturday was the first time he received meaningful playing time in his career, so he’s in the same boat as Paige and Noa but less experienced.
Amos Talalele is another second-year player who played a couple of series throughout the game to relieve a struggling Noa at right guard.
So there are questions about USC’s offensive line configuration. If there is a major shuffle this week, it’ll be the second consecutive season with a notable lineup change within the first two months of the season. It’s really difficult to build continuity that way. And it would mean Henson hasn’t quite figured out which starting five to settle on for either season.
3. The real problem is a roster-building/recruiting issue, which also falls on Riley and Henson. USC simply hasn’t recruited well enough along the offensive line during Riley and Henson’s time together.
To be fair, this is an issue that predates them. The Trojans have had offensive line recruiting issues for more than a decade. Henson has scored some wins — four-star 2025 offensive line commit Carde Smith is one of them — but the misses have outnumbered the triumphs on the recruiting trail.
After talk from the staff that the program would look at portal options during the spring window, the coaches stood pat and doubled down on this group, which was a gamble considering the youth in key spots.
So that’s why USC is in this position. All these things can be true: 1) Clay Helton’s staff left a good starting offensive line. 2) It didn’t leave much in the pipeline as far as younger players. 3) The line should be more talented/well-stocked than it currently is in Year 3 under Riley.
So that’s something that has to be sorted out, or offensive line performances like this, which have been happening on the big stages for USC for nearly a decade (2016 against Alabama, 2017 against Ohio State, etc., etc.), will continue.
4. They’ve each had their moments and certainly did on Saturday (Ja’Kobi Lane and Duce Robinson scored a touchdown and Zachariah Branch posted 98 receiving yards) but when lined up next to preseason expectations, the receivers have been a bit underwhelming through the first three games. Moss spreads the ball around and doesn’t force-feed anyone, which deflates individual numbers, but a true No. 1 wideout hasn’t emerged.
I went into games knowing that Michael Pittman Jr. or Drake London would make a play or have a real, tangible impact. I believe the four sophomores can do it, but I don’t know it for certain yet.
It’s a talented group, but again, it’s a young one. So we’ll see how this group develops throughout the season and whether a true No. 1 target can emerge.
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5. There are a few things to watch from a health perspective after Saturday. Tight end Lake McRee, safety Akili Arnold and receiver Makai Lemon were injured during the game.
CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell reported that Lemon was taken to the hospital — it looked like a potential concussion testing — and that McRee suffered a left knee injury.
McRee suffered an ACL tear during the Holiday Bowl in December, and it’s a testament to him that he was able to come back as quickly as he did and have the impact he had early on after suffering that injury.
McRee was extremely emotional on the sideline when CBS caught a shot of him after the injury. Another serious knee injury would be a tough, unfortunate setback for a player who has developed and into a critical part of USC’s offense, which is something that hasn’t been said about a tight end in the program for a while.
USC’s Lake McRee was visibly upset after an injury has ended his day pic.twitter.com/b9M3AKDLk5
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2024
Kade Eldridge is the next in line to replace McRee.
From the TV broadcast, it looked as though Arnold injured something on his left arm. That would be a blow for USC’s secondary because Arnold has been a steady presence in coverage and as a tackler.
Senior Bryson Shaw replaced Arnold for a few snaps on the final drive of the game. Shaw played a lot the past two seasons under former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch but has played sparingly this year.
Shaw has limitations athletically and has to refine things technique-wise, like pursuit angles. He might be the first man up if Arnold has to miss any time, but USC could move someone like Jaylin Smith to safety. He started the Holiday Bowl and played well.
Also, Moss had his right ankle taped in the second half after he took a bunch of hits in the first 30 minutes of the game so that will be something to monitor.
6. Linebacker Eric Gentry played his best game with the program. There have long been questions about how Gentry and his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame would hold up in a game like Saturday’s, and he delivered a huge performance with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a critical forced fumble in the fourth quarter that gave USC the lead.
Gentry has looked like a different player in defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s scheme and has bought into whatever linebackers coach Matt Entz has preached to him.
Through three games, Gentry leads the team in tackles (26), tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (two).
7. It’ll get lost in the defeat, but punter Eddie Czaplicki had a great game. He averaged 53.14 yards on seven punts and pinned Michigan deep on a couple of occasions in the second half.
8. There’s a lot of talk about Riley’s game management. What’s interesting is Riley managed the game more like a Big Ten coach than at any other point of his USC tenure.
I found it interesting that USC won the toss and elected to defer until the second half. That is a rarity for Riley at USC. The third-and-9 run call in the fourth quarter was pretty interesting because it suggested he didn’t think Michigan would score against his defense.
The offensive possession before Michigan’s touchdown was the most questionable aspect of Riley’s game management. Three runs would’ve melted some clock away and given the Wolverines less time to work their way down the field.
There are just some late-game moments that have felt chaotic in Riley’s tenure. In 2022, he didn’t call his timeouts early enough against Utah, which left the offense little time to rally after Utah took a 43-42 lead. The goal-line situation against Arizona last season was a hectic mess where Caleb Williams almost fumbled the ball away and the field goal unit botched the snap on the game-winning field goal try, which sent the game to overtime. Time management against LSU was getting dicey until Moss hit Kyron Hudson for the big gain and the Trojans got a key targeting call.
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There are areas where this team has to improve, and Riley certainly has room to grow in those areas, too,
9. USC lost the game, and it’s a tough pill to swallow, but I believe the way the Trojans have played is much more sustainable than the high-wire act they tried pulling off the past two years.
Even though USC’s defense made some critical mistakes, defense tends to travel better. Even with all the mistakes it made, the Trojans’ defense gave up just 21 points and gave the offense plenty of opportunities to capitalize on its stops.
That is much more sustainable throughout a season than winning 45-38 or 48-45 every week.
Teams have to be able to win in a variety of ways. USC nearly pulled out an ugly, grind-it-out win. Of course, there will be doubts about whether Riley’s teams can win those games until he does it consistently, but there are now some reasons to believe this team can give itself a real chance in those situations more often than not.
(Top photo: Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images)
