September 21, 2024 • 6 mins
Welcome to a special game day edition of the Jolly Goodfellow podcast! In this episode, we dive deep into the highly anticipated matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and the USC Trojans, marking USC's first Big Ten game at the Big House.
We'll explore four critical keys to Michigan's potential victory. First, we'll discuss the need for a fully developed offense leveraging Alex Orji's strengths. Second, we emphasize the importance of averaging over five yards per carry against USC's defense. Third, we examine the defense's ability to get off the field on third downs and force turnovers. Lastly, we highlight the necessity for disciplined play, avoiding costly penalties and turnovers.
Join us for an insightful analysis that will get you ready for game day. Go Blue!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
That is the CBS chime that you'll be hearing when you tune in to watch USC travel
to the big house across the country for their first Big Ten game against the Michigan Wolverines.
Welcome to a special game day edition of the Jolly Goodfellow podcast.
Thank you for joining me. Of course, be sure to like, share,
(00:24):
and subscribe to this. And I want to give you four very quick keys to watch for during the game.
And if Michigan can execute on these four things, I think it's likely that they
can come out with a victory.
You don't execute on these four things, it's probably not going to go so well.
First thing, are we running a full-on orge fence?
(00:47):
Are we seeing RPOs, read options, designed QB runs? Are we using an offense
that's been catered and developed to Alex Orji's strengths?
Jerome Moore alluded to this in his radio show that they have an offense they're excited to roll out.
Of course, Alex Orji was going to be the starter up until about two weeks before the first game.
(01:10):
We have Davis Warren who has a different set of skills. skills do
we have that offense that will be
able to exploit and optimize Alex Orji's
legs are we
going to get him easy deep shots because the defense has to be so worried about
what we're doing on the ground it's going to be the key if we come out it's
(01:33):
going to be a very very bad sign if the opposite happens if we come out and
we're running the same dink and dunk passing we're not Not really running the ball with that XORG.
Mullings isn't getting the carries he needs. We're not using Edwards as a receiving threat.
It's not going to be a good sign. But on the flip side,
if we can use a fully developed power run spread option type game that will
(01:58):
give you flashbacks to the NARD, shoelaces flowing in the wind,
it's going to be a great sign for Michigan.
Michigan on that note can that orange
fence average over five yards
per carry on the ground right now USC I think they gave up 4.5 yards per carry
to LSU in week one I think they're averaging 4.3 on the season let's use on
(02:20):
a team that wants to run the ball at least not like Michigan does and so we
know USC or at least we think USC's defense is much improved and.
How improved are they? If we can pound it out for over five yards per carry on the ground,
that's going to be a great sign, and it's going to lead to success,
especially if we can get some explosive over the top as they bring up those
(02:42):
safeties to try to slow us down.
Can we consistently get five yards per carry on average?
If we do, it's going to be a great sign for this Michigan offense being able
to keep up with Lincoln Riley's, of course, vaunted offense that he'll be bringing into this game.
Point number three, as we segue into the defense, early on in this game,
(03:05):
can the defense get off the field? Can the defense get off the field?
We saw this in the Texas game. We looked like on first and second down,
at least in the early drives, things did get off the rails near the end,
but early in that game, first and second downs, we looked like the 85 bears.
We're getting them in the third and long situations, and then what happens?
(03:25):
Twin Ewers steps up in the pocket. We come out with this weird amoeba,
Mason Graham on the edge defense, right?
All that creativity is great, but Quinn Ewers would step up in the pocket,
hit a 20-yard pass, and all of a sudden, the first two downs are meaningless
because they're moving the chains consistently on third downs.
Can we get off the field on third down? And then there's a second key to this
(03:49):
because not only do we need to get off the field on third downs,
one or two turnovers, maybe a Will Johnson special pick six.
A couple of plays like that can turn this game upside down.
We think because of USC's explosiveness, some of the guys they have,
Zachariah Branch, they're going to get theirs.
I think we can confidently say we're not going to shut USC out this week.
(04:13):
But can we win third downs? Can we get a couple of turnovers?
That's going to go a large way towards helping Michigan win this game.
And then finally, it's honestly quite similar to point number three, discipline.
This team, I think the most shocking thing for fans watching this team is the
last three years we've been such a disciplined team.
(04:34):
We haven't given up the back-breaking penalties.
We haven't made the mistakes. I think we all have flashbacks to the 2006 game
of the century, Michigan versus Ohio State. We get the late hit out of bounds.
Extends the drive for Ohio State and ends up giving them the win.
We've seen those types of plays throughout our Michigan fandom.
(04:54):
But the last three years, we weren't making those mistakes.
Going back to 97, we had a split team. We weren't making those mistakes.
We're playing Michigan football. We're not making those mistakes.
Against Arkansas State, we gave them a third down conversion on a late hit out
of bounds that was meaningless.
There's no reason for that. And this team has repeatedly shot themselves in
(05:15):
the foot with penalties and also turnovers.
I've said it time and time again. We're at seven turnovers on the year.
We were at eight all of last year.
We have to play disciplined football.
So to recap, are we running a full-out Orch fence?
Is this offense catered and designed, well thought out, to move the ball on
(05:35):
the ground using Alex Orji's legs?
Hopefully some shots over the top. Two, can we average five yards per carry
against this USC defense, make them look like they're not the best tackling team?
Number three, can the defense get off the field, win third down in turnovers?
And then number four, we have to play disciplined football, meaning limiting
(05:55):
turnovers ourselves and also avoiding those back-breaking penalties.
If we get behind the chains because we had offsides on or a false start on first
down, it's going to be game over for that drive and ultimately game over in totality.
So enjoy the game.
If you're traveling to Ann Arbor to watch it, you're going to see something
(06:16):
special, I believe, and go blue.
That is the CBS chime that you'll be hearing when you tune in to watch USC travel
to the big house across the country for their first Big Ten game against the Michigan Wolverines.
Welcome to a special game day edition of the Jolly Goodfellow podcast.
Thank you for joining me. Of course, be sure to like, share,
(00:24):
and subscribe to this. And I want to give you four very quick keys to watch for during the game.
And if Michigan can execute on these four things, I think it's likely that they
can come out with a victory.
You don't execute on these four things, it's probably not going to go so well.
First thing, are we running a full-on orge fence?
(00:47):
Are we seeing RPOs, read options, designed QB runs? Are we using an offense
that's been catered and developed to Alex Orji's strengths?
Jerome Moore alluded to this in his radio show that they have an offense they're excited to roll out.
Of course, Alex Orji was going to be the starter up until about two weeks before the first game.
(01:10):
We have Davis Warren who has a different set of skills. skills do
we have that offense that will be
able to exploit and optimize Alex Orji's
legs are we
going to get him easy deep shots because the defense has to be so worried about
what we're doing on the ground it's going to be the key if we come out it's
(01:33):
going to be a very very bad sign if the opposite happens if we come out and
we're running the same dink and dunk passing we're not Not really running the ball with that XORG.
Mullings isn't getting the carries he needs. We're not using Edwards as a receiving threat.
It's not going to be a good sign. But on the flip side,
if we can use a fully developed power run spread option type game that will
(01:58):
give you flashbacks to the NARD, shoelaces flowing in the wind,
it's going to be a great sign for Michigan.
Michigan on that note can that orange
fence average over five yards
per carry on the ground right now USC I think they gave up 4.5 yards per carry
to LSU in week one I think they're averaging 4.3 on the season let's use on
(02:20):
a team that wants to run the ball at least not like Michigan does and so we
know USC or at least we think USC's defense is much improved and.
How improved are they? If we can pound it out for over five yards per carry on the ground,
that's going to be a great sign, and it's going to lead to success,
especially if we can get some explosive over the top as they bring up those
(02:42):
safeties to try to slow us down.
Can we consistently get five yards per carry on average?
If we do, it's going to be a great sign for this Michigan offense being able
to keep up with Lincoln Riley's, of course, vaunted offense that he'll be bringing into this game.
Point number three, as we segue into the defense, early on in this game,
(03:05):
can the defense get off the field? Can the defense get off the field?
We saw this in the Texas game. We looked like on first and second down,
at least in the early drives, things did get off the rails near the end,
but early in that game, first and second downs, we looked like the 85 bears.
We're getting them in the third and long situations, and then what happens?
(03:25):
Twin Ewers steps up in the pocket. We come out with this weird amoeba,
Mason Graham on the edge defense, right?
All that creativity is great, but Quinn Ewers would step up in the pocket,
hit a 20-yard pass, and all of a sudden, the first two downs are meaningless
because they're moving the chains consistently on third downs.
Can we get off the field on third down? And then there's a second key to this
(03:49):
because not only do we need to get off the field on third downs,
one or two turnovers, maybe a Will Johnson special pick six.
A couple of plays like that can turn this game upside down.
We think because of USC's explosiveness, some of the guys they have,
Zachariah Branch, they're going to get theirs.
I think we can confidently say we're not going to shut USC out this week.
(04:13):
But can we win third downs? Can we get a couple of turnovers?
That's going to go a large way towards helping Michigan win this game.
And then finally, it's honestly quite similar to point number three, discipline.
This team, I think the most shocking thing for fans watching this team is the
last three years we've been such a disciplined team.
(04:34):
We haven't given up the back-breaking penalties.
We haven't made the mistakes. I think we all have flashbacks to the 2006 game
of the century, Michigan versus Ohio State. We get the late hit out of bounds.
Extends the drive for Ohio State and ends up giving them the win.
We've seen those types of plays throughout our Michigan fandom.
(04:54):
But the last three years, we weren't making those mistakes.
Going back to 97, we had a split team. We weren't making those mistakes.
We're playing Michigan football. We're not making those mistakes.
Against Arkansas State, we gave them a third down conversion on a late hit out
of bounds that was meaningless.
There's no reason for that. And this team has repeatedly shot themselves in
(05:15):
the foot with penalties and also turnovers.
I've said it time and time again. We're at seven turnovers on the year.
We were at eight all of last year.
We have to play disciplined football.
So to recap, are we running a full-out Orch fence?
Is this offense catered and designed, well thought out, to move the ball on
(05:35):
the ground using Alex Orji's legs?
Hopefully some shots over the top. Two, can we average five yards per carry
against this USC defense, make them look like they're not the best tackling team?
Number three, can the defense get off the field, win third down in turnovers?
And then number four, we have to play disciplined football, meaning limiting
(05:55):
turnovers ourselves and also avoiding those back-breaking penalties.
If we get behind the chains because we had offsides on or a false start on first
down, it's going to be game over for that drive and ultimately game over in totality.
So enjoy the game.
If you're traveling to Ann Arbor to watch it, you're going to see something
(06:16):
special, I believe, and go blue.
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