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Michigan football has struggled mightily through three weeks and Week 4 is both a challenge as well as an opportunity for the Wolverines to right the ship.
USC comes to town flying high after beating LSU in Week 1 and looking dominant against Utah State in Week 2. But LSU hasn’t exactly lived up to any sort of preseason expectations in any of Brian Kelly’s three years and trouncing Utah State is what the Trojans should do. But considering the narrative surrounding USC has changed dramatically after Week 1, and the Trojans have moved past Michigan in all of the rankings. Given that, if the Wolverines can get back on track with a win, the season is back on. If not, this is officially and fully a rebuild.
We met up with TrojansWire’s Matt Zemek to discuss what USC brings to the table. Here’s what he had to say about the game from a USC perspective.
How real is USC’s defensive turnaround? How does it look different schematically from last year?
Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
The defensive turnaround is real on a number of levels, but mainly because the bar could not have been set any lower last year under Alex Grinch. Players did not know where to line up before the snap. Paralysis by analysis was the reality governing the Grinch defense at USC. This staff has done a really good job, but to be honest, it hasn’t reinvented the wheel. It has simply been able to start fresh, teach technique, communicate the basic concepts and principles it wants, and generate the right mentality from everyone in the locker room.
How real is the turnaround? LSU’s offensive line just struggled against South Carolina, so maybe USC’s win over LSU isn’t quite as impressive as first thought. Michigan should tell us more.
Schematically, Grinch wanted a speed/finesse defense with players rallying to the ball. This defense relies more on defensive linemen…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/behind-enemy-lines-usc-bringing-233525088.html
Author : Wolverines Wire
Publish date : 2024-09-16 23:35:25
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