Freshman walk-on King Miller rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown, and Jayden Maiava passed for 265 yards and two scores in USC‘s emphatic 31-13 victory over No. 15 Michigan on Saturday night.
Makai Lemon made a spectacular 12-yard touchdown catch right before halftime for the Trojans (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten), who rebounded sharply from their heartbreaking, last-gasp loss at Illinois two weeks ago.
Despite playing without two starting offensive linemen, USC won with hard-nosed Big Ten football that included 224 yards rushing — most from tailbacks far down the depth chart — against the nation’s seventh-ranked run defense. Bishop Fitzgerald made two interceptions to highlight a strong effort by USC’s defense.
QB Bryce Underwood passed for 207 yards and two touchdowns for the Wolverines (4-2, 2-1), whose three-game winning streak ended in their school’s first visit to the Coliseum since 1957.
Michigan scored just once on its first six full drives into the fourth quarter, but the Wolverines’ defense made two red-zone takeaways to keep them from getting blown out before Andrew Marsh made a 69-yard touchdown catch with 9:17 left, trimming USC’s lead to 24-13.
But backup tailback Bryan Jackson romped in for a 29-yard touchdown with 4:21 left to seal USC’s first victory over Michigan since the Rose Bowl in January 2007.
These historic college football powerhouses have beaten each other at home in their first two seasons as Big Ten rivals.
Both teams’ star running backs got hurt in the first half, with USC’s Waymond Jordan and Michigan’s Justice Haynes both missing the second half.
Miller seized his opportunity with the first three tailbacks on the Trojans’ depth chart all sidelined by injury, ripping off a 49-yard run and a 47-yard run to extend second-half drives. He became the first walk-on to score a touchdown for USC since 1994 with a 15-yard run in the third quarter.
Michigan was making its first trip to the Los Angeles area since beating Alabama in a classic Rose Bowl 22 months ago on the way to its national championship under Jim Harbaugh, who joined the Los Angeles Chargers shortly afterward. The Coliseum was packed for USC’s only home game in a six-week stretch, with thousands of Wolverines fans helping to fill the 102-year-old arena.
Ja’Kobi Lane made a short touchdown catch to cap USC’s smooth opening drive, but Jyaire Hill forced a fumble inside the Michigan 10 moments later.
Michigan finally scored 3:09 before halftime on Underwood’s sharp throw to Donaven McCulley, but USC streaked back downfield for Lemon’s highlight-reel catch while falling on his back under heavy contact.
Underwood threw a red-zone interception late in the third quarter to USC playmaker Bishop Fitzgerald.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
About the Author
