USC upsets No. 15 Michigan with double-digit victory

USC has suddenly emerged as a potential College Football Playoff sleeper following its dominant 31-13 victory over No. 15 Michigan in Los Angeles Saturday night. It marked the Trojans’ first ranked win vs. a Big Ten opponent since Nov. 19, 2022 (No. 16 UCLA).
Lincoln Riley‘s Trojans are now 5-1 on the season, with their lone loss coming on the road to No. 23 Illinois on Sept. 27 via a walk-off field goal. USC is 5-1 or better to open its season for the third time in four years under Riley.
“That was awesome,” Riley said postgame. “Our guys played hard and we were a physical ass Big Ten team tonight. Our group was physical. Defense was physical. Offensive line, even with guys down all over the place, we just weren’t gonna be denied tonight. Period.”
The story of this game was the emergence of walk-on freshman running back King Miller. Miller, who got a chance to shine due to Waymond Jordan‘s injury, made the most of his opportunity. He lit the Michigan defense up for 156 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Entering the game, Miller boasted just 152 yards this season on 11 carries.
“He was unreal,” Riley said. “He does what he’s been doing at practice and it was awesome seeing the mentality. When you lose guys like that, you can either fold or man up. And our guys just did a great job responding. King and the O-line, they were just incredible.”
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USC quarterback Jayden Maiava was strong as well, completing 25/32 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception. Star wide receiver Makai Lemon finished with 93 receiving yards (and one touchdown) on nine receptions, marking the fifth time in six games this season that he has recorded at least 90 receiving yards.
The Trojan defense was all over Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood in the win. They brought Underwood down for two sacks and forced a costly interception leading 21-7 in the third quarter. Underwood finished with 207 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss, Michigan‘s second of the season.
With the win, USC extends its all-time series lead over Michigan to 7-5. They avenged last season’s 27-24 loss, which marked the first meeting between the two programs in 17 seasons.