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Sherrone Moore quick-hitters: Los Angeles travel, injury updates, USC's 'explosive' offense, more

clayton-sayfieby: Clayton Sayfie10/06/25CSayf23
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore during a 24-10 win over Wisconsin in 2025. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore during a 24-10 win over Wisconsin in 2025. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore met with the media Monday morning ahead of his team’s game against USC on Saturday in Los Angeles. Here are bullet points on the most notable things he said.

Sherrone Moore quick-hitters

• Michigan will travel to Los Angeles Thursday, practice at the Los Angeles Chargers’ facility Friday and attempt to take down USC at the Coliseum Saturday. The Wolverines traveled to Washington on Friday ahead of last year’s 27-17 loss, and Moore said he felt his team was “groggy.” He said travel is nothing to make excuses about but that Michigan has to adjust.

• Graduate left guard Giovanni El-Hadi and sophomore tight end Hogan Hansen are both “probable” for the game. It also sounds like junior right guard Brady Norton could return, but it’s no lock that he retains a starting job. El-Hadi will start if healthy enough.

• Michigan players don’t make excuses about passes from freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood having a lot of velocity on them, potentially making it harder to catch. Moore said they look pretty well thrown to him.

• The USC offense is “explosive,” led by wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane. Quarterback Jayden Maiava takes care of the football, throwing only 1 pick on the season, and the Trojans pride themselves on running the football and using play action off of it. The offensive line is “really good.”

• Moore said, yes, he could’ve predicted that sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan would be a breakout player this season, and noted that he did during Big Ten Media Days. He said he’s a “hard worker” and “great human being.’ He added that “I could be Nostradamus but he made it easy because of his work.”

• Michigan unraveled during October last year, but Moore doesn’t believe that carries a ton of weight for what will happen this fall, saying “It’s this year, not last year” and that this is a “different team with a different mindset.”

• Moore said he thought Michigan’s pass coverage was “tight” against Wisconsin’s “underrated” wide receivers, and that he only remembers one or two instances where it could’ve been better. He said the players are “in sync.” He did note, however, that this week’s challenge is “different,” going up against the Trojans’ potent passing attack.

• “100 percent” freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh, coming off a breakout performance, has earned the opportunity to play more and continue starting.

• Freshman wide receiver Jamar Browder is going to be in the mix a little bit more moving forward.

• It was a “low snap” on the missed 27-yard field goal by senior kicker Dominic Zvada. Michigan will attack that problem “head-on like we do any issue.” There’s a “rhythm” to field goal kicking and they have to get it figured out.

• “That’s great,” Moore said in response to a question about Michigan being underdogs against USC. He said he doesn’t care and that the Wolverines are “playing a good team” and have to be “ready to play.” He added that “lines, logos — nothing matters except the people on the field and the preparation.”

• Junior running back Justice Haynes “should be up for the Heisman” and is an “animal.” Moore said that they watched his long touchdown run against Missouri in which he ran over a defender, cut outside and took it the distance, and were very impressed. He said that Haynes reminds him of Blake Corum‘s ability to take runs the distance in 2022 and DeMarco Murray, the former Oklahoma running back who Moore blocked for. Starting in spring ball, Haynes was “never” caught on long runs.

• Michigan won’t look at or discuss Penn State’s shocking 42-37 loss to UCLA in Los Angeles last weekend. Moore said he can’t speak to how another team played, can only focus on how the Wolverines will come out.