Less than a calendar year ago, Michigan had a very similar victory to what it had against USC this week.
Throwing for less than 100 yards and relying on the rushing attack, the Wolverines beat Penn State on the road, just like it did in a Top-25 matchup against the Trojans on Saturday.
While the Wolverines weren't rushing 30-straight times, the rushing attack rose to the occasion when it mattered the most.
While the box score doesn't look pretty, the Wolverines don't particularly care. A win is a win and they're more than happy to get there no matter what it looks like
"More to be had always," Senior captain Max Bredeson said after the game. "There's always something we can get better at but whatever is necessary. Whatever it takes to win, we'll do it. We showed that. Like I said, we'll play however we have to play to win games. We know we can throw the ball, we know we can do anything. Just happy to get wins."
For the quarterback himself, it was clear there were struggles. It's not as if the passing game can be completely written off as one bad week.
However, Alex Orji wanted to play mistake-free football and lead his team to a win.
He did what he set out to do, even if it wasn't pretty in the process.
"If we threw for a million yards today and we lost I'd be sitting here crying," Orji said. "Whatever it takes to win. If it's 32 yards, if it's 10, if it's 100, it doesn't matter to me. A bunch of people asked me what I wanted out of my first start, I wanted All-Pro, ball secure victory and we got that."
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
