Paul Finebaum: Michigan “saved the entire season” and is back in the playoff race after beating USC

The Michigan Wolverines Host of the USC Trojans in one of the most important games of the fourth week of the college football season. It was a close game in the end, but the Wolverines won thanks to a late touchdown drive that gave them the lead.

At a performance on SportsCenter A day after the win, analyst Paul Finebaum praised the Michigan Wolverines, saying he believes the win puts them back in the race this season.

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“I don't want to take back what I said a few weeks ago when I ruled Michigan out,” Paul Finebaum said. “But I think they're at least back in the race now. They've salvaged their entire season and I don't think anyone could be more impressed.”

This was the first game of the season after Michigan's head coach Sherron Moore made a quarterback change from Davis Warren To Alex Orji. This resulted in the offense being reliant on the run, as the Wolverines ran for 290 yards and threw for 32. Orji, for his part, ran for more yards than he threw on the day, managing 43 yards on the ground.

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If there was one concern for Michigan after the game, it was the loss of their star defensive back Will Johnson due to an injury. He left the field in the fourth quarter and while not much is known about the injury at this time, CBS shared that his family followed him into the X-ray facility and not the locker room, meaning there is cause for concern on that front at least.

Injury concerns aside, it was an impressive win for Michigan. Part of what made the win so exciting for Finebaum, looking ahead to the rest of the season, was that Michigan was able to win against a team he found very impressive.

“It was just one of the best drives I've ever seen from a team – even though they were playing at home, they were playing against a very good football team and I think that's what impressed me even more about the day, is that Southern Cal plays on both sides of the ball and does it excellently,” Finebaum said. “You can say what you want about the last drive, but I was really impressed with the Trojans. They didn't win, but they showed that they seem to be back.”

Next, Michigan turns its attention to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a game that promises to pit two strong defenses against each other. It's also a game in which the Wolverines will continue to search for an identity with Alex Orji at quarterback.