Rose Bowl

USC balanced, but superb in rendering teams out of the end zone. Oklahoma’s Taking a quick

Michigan improves BIG TIME in weakest ’05 area. In the 2005, the Wolverines rush defense was a

look at the Trojans ’06 stats, USC seems pretty balanced on both sides of the ball. The one standout is being the 13th best scoring defense in the nation. The Trojans seem to come to play defensively against big time opponents. In the season opener, USC held high-powered Arkansas and Heisman Trophy finalist Darren McFadden to just 14 points. A week later, the Trojans gave up just 10 points to an improved Nebraska offense and limited California to just nine points later in the season. USC also recorded a shutout vs. Stanford and held UCLA to 13 points in the regular season finale.

disaster, which helped pave the way to one of the worst finishes in the history of the program. It was a different song and dance in ’06, however, as Michigan’s run defense finished first in the nation. The Wolverine defense held opponents to a suffocating 43 yards per game on the ground and gave up only five rushing touchdowns on the season. UM opponents never could get the run game going in ’06, which aided the Wolverines in finishing 11-1 on the season. One of UM’s greatest victories came in a 27-13 win over Wisconsin, where the Wolverines held freshman bowling ball P.J. Hill to just 54 yards on 20 carries. Hill averaged just 2.7 yards per carry in the Badgers loss, compared to the 127.8 yards he normally racked up for Wisconsin this season.

Chauncey Washington, Emmanuel Moody/C.J. Gable vs. the No. 1 rush defense in the NCAA. Washington

Leon Hall vs. Dwayne Jarrett. Hall shouldn’t be asked to cover Jarrett one-on-one the whole game, but it’s

has been the main ball carrier for the Trojans this season, but Moody must be mentioned in this discussion too. It’s going to take both backs to get going against the top run defense in all of college football. Moody has been a great change-of-pace back for USC, averaging 5.8 yards per game, but he is hobbled by a bad ankle and is questionable for the game. If Moody can’t go, the freshman Gable will see significant carries much like he did in USC’s loss to UCLA at the end of the season. In the Wolverines’ loss to Ohio State in the last game of the regular season, the Buckeyes gashed UM for a total of 187 yards on the ground. The success that OSU had on the ground seemed to open up everything for the Buckye offense. It’s not far fetched to think that the same will happen for USC if the Trojans can get the run game working early. If Washington and Moody have no room to run, UM can start playing its secondary back in order to blanket top wideouts Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith.

impossible for the corner to go the entire contest without playing man-to-man on the 6’5” Jarrett. Hall isn’t a prototypical shutdown corner, but he’s without a doubt the best defensive back in the Wolverines secondary. Jarrett doesn’t have top end speed, so Hall should be fine playing the deep ball, but size may become an issue. Hall stands just 5’11”, but forgetting about semantics, Jarrett is one of the best wideouts in all of college football at using his body to create separation on deep balls. Jarrett is smooth in his route running and waits to the last second to use his tall frame to catch passes at their highest point. Hall is going to have to adjust on the fly to Jarrett’s size, but can’t be laid back. Jarrett is just as good at catching slants and outs as he is stretching the secondary, so Hall needs to be aggressive. The best strategy for Hall, or any UM defensive back for that matter, is to play the ball on Jarrett and make John David Booty put his passes where only his receiver can catch them.

USC will win this game if the Trojans can get the ground game cracking. As noted in the key match

Michigan won 11 games this year mainly because offensive coordinator Mike DeBord did a

up section, Ohio State put 42 points on the board against Michigan’s stout defense in large part because the Buckeyes were able to run the ball. The Trojans are going to need to follow the same recipe in order to have success against the Wolverines. Quarterback John David Booty has been solid all season. But as everyone saw in USC’s loss to UCLA in the regular season finale, if the Trojans can’t run the ball, Booty can’t win games on his own. USC managed just 55 rushing yards in the 14-9 loss to the Bruins. The Wolverines will have just as much success if backs Chauncey Washington and Emmanuel Moody/C.J. Gable can’t get the ground game started. Another thing USC must do to win is protect Booty. Sounds simple enough, but the Trojans escaped with just one victory against top pass-rushing Pac-10 teams this season. Against UCLA, Oregon State and Washington State, Booty showed little adaptability when the pocket collapsed around him. It seemed like Booty lost his downfield vision and hurried his throws. If USC can’t keep LaMarr Woodley out of its backfield, Booty will be running for his life. On the flip side, if Booty can get time to throw, there might not be a better duo of wide receivers than Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith. USC can lean on the passing game as usual, but opening things up offensively will be determined early in the game based on whether or not the Trojans can run the ball. Defensively, USC needs to continue to do what it has done all season. Be aggressive, bring the pressure up front and buckle down when UM gets into the red zone. Pete Carroll and first-year defensive coordinator Nick Holt have done a fantastic job implementing USC’s new 4-3/3-4 hybrid scheme. Defensive end Lawrence Jackson has done a nice job bringing consistent pass rush to this defense. Wolverine quarterback Chad Henne isn’t going to break long runs, but he shows signs of mobility within the pocket. If Jackson and the rest of the Trojan defensive line can flush Henne out of the pocket, he’s less accurate and more prone to mistakes. DE/OLB Brian Cushing has a huge responsibility in pass rushing downs and USC’s very talented linebacker unit will be highly tested vs. Mike Hart. The UM tailback doesn’t dance and plays bigger than his 5’9” frame, so Keith Rivers, Dallas Sartz and middle linebacker Rey Maualuga have to fight off blockers and stay in Hart’s running lanes. Finally, Terrell Thomas should have one mission and one mission only: stopping wide receiver Mario Manningham. Manningham is UM’s best deep threat and has emerged into one of the best playmakers in the country. Thomas is turning into a perennial shutdown corner and this will be his time to shine. The Trojans should play Manningham deep over the top with Thomas and free safety Taylor Mays, and take their chances with Steve Breaston in one-on-one coverage on the other side.

fantastic job keeping opposing defenses off balance. In years past, the defense knew what was coming on most occasions. The Wolverines were going to line up and ram the ball down their throat until they showed that they could do something about it. The strategy has obviously worked because UM has had a rich football tradition for decades, but DeBord has completely opened up the Wolverines' offensive attack. Much like the national championship team in 1997, the Wolverines can win throwing the ball now. Junior quarterback Chad Henne has grown a lot since his freshman year and has more confidence throwing the deep ball. DeBord and the rest of the UM offense need to keep USC’s solid defense off balance the way they have with most opponents this year. The Trojans have serious size on their front four, but the Wolverines can match that player for player on their offensive line. The best way to attack a big front four is to get it rushing up field and attack the linebackers at the next level. Mike Hart is the backbone of UM’s offense and should be able to make one cut and get up field on USC’s defense. Running behind stud left tackle Jake Long is a must, but the Wolverines shouldn’t key on just one facet of their game plan. The Trojans are extremely athletic, so running sweeps and outside pitches might not work, but misdirection runs and counters should open things up for Hart. Using burly sophomore Grady Jackson as a change of pace back will be beneficial and getting Hart involved in the passing game will help keep the USC linebackers on their heels. The Trojans' secondary has a ton of playmakers, but Henne shouldn’t be afraid to test the defensive backs in vertical passing routes with Mario Manningham. Steve Breaston has been better in more of a wide receiver role as of late, but counting on him in traditional passing routes isn’t wise. Adrian Arrington and tight end Tyler Ecker should be decent over the middle if USC starts committing safeties to the run. On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines need to release the beast on defense. The “beast” is LaMarr Woodley, who has been a monster from his outside linebacker spot, especially in pass rushing situations. Woodley gave Brady Quinn and the rest of Notre Dame’s offense fits in UM’s 47-21 win over the Irish in South Bend earlier this season. As previously noted, if USC quarterback John David Booty is consistently pressured, he tends not to go through all of his reads. Defensive coordinator Ron English should disguise blitz packages that will confuse Booty and give him a case of “happy feet” in the pocket. Woodley and fellow outside ‘backer Prescott Burgess would be perfect in the blitz-happy role if English decides to turn up the heat on USC. In the secondary, Leon Hall will likely play Dwayne Jarrett most of the game, but Morgan Trent may have a problem with Steve Smith on the other side. However, UM’s front seven should handle the Trojans ground game, allowing the Wolverines to leave their safeties back in coverage. Playing bump and run on the outside with Hall and Trent is a must, especially if English stays aggressive with blitzes. That way, Jarrett and Smith won’t get a free release off the line of scrimmage and run wild in the Wolverine secondary. Blanketing Jarrett and Smith will be UM’s biggest hurdle defensively.

USC needs to get over itself quick, fast and in a hurry. The Trojans shouldn’t be here right? USC

Breaston could play a huge role. Steve Breaston has always been renowned for his kickoff and punt

should be fielding questions about Ohio State and the national title game, but thanks to a 13-9 upset at the hands of UCLA, the Trojans will be back in Pasadena this year. Get over it, because guess what? Michigan is coming to burn the house down. USC dropkicked the Wolverines two years ago at the Rose Bowl, but this is a different Michigan program. The Wolverines are hungry to show that they should have been playing the Buckeyes on January 8, not Florida. This might be the best match up out of all the bowl games this winter. However, if USC doesn’t shake off the bitter reality that it dropped its national championship dreams, UM is going to blast the Trojans in the mouth right out of the gate.

return skills, but he could play a much bigger role on offense in this contest. Breaston hasn’t been the best wide receiver so far at Michigan, but due to USC’s speed on defense, he could really be beneficial on bubble screens and reverses. Breaston is electric with the ball in his hands, but getting the rock to him in traditional passing routes has been a problem. That’s why short passes like screens would be great, but reverses might be more damaging. As noted, with the Trojans athletic ability on defense, UM could get USC swinging one way on a play, but put the ball in Breaston’s hands going the opposite direction. Breaston with open field in front of him would be dangerous.

One could say USC head coach Pete Carroll has done a lot during his collegiate coaching career.

The greatest coach to ever patrol the University of Michigan sidelines was Glenn Edward Schembechler.

Carroll has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year four years running, has a winning percentage of 92.3 percent and has won two national championships (2003 and 2004). His squad has also had four AP Top 4 finishes, five BCS bowl appearances and a national record of 33 consecutive weeks as AP’s No. 1 ranked team. Carroll also has an active win streak for home games (32) and Pac-10 home games (21). Yeah, one could say USC head coach Pete Carroll has done a lot during his collegiate coaching career.

For Wolverine fans, Glenn Edward was better known as “Bo.” Schembechler received the nickname from his sister’s attempts to say “brother” when they were children. Bo Schembechler passed away on November 17 of this year, right before the Wolverines traveled to The Horseshoe to take on the Buckeyes. The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry wouldn’t be what it is today without Bo battling it out with former Buckeye great Woody Hayes. Rest in peace, Bo.