After three weeks of seeing the field sparingly as the backup quarterback, Alex Orji was thrust into the starting role against USC in a major Week 4 tilt. Michi

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There’s been a lot of consternation surrounding Michigan football, even after unexpectedly beating the formerly 11th-ranked USC Trojans on Saturday, and much of it has to do with the state of the offense.

Michigan Wolverines quarterback Alex Orji‘s first career start was a much-needed win in a big-time spot for the program, downing the USC Trojans 27-24 on Saturday in Ann Arbor. It happened due in large part to the 290 yards generated on the ground compared to 32 yards and 12 pass attempts from the U-M signal-caller.

Orji, who has thrown seven passes in his collegiate career, will make his first start on Saturday against USC.

Here's what to know about new Michigan football quarterback Alex Orji, who is replacing Davis Warren to start against USC.

Beneath the veneer of Michigan’s win over USC in the Big Ten opener last Saturday, there remains a fairly critical — and obvious — issue.

While Michigan’s change at quarterback was a move that many expected, the formal announcement caught some on the team by surprise. Players were left in the dark ahead of head coach Sherrone Moore’s public declaration Monday that Alex Orji would take the reins and start Saturday’s Big Ten opener vs.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said “it was an important thing for us to do as a program” to announce Monday that Alex Orji is the starting QB vs. USC.

In week two, the Michigan football team lost their first game of the season against Texas at home. The Longhorns came into the game as the favorite, and they ended up easily covering the spread as they cruised to a 31-12 win.

Coming off 290 rushing yards against USC, head coach Sherrone Moore is signaling that Michigan will run the ball as much as they going forward.