Many were surprised when Michigan coach Sherrone Moore announced publicly Monday that he was making a change at quarterback, benching starter Davis Warren in favor of junior QB Alex Orji.
Many college football coaches would have kept that decision under wraps until closer to gametime as some perceived competitive advantage to keep the other side guessing or surprised.
Instead, USC coach Lincoln Riley was asked if he was surprised by Moore's decision to make the announcement a full five days before the teams clash in the Trojans' first-ever Big Ten game.
"I mean, I understand it. I can understand where they’re coming from on it. There’s two trains of thought. They both have relevance. But I’m not going to sit here and guess why they did or why they made that choice. That’s their decision," Riley said. "We gotta be ready for everybody they have. Very multiple offense. Very good on the offensive line. Backs are good. Tight ends elite. Lot of really gifted coaches over there. So, a big challenge, regardless of who’s under center."
Riley was asked if the team had already been preparing for Orji at all over the bye week, and he declined to answer.
"I don’t think I would say. Sorry," he responded.
​Michigan (2-1 and ranked No. 18 in the AP poll) opened the season with senior Davis Warren at quarterback, but he had passed for just 444 yards, 2 touchdowns and 6 interceptions through three games, including 3 INTs this past weekend vs. Arkansas State.
Orji, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior, got into the game Saturday late and completed 2 of 4 passes for 12 yards and a touchdown and rushed 3 times for 27 yards. A three-star dual-threat QB from the 2021 recruiting class, Orji has shown flashes of his running ability, rushing 6 times for 37 yards and 2 TDs as a freshman in 2022 and 15 times for 86 yards and a touchdown last season. He also had a career-high 32 rushing yards in the Wolverines' season-opener this year vs. Fresno State.
Riley was asked how the Trojans are replicating Orji on the scout team in practice this week so the defense can prepare for his skill set.
"There’s an old quarterback from Muleshoe, Texas who’s going to come out of retirement. So, we’re going to see if his legs still got it," Riley joked (presumably) about himself. "We’ve got a couple of guys we’re trying to use a little bit. But he’s a really good athlete. I told people last night, I was familiar with him, we recruited him a little bit coming out of high school, had a lot of respect for him as a player and an athlete. So we’ll do the best we can with the bodies we have."
While all the talk is about the threat Orji poses as a running quarterback, Riley was asked about preparing for him as a passer as well. He's attempted only 7 passes in his 12 career appearances, completing 4 for 20 yards and 2 TDs.
“I mean, you don’t play quarterback at this level without being able to throw the ball some. So, yeah, I mean, to sit there and think if he plays the entire game that they’re going to run it 70 times and throw it one time or something like that, I don’t think that’s going to be the case," Riley said. "So you definitely have to account for it because he's certainly a good enough thrower to make you pay."
“Oh, you always do. I mean, he’s, you don’t play quarterback at this level without being able to throw the ball some. So, yeah, I mean, it’s, to sit there and think if he plays the entire game that they’re going to – run it 70 times and throw it one time or something like that, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. So you definitely have to account for it because he's certainly a good enough thrower to make you pay."
