Michigan proved it can beat USC ugly. That’s all that matters — for now

ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Kalel Mullings’ teammates always teased him because he didn’t look very fast.

Mullings, a former linebacker, is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. If Michigan’s skill-position players stood on the goal line and ran a 100-yard dash, he probably wouldn’t win. He began this season in the shadow of Donovan Edwards, the star of last year’s national championship game, and wasn’t mentioned as one of the Big Ten’s top running backs.

Late in the fourth quarter against USC, with Michigan running out of ideas to revive a comatose offense, the Wolverines finally hit on something that worked. They gave the ball to Mullings, who ran through the arms of USC’s John Humphrey for a gain of 63 yards. They gave him the ball again. And again. And again. With 41 seconds left, Michigan faced a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, needing one more play to take the lead.

Hmm… what should I call it? Naked bootleg? Philly special? Or how about giving it to Mullings again?

!!!!!!! photo.twitter.com/HMTgB8YgGI

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 21, 2024

“We all knew what was going to happen,” quarterback Alex Orji said.

Mullings took the handoff and plowed into the end zone, giving No. 18 Michigan a 27-24 victory over the No. 11 Trojans. It was Michigan’s most improbable victory in years, fueled by a running back who shouldn’t have been the No. 1 option. It’s clear now that every week will be a battle for this Michigan team, but sometimes the battle ends in celebration.

“I think that’s a reflection of who we are, always pushing through to the end,” Mullings said. “That ride was just perseverance.”

Before that final drive, Michigan had the ball five times in the second half without a first down. The Wolverines gained 6 yards in the third quarter and had 32 passing yards for the game. None of this is in the how-to manual for beating a top-15 opponent.

Somehow, Michigan found a way. It was largely because of Mullings, who ran for 159 yards on 17 carries, his second straight game of 150-plus yards. Michigan’s offense has few things it can rely on, but the Wolverines have learned they can rely on Mullings.

“He’s done everything for us,” coach Sherrone Moore said.

If nothing else, Michigan’s attempt to build an entire offense out of linemen, tight ends and former linebackers will be an interesting test of the Wolverines’ offensive ethos. Michigan has been a run-first team in recent years, but with Orji at quarterback, it’s now a run-second and run-third team as well.

What Michigan did on Saturday, beating a ranked opponent while attempting 12 passes, probably isn’t sustainable. At this point, the Wolverines aren’t looking for sustainability. They’re looking for whatever can help them win on a given Saturday. If that means running the ball 40 or more times a game, Moore will be the happiest person in the stadium.

“That’s my dream,” Moore said. “Yeah, I want to throw the ball, but if you can run the ball effectively, it kind of takes (the defense) down a little bit.”

Saturday was USC’s first conference game as a member of the Big Ten. It delivered exactly what the Big Ten wanted when it added four West Coast teams: great scenery, great drama, a clash of two iconic programs with contrasting styles.

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Michigan’s advantage in the trenches was significant. USC’s passing game was explosive; Michigan’s was nonexistent. The game featured wild momentum swings, including Will Johnson’s 42-yard interception return for a touchdown and Kenneth Grant’s fumble recovery that was taken by USC’s Woody Marks.

Michigan looked to be in deep trouble after Edwards gave up a fumble and USC scored to take a 24-20 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The offense faltered in the second half, and the switch from Davis Warren to Orji at quarterback didn’t seem like a dramatic upgrade.

Warren was fairly efficient in the short and intermediate passing game, but threw six interceptions in three starts. The Wolverines rarely attempted to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage with Orji, but he played turnover-free football, rushing 13 times for 43 yards.

“A lot of people asked me what I wanted from my first start,” Orji said. “I wanted a surefire win, and we got it.”

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Despite the struggles, Michigan is 3-1 with a loss to No. 1 Texas and a win over a USC team that was considered a College Football Playoff contender. That’s not a bad first month of the season. Given how the Wolverines have won the last two weeks, it’s hard to be confident that what they’re doing now will translate over the course of a full season. But if Michigan can beat USC without a functional passing game, the Wolverines should be able to beat some other teams.

Nothing will be easy for Michigan this season. The Wolverines will have to adjust to winning ugly. They don’t have a good answer at quarterback and their best hope is to put their trust in Orji and help him out where they can.

Giving the ball to Mullings is a great way to do that. As good as he is, he could use a few more touches. The Wolverines are a tough team to play against when Mullings is breaking tackles and the Michigan defense is flying, as USC discovered in its first taste of Big Ten football.

Beating a ranked team by 32 passing yards isn’t something Michigan is likely to match. But success on the ground with Mullings is repeatable, and Michigan’s final drive was a perfect iteration.

“Whether you do it, whether you throw it — (people) say throw it more often — we won,” Moore said. “We beat a good team. For us, that’s what it was all about.”

(Photo: Junfu Han / Imagn Images)