How Kalel Mullings made Michigan's win against USC possible

The Michigan football team showed off its smashmouth mentality when it regained the ball at its own 11-yard line with about four minutes left, trailing USC 24-20.

The Wolverines struggled on offense as a 14-3 halftime lead melted away. Michigan managed just nine yards and zero first downs on its first five drives of the second half as the Trojans manned the box to stop the run and force new starting quarterback Alex Orji to throw.

But Michigan didn't let that stop it on its final possession, running through the Trojans' defense on the back of Kalel Mullings to take the win. Michigan gained 89 yards on 10 plays, eight of which were 84 yards by Mullings, before scoring the game-winning touchdown on a fourth down with 37 seconds left.

“This is just a representation of who we are, always honest to the end,” Mullings said. “The whole ride was just about having bite and grit. We like to say 'grinding meat,' and we were grinding meat the whole time.”

UM-NOTES: Complementary football back in focus with fighting victory

Michigan continued to pound the ball into USC's defensive line, with Mullings breaking through again. After a first down, Mullings broke through the front seven, ran to USC's last line of defense and bowled through two defenders for a 63-yard gain. His legs fought through contact as he fought off swarms of Trojans to reach the red zone.

“I always try to make plays, but it's the fourth quarter, not much time left,” Mullings said after the game. “It was now or never.”

The big play put Michigan at the USC 17-yard line with two minutes left. Michigan continued to play on the winning track, leaving them to Mullings on the next four plays, who took Michigan to the 3 for the second down and the game-winning goal. They went to him again on the third down and the game-winning goal to get to the 1, and then again on the fourth down and the game-winning goal from the 1 with the game hanging in the balance.

Michigan called a power run behind the left side of the offensive line. Myles Hinton, Josh Priebe and Andrew Gentry collapsed the line and fullback Max Bredeson set the edge with a powerful block to give Mullings a clear path to the end zone. Moore said the play came from offensive line coach Grant Newsome, who immediately knew what they wanted to run on fourth down. From there, it was up to Mullings and the blockers.

“Fourth and 1 to win the game. That was a challenge for the O-line – that's on you,” head coach Sherrone Moore said proudly of his old position group.

USC got the ball for one final possession but failed to get into field goal range, giving Moore his first Big Ten win as a full-time head coach.

Michigan used Mullings in the backfield instead of Donovan Edwards because he was in good shape — and Edwards had committed a fumble earlier in the quarter that allowed the final touchdown to give USC the lead. Moore said it was no surprise that Mullings, who finished with 159 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, showed up in crunch time.

“Seeing him take that next step and really make those explosive plays … and when the game is on the line, he wants the ball in his hands and he makes plays happen,” Moore said. “I mean, he's a star. He's a playmaker.”

Michigan needed those late-game heroics to avert a devastating collapse. Michigan took an early 14-0 lead on two long touchdowns from Mullings and Edwards, but the offense stalled until the decisive drive. Michigan threw for just 32 yards with Orji, the team's lowest total in a win since 1987, and USC was loaded after the early loss.

But Michigan stuck to the formula and turned USC around again at the crucial moment. It was a similar recipe to Michigan's win over Penn State last year, when Moore served as interim coach and scored 32 straight runs to end the game.

“That's my dream,” Moore said sarcastically when asked about the low passing numbers. “Yeah, I want to throw the ball, but if you can run the ball effectively, it breaks you down a little bit.”

“Everyone tried hard and we all got to make some plays, so it was beautiful,” Mullings said.

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press Coverage of the city's professional teams, the state's two leading universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22and email him at [email protected].

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