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Kalel Mullings leads Michigan past USC in Big Ten opener

Vaseline September 21, 2024

Ann Arbor — Many thought this was a game where Michigan had its back against the wall, as it was an underdog at home for the second time in three weeks and needed a positive start to Big Ten competition.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore made a move at quarterback earlier this week, giving the job to Alex Orji, who is known more for his talent as a runner, and hoping for an offensive spark. The 18^andThe ranked Wolverines improved their record to 3-1 with a 27-24 win over No. 11 USC in the Trojans’ first Big Ten game as a new member of the conference.

Kalel Mullings finished with 159 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 37 seconds left. The Wolverines’ defense pulled off a major upset as cornerback Will Johnson had his second pick-six of the season and edge Josaiah Stewart had three tackles for loss, including two sacks. Johnson would miss most of the fourth quarter with an apparent injury, but said after the game on UM radio that he was “absolutely fine.”

SCORECARD: Michigan 27, USC 24

Michigan led 14-3 at halftime, but struggled for much of the second half and paid the price with a fumble deep in their own territory. With just eight minutes remaining, running back Donovan Edwards fumbled, giving USC the ball on Michigan’s 18-yard line. Three plays later, the Trojans were up 3^rd-and-16, took the lead, 24-20, on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Miller Moss to Ja’Kobi Lane with 6:56 left.

But the Wolverines, who had no first down in the second half, responded. They had a false start on the second play of the drive, and Orji connected with tight end Marlin Klein for 10 yards. Leading rusher Kalel Mullings then broke through with a 63-yard run to the USC 17-yard line with 2:12 left. On 2^nd-and-3, Michigan made the odd decision to pass and Orji threw incomplete. Mullings then ran two yards to make it 4^and and 1. Michigan would regain the lead, 27-24, when Mullings scored the winning score on a one-yard run.

Michigan, without injured tight end Colston Loveland, the team’s leading receiver, finished with 323 yards but had just 32 yards passing. Orji was 7-of-12 for 32 yards. He had 43 yards on 13 carries.

USC opened the second half trailing 14-3, but took over in the third quarter. The Trojans outscored Michigan 180-6, with 96 rushing yards and 84 passing, converting on 4 of 6 third-down attempts. They had eight first downs to Michigan’s zero.

The Trojans took the opening drive 75 yards in 12 plays, scoring on a nine-yard pass from Moss to Duce Robinson to cut the score to 14-10. Moss passed 10 times on the drive, scoring three times on third-down passes.

After a three-and-out at Michigan and with the momentum clearly on USC’s side, cornerback Will Johnson gave the Wolverines a spark with his second pick-six of the season, this time intercepting Moss and returning it 42 yards for a touchdown. It was the third of Johnson’s career, a Michigan record. Dominic Zvada, however, had his first extra-point miss of the season, on a low kick that was deflected to make Michigan’s lead 20-10.

USC reached the Michigan 6-yard line on the next drive, but on 3^rd and 6, Moss was sacked a second time by Josaiah Stewart and fumbled. The ball was recovered by Kenneth Grant who ran 18 yards, but then USC running back Woody Marks forced a fumble and recovered it. The Trojans scored to make it 20-17 two plays later on a 16-yard pass from Moss to Jay Fair.

The Wolverines built a 14-0 lead with just seven minutes left in the first half when Edwards ran 41 yards for a touchdown. At that point, Michigan had outscored USC 197-14 — 176 rushing yards for the Wolverines — and had nine first downs to one.

USC, which had started with three straight three-and-outs, finally got on the board on its ensuing drive. The Trojans made two big passing plays for 24 and 42 yards, but the 64-yard, eight-play drive ended with an incompletion on first down, a loss of a yard on the next play and another incompletion due to pressure on Moss by Derrick Moore. The Trojans cut the lead to 14-3 with a 29-yard field goal by Michael Lantz.

The Trojans faced a tough field position in the first half. Their first drive started at the USC 6-yard line, another started from the 13, and the last from the 8-yard line. Their average starting field position was the 17. On that final drive of the half, the Trojans drove 41 yards on nine plays to the Michigan 39-yard line, but on 3^rd-and-8, Moss was tackled for the second time, this time by tackle Kenneth Grant.

Michigan outgained USC 220-118 yards, but the Wolverines had just 21 yards passing and the Trojans had -16 rushing yards – losing 21 yards on two sacks.

Michigan was 2-for-2 on fourth down, but it was the Wolverines’ defense that set the tone in the first quarter, limiting the Trojans to three, three-and-outs and just three yards. They were minus-six offensive yards after two possessions, and Josaiah Stewart had a sack for a loss of nine yards.

The Wolverines took a 7-0 lead on their third possession, kept alive by their second fourth-down conversion when Mullings gained a yard. On the next play, Mullings, on a well-blocked play, ran 53 yards for the touchdown.

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