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    • Kalel Mullings saves the day
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    Kalel Mullings saves the day

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    Free Press sports reporter Tony Garcia assesses the Michigan football team’s performance in its 27-24 win over USC on Saturday in Ann Arbor to open Big Ten play:

    Attack: C-plus

    Let’s start with the good, and that was Kalel Mullings in the first half and the final minutes. The first two quarters were UM’s ideal formula, with 27 runs for 199 yards with three ball carriers — Mullings, Alex Orji and Donovan Edwards — all scoring 47 or more by halftime. In the end, Michigan ran 46 times for 290 yards and three touchdowns, but it was Mullings’ career-long 62-yard run that changed the game.

    UM trailed by four with less than three minutes left in the game when Mullings ran through the USC defense and turned the field. Six plays later, he was in the end zone for the go-ahead score with 41 seconds left. Mullings finished with 17 carries for 159 yards and two scores, Edwards had 17 carries for 74 yards, one score and one fumble, and Orji ran 13 times for 43 yards.

    REINER SABIN: Michigan’s season-defining 27-24 win over USC puts everything back on the table

    But this passing offense is a legitimate concern. Orji completed just five of eight passes for 32 yards, and none were even 10 yards downfield. Yes, he was without his top option (tight end Colston Loveland), but if it weren’t for Mullings’ big run, this passing offense would have fallen short in the final minutes. UM will absolute take the win, but if better passes don’t come soon, there is little room for error.

    “I mean, if we threw a million yards today and we lost, I’d be sitting here crying,” Orji said. “So whatever it takes to win, whether it’s 32 yards, whether it’s 10, whether it’s 100, I don’t care. People asked me what I wanted out of my first start — I wanted an all-pro, ball-secure win and we got it.”

    Defense: B-plus

    USC entered the game averaging over 495 yards of offense per game, holding Michigan to 379 — a solid showing overall. It started early, forcing three straight three-and-outs to open the game. While the defense faltered midway through the game — giving up five drives in the second and third quarters that either scored points or went 65 yards or more — the unit made plenty of timely plays. The highlight of the day was cornerback Will Johnson, who jumped on a third-and-3 curl route and took it 42 yards the other way for a pick-six in the third quarter to extend the lead to 10. Overall, though, it was the unit that made life difficult for USC quarterback Miller Moss (who continued to impress) that made the difference. Overall, the unit came away with 10 QB hurries, eight pass breakups, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

    Jyaire Hill, who allowed a touchdown, had six tackles, two for breakups and one for loss, a game-high. Mason Graham also had six tackles with a sack in the fourth quarter, but the game-breaker was Josaiah Stewart, who had four tackles, three for loss, and two sacks.

    “Coach Wink Martindale did a great job, gave him the game ball in the locker room,” head coach Sherrone Moore said. “The mix of coverage, mix of blitz, mix of looks, twists, gains, all kinds of things to keep that guy guessing and keep the seven guessing, because Miller Moss is a good player and we hit him a lot. Those guys took a lot of pride in the four-man rush…great job, great game plan by the defense, proud of them.”

    Special teams: B-min

    It was a good time for Tommy Doman to find his form, as Michigan’s punter had by far his best game of the season, allowing the Wolverines to consistently turn the field over. Doman punted seven times for 335 total yards (47.8 per attempt) and pinned the Trojans inside their 20 three times (twice inside the 10) and had two that went for 50 yards or more.

    Semaj Morgan was also decent on punt returns; he had 19 yards on three attempts and would have had 37 if an 18-yard return hadn’t been called back with an early flag. The biggest problem on special teams was a missed extra point by Dominic Zvada that appeared to be tipped; that was the difference between UM trailing by three late and needing a field goal and trailing by four late and needing a touchdown. In the end, it didn’t matter.

    Coaching: A-min

    It takes a tremendous feat to win a game with just 32 passing yards — the Wolverines’ fewest passing yards in a win since 1987. Sherrone Moore has used his smash mentality to success before — Michigan didn’t attempt a single pass in the second half of a top-10 win over Penn State last season — and he leaned on it again Saturday.

    The Wolverines offense deserves credit for their early success on the ground, rushing for 199 yards in the first half. Graham said that kept the defense fresh, which proved crucial toward the end. The offense also deserves credit for not forcing the upset. Michigan could have let it go when it was down by four, but Moore said his guys knew they had to stay collected.

    The final drive saw Mullings rush eight times for 80 yards, including a fourth-down play for the ages. According to Moore, it was offensive line coach Grant Newsome who made the big call.

    “It’s a big fourth-down play here: ‘What’s the best play?'” Moore recalled asking his assistants. “Grant knew exactly what the play was. When someone comes up with that assertiveness and confidence, it’s like, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ Then you look at the guys and the guys wanted to do it, so we knew we were in great shape.”

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