ANN ARBOR, Michigan – Kalel Mullings’ teammates always teased him because he didn’t look that fast.
Mullings, a former linebacker, is 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds. If Michigan’s players were in the best positions at the goal line and running 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 among the Big Ten’s best running backs.
Late in the fourth quarter against USC, Michigan ran out of ideas to revive a comatose offense, but the Wolverines finally found something that worked. They gave the ball to Mullings, who ran through the arms of USC’s John Humphrey for a 63-yard gain. They gave it to him again. And again. And again. With 41 seconds on the clock, Michigan faced fourth down and needed 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?
!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/HMTgB8YgGI
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) 21 September 2024
“We all knew what was going to happen,” said quarterback Alex Orji.
Mullings took the handoff and plowed into the end zone, giving No. 18 Michigan a 27-24 win over the No. 11 Trojans. This was Michigan’s most improbable win in years, sparked by a running back who shouldn’t have been the first choice. 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 an expression of who we are: We always give it our all until the end,” Mullings said. “During the whole trip it was just grit.”
Before that final drive, Michigan had the ball five times in the second half without getting a first down. The Wolverines gained 6 yards in the third quarter and had 32 passing yards for the entire game. None of that is in the instruction manual for how to beat a top-15 opponent.
Somehow, Michigan found a way. It was largely thanks to Mullings, who rushed for 159 yards on 17 carries, his second straight game with more than 150 yards. Michigan’s offense can rely on few things, but the Wolverines have learned that they can rely on Mullings.
“He did everything for us,” said coach Sherrone Moore.
At the very least, Michigan’s attempt to build an entire offense of linemen, tight ends and former linebackers will be an interesting test of the Wolverines’ offensive morale. Michigan has been a run-first team in recent years, but with Orji at quarterback, it’s now a run-first team, too.
What Michigan did on Saturday, beating a higher-ranked opponent while attempting 12 passes, is probably not sustainable. At this point, the Wolverines aren’t looking for sustainability. They’re looking for anything that can help them win on a given Saturday. If that means running the ball 40-plus times per 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 weakens (the defense) a little bit.”
Saturday was USC’s first conference game as a member of the Big Ten, and it delivered exactly what the Big Ten wanted when it added four teams from the West Coast: a great scene, great drama, a clash of two iconic programs with contrasting styles.
Michigan’s advantage in the trenches was considerable. USC’s passing game was explosive; Michigan’s was nonexistent. The game had wild momentum swings, including Will Johnson’s 42-yard interception return for a touchdown and Kenneth Grant’s fumble recovery that was recovered by USC’s Woody Marks.
Michigan looked to be in big trouble after Edwards caused a fumble and USC scored midway through the fourth quarter to take a 24-20 lead. The offense stalled in the second half and the switch from Davis Warren to Orji at quarterback did not seem to be a dramatic improvement.
Warren was reasonably efficient in the short and intermediate passing game, but threw six interceptions in three starts. The Wolverines rarely tried to throw the ball past the line of scrimmage with Orji, but he played turnover-free football, running 13 times for 43 yards.
“A lot of people asked me what I was hoping to achieve in my first start,” Orji said. “I wanted a ball-safe win, and that’s what we got.”
Despite its struggles, Michigan is 3-1 with a loss to No. 1 Texas and a win against a USC team that was considered a College Football Playoff contender. That’s not a bad first month of the season. Looking at how the Wolverines have won the last two weeks, it’s hard to be confident that what they’re doing now will translate to a full season. But if Michigan can beat USC without a functioning passing game, the Wolverines should be able to beat a few other teams, too.
Michigan will have a tough time this season. The Wolverines will have to deal with ugly wins. They don’t have a good quarterback solution and their best hope is to trust Orji and help him out however they can.
Giving the ball to Mullings is a great way to do that. As good as he’s been, he could use more touches. The Wolverines are a tough team to play when Mullings is breaking tackles and Michigan’s defense is flying around, as USC found out in its first taste of Big Ten football.
Beating a ranked team by 32 passing yards isn’t something Michigan can repeat. But success on the ground with Mullings is repeatable, and Michigan’s final drive was a perfect repeat.
“Whether you’re running or throwing – (people) say you should throw more – we won,” Moore said. “We beat a good team. That’s what it was all about.”
(Photo: Junfu Han / Imagn Images)
