Sherrone Moore on Kalel Mullings’ TD with 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Sherrone Moore on Kalel Mullings’ TD with 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Ann Arbor — One more yard, one more down to make it, only one way to make it. In case anyone cares, the Wolverines still know how to smash a ball.
So they ended one of their most improbable victories the way they began it. It was ugly at times and often bizarre, and then so familiar at the end. Kalel Mullings plowed from the 1 on fourth down with 37 seconds left on Saturday to give Michigan a 27-24 victory over USC in a conference opener that felt more important than most.
It was the Trojans’ Big Ten debut, and no introductions were needed. USC brought its highly touted quarterback and speedy receivers, and Michigan brought its hammer. Sherrone Moore promised to maintain Michigan’s smash-ball identity, and on this day he was forced to take it to the extreme.
How to avoid interceptions? Don’t throw passes!
New starter Alex Orji showed toughness and leadership, but threw just 12 times for 32 yards — UM’s lowest passing total since 1987 — while running for 43 yards. Apparently, incredibly, that’s what you can do when you reshuffle an offensive line and turn the ball over to the latest in a growing line of power backs. Mullings racked up 159 yards, averaging 9.4 per carry, and looked more and more like the starter and a star.
How can you not get picked apart by a quarterback like Miller Moss, who throws 51 times? You make him get up off the turf over and over again. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale mixed coverage and blitzes and Michigan sacked Moss four times and hit him about a dozen more times. Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham were giants as usual, Will Johnson had a 42-yard touchdown interception return and Josaiah Stewart had two sacks. It was just enough, just barely.
“Grinding meat”
With a scoreline of 3-1, the reigning national champions alternately confirmed fears about their revamped squad and reaffirmed what they are about. This was a significant win for new head coach Moore, who won by any means necessary but trusted in the traditional means.
There were more obstacles than usual. Orji was making his first college start and star tight end Colston Loveland was sidelined with an injury. Semaj Morgan was UM’s best receiver in the game with three catches for 6 yards.
In the first half, the Wolverines outgained USC 199 yards to minus-16, and they probably can’t win every game like that. But they had to win this game.
“We played Michigan football in every way,” Moore said. “We played detailed, played fast, played extremely physical on both sides of the ball. I’m so proud of these guys.”
The Wolverines were underdogs at home for the second time in three weeks, which is understandable. The Trojans (2-1) were buzzing through two wins and were determined to prove they could play Big Ten faceoff ball. That’s what they did for most of the second half after Michigan blew an early 14-0 lead and a 20-10 advantage in the third quarter.
When the Wolverines took the lead at their 11-yard line with 4:02 left in the game, trailing 24-20, they had gained zero first downs and a measly 13 yards in the second half, while the Trojans had 261. The crowd at Michigan Stadium grumbled about the blocked runs, although a completion – Orji completed seven of 12 – seemed impossible.
And then, on third and first down from UM’s 20 with 2:21 left, Mullings found an opening, started rumbling, shook off a couple of defenders and ran to the Trojans’ 17 for a 63-yard gain. From there, it was all about yards and time consumption, as Mullings ran 1, then 8, then 2, then 3. Surprisingly, Orji threw an incomplete pass on the second attempt, and Mullings then ran 2 yards to the 1.
On fourth down, Michigan reinforced the left side with extra blockers and fullback Max Bredeson and Mullings stormed into the end zone. With 37 seconds left, he had no choice but to hit Moss a few more times and send the boys from California home.
“I just feel like that’s an expression of who we are: always pushing until the end, until the last drive,” said Mullings, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound senior. “Just bite, bite, as we like to say, grinding meat.”
Proven
That’s the identity Jim Harbaugh instilled, mincemeat galore even when the defense knows what’s coming and prepares to stop it. You knew Moore would uphold that identity after serving as associate head coach last season when the Wolverines ran 32 straight second-half yards in a win over Penn State.
At some point, they’ll have to come up with something resembling a passing game. Moore had benched Davis Warren for six interceptions in three games, and while it would have been tempting to go back to the passing quarterback in the sluggish fourth quarter, Moore relied even more heavily on the offensive line and Mullings.
It’s a formula that has produced 26 consecutive Big Ten wins, including three championships, and it’s deeply rooted in Moore’s roots on the offensive line.
“I love it, I love every minute of it,” Moore said. “That’s my dream to see. And yes, I want to throw the ball. But when you can run the ball effectively, it breaks you down a little bit. And our guys, the look in their eyes this week, how they prepared, how they practiced, we adjusted some things to make it a little more competitive and physical. They really took it to heart.”
It wasn’t about any major personnel changes, but rather a line with five new starters coming together. Oh, there will be more rough patches ahead, especially if Michigan can’t hit a few long passes to get the defense to back off.
The Wolverines’ ruthless physicality has a way of grinding their opponents into the dirt and tiring them out. They did a great job of outsmarting the Big Ten newcomers from the start. Mulling’s 53-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, followed by Donovan Edwards’ 41-yard touchdown, gave them a lead, but Orji didn’t find much room to run.
Of course, he needs to develop a passing feel, and that should help him when Loveland returns. For a player who had thrown a total of seven passes in over two seasons before Saturday, Orji was simply grateful to get the chance and relied on his confidence and line.
“It really felt like divine intervention, God was with us on the field,” Orji said. “And the big guys up front, and when I say that, it’s not five guys, sometimes it’s seven, it’s eight with a tight end, maybe it’s 10, I don’t know. … If we had thrown a million yards today and lost, I’d be sitting here crying. Whatever it takes to win, whether it takes 32 yards, whether it takes 10, whether it’s 100, I don’t care.”
With new starters at 18 of 22 positions, the gaps will be tight all season, and the Wolverines will be urged to take care of the ball. Grant returned a USC fumble to the Trojans, and Edwards had a costly fumble at UM’s 18 that helped give USC its first lead, 24-20.
It was a stupor-numbing finish that was predictable for Michigan, but still breathtaking to watch. The 89-yard drive seemed to come out of nowhere, and maybe that’s what the Wolverines are doing now, seemingly out of nowhere.
No one really saw this coming, but we’ve seen it enough times to see the potential. Is it sustainable without an effective passing game? Maybe not, but Moore knows the formula well in case anyone has forgotten.
@bobwojnowski
