ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan didn’t let up. And when it mattered most, No. 11 USC couldn’t stop it.

Driven by running back Kalel Mullings, who scored the decisive touchdown in the final seconds, the Wolverines, the defending national champions, won their Big Ten opener 27-24 on Saturday.

“That’s an expression of who we are,” Mullings said of Michigan’s run-heavy game plan. “Just grit and grit … hanging in there all the time.”

The Wolverines rushed for 290 yards, including 79 yards on the final drive. Mullings completed all eight carries and broke two tackles for a 63-yard run that put Michigan in the red zone. He finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down and goal with 37 seconds left.

“The will to not give up,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said of his senior running back. “The will to want it more than them. The will to want it more than the guy trying to tackle him.”

The No. 18 Wolverines (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) prevailed despite rushing for just 32 yards, their fewest in a game since 1987, according to ESPN Research. Michigan’s 32 yards through the air were the fewest by an FBS team in a win over a top-15 opponent since 2014, when Florida beat Georgia by 27 rushing yards.

“I love it,” said Moore, a former college offensive lineman at Oklahoma. “You want to throw the ball, but if you can run the ball effectively, you bring (the defense) down.”

Mullings finished the game with 159 yards on 17 carries, a career-best, and scored another touchdown in the first quarter with a 53-yard run through the middle of the USC defense.

Donovan Edwards rushed for 74 yards on the ground, including a 41-yard touchdown run, but his fourth-quarter fumble put USC (2-1, 0-1) deep in Michigan territory, and Miller Moss’ 24-yard touchdown throw to Ja’Kobi Lane gave the Trojans their first lead of the game with just over seven minutes left.

Michigan relied on Mullings again for the rest of the game. And Moore said the Wolverines put the game in the hands of Mullings and the offensive line, especially on fourth and final down.

“The game is on the line,” Moore said, “what are you going to do?”

Mullings followed fullback Max Bredeson, who made the kickout block, clearing the way for Mullings to fire in at full speed and score the winning goal.

“We knew we could do it,” said quarterback Alex Orji. “It was just confidence. It was life or death, our backs were against the wall.”

The Wolverines changed their starting quarterback this week, replacing Davis Warren with Orji. Warren had thrown six interceptions in three games, including three last weekend against Arkansas State. Orji had just seven career pass attempts before the game and attempted just 12 passes against USC, completing seven of them. But Orji rushed for 43 yards and gave the Wolverines an offensive identity they had been lacking, especially in the 31-12 loss to Texas in the second game.

Michigan rushed for 199 yards in the first half alone, the most USC has allowed in a first half since Lincoln Riley became coach in 2022.

“Schemeically, we knew they were going to run the ball,” said USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, “and it was just a man-to-man game of who could win – and they just did.”

Moore said he challenged his team to be more physical against the Trojans with an inexperienced quarterback. The Wolverines didn’t have All-America tight end Colston Loveland, who missed the game with an unspecified injury, putting an even greater strain on the running game.

“The guys responded,” Moore said. “I’m so proud of what they did and how they played.”

ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti contributed to this report.