ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Kalel Mullins’ teammates often teased him because he didn’t look that fast.
Mullings, a linebacker, is 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds. If Michigan’s skill position players line up at the goal line and rack up 100 yards rushing, he probably won’t win. He enters the season in the shadow of last year’s national championship star Donovan Edwards and hasn’t been mentioned as one of the best running backs in the Big Ten.
Late in the fourth quarter against USC, Michigan ran out of options to revive its comatose offense, and the Wolverines finally found something that worked. They got the ball to Mullins, who ran through the arms of USC John Humphrey for 63 yards. They gave it to him again. here we go again. here we go again. With 41 seconds left in the game, Michigan faced a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line and needed another drive to take the lead.
Hmm…what should I call it? Outright piracy? Is Philadelphia special? Or how about giving Mullins another try?
!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/HMTgB8YgGI
– Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 21, 2024
“We all knew what was going to happen,” quarterback Alex Augie said.
Mullins took the ball and sprinted into the end zone to help No. 18 Michigan beat No. 11 Trojans 27-24. It was Michigan’s most unlikely victory in years, sparked by a running back who shouldn’t have been the first option. It’s clear now that every week is going to be a struggle for this Michigan team, but sometimes the struggles end in celebration.
“I think it represents who we are, always giving it our best until the end,” Mullins said. “I was filled with courage throughout the whole drive.”
Michigan had the ball five times in the second half without a first down before its final possession. The Badgers gained 6 yards in the third quarter and had 32 passing yards for the game. None of this is in the playbook for beating a top-15 opponent.
Somehow, Michigan found a way. That was largely due to Mullins, who rushed for 159 yards on 17 carries, his second straight game with over 150 yards. Michigan’s offense has little to fall back on, but the Wolverines already know they can count on Mullins.
“He did everything for us,” coach Sherron Moore said.
If nothing else, it will be an interesting test of the Wolverines’ offensive spirit as Michigan attempts to build a complete offense with linebackers, tight ends and linebackers. Michigan has been a run-first team the past few years, but with Augie at quarterback, it’s now also a run-second and run-third team.
What Michigan did on Saturday, beating a ranked opponent while attempting 12 passes, may not be sustainable. Right now, the Wolverines are not looking for sustainability. They’re looking for anything that can help them win on that particular Saturday. If that means running the ball 40-plus times per game, Moore will be the happiest man on the field.
“That’s my dream,” Moore said. “Yes, I want to pass the ball, but when you can run the ball effectively, it takes (the defense) down a little bit.”
Saturday is USC’s first conference game as a member of the Big Ten Conference. When you add in four teams from the West Coast, it’s exactly what a Big Ten show wants: great scenes, great drama, a collision of two iconic programs with wildly different styles.
go deeper
USC lets Michigan out of trouble, now Trojans have little room for error
Michigan’s advantage in the trenches is clear. USC’s passing game is explosive; Michigan State’s is non-existent. The game featured wild swings in momentum, including Will Johnson’s 42-yard interception return for a touchdown and Kenneth Grant’s fumble being smothered by USC’s Woody Marks. Woody Marks).
After an Edwards fumble, USC scored to take a 24-20 lead midway through the fourth quarter and Michigan looked like it was in serious trouble. The offense stalled in the second half, and the quarterback switch from Davis Warren to Augie didn’t look like a dramatic upgrade.
Warren has been quite effective in the short and intermediate passing game but has been intercepted six times in three games. The Wolverines made little attempt to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage against Augie, but he played turnover-free football and ran 13 times for 43 yards.
“A lot of people ask me what I want when I first start,” Augie said. “I wanted a sure win and we got that.”
go deeper
Alex Orji is a “one in a million” athlete. Now it’s time to prove he can play QB
Despite the tough situation, Michigan went 3-1, lost to No. 1 Texas and defeated a USC team that was considered a College Football Playoff contender. The first month of the season has been pretty good. Looking at the Wolverines’ wins over the past two weeks, it’s hard to believe that what they’re doing now will translate throughout the season. But if Michigan can beat USC without a functional passing game, the Wolverines should be able to beat a few other teams as well.
Nothing will be easy for Michigan this season. The Badgers will have to settle for an ugly win. They don’t have a great answer at quarterback, and their best hope is to trust Auggie and do whatever they can to help him.
Getting the ball to Mullins is a great way to do it. As good as he has been, he could still use a few more touches. As USC found out in its first taste of Big Ten football, the Wolverines are a tough team to deal with when Mullins breaks tackles and Michigan’s defense runs all over the place.
Michigan is unlikely to replicate its 32 passing yards against a ranked team. But Mullins’ success on the ground was repeatable, and Michigan’s final drive was a perfect repeat.
“Whether you run it, whether you throw it — (people) say you should throw it more — we win,” Moore said. “We beat a good team. For us, that’s everything.
(Photo: Han Junfu/Imagn Images)
