Michigan, held to 32 yards passing, goes run-heavy to top USC

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan kept pounding the ball and pounding the ball. And when it mattered most, No. 11 USC couldn’t stop it.

Powered by running back Kalel Mullings, who scored the winning touchdown in the final seconds, the defending national champion Wolverines rumbled to a 27-24 victory in their Big Ten opener Saturday.

“That’s a representation of who we are,” Mullings said of Michigan’s run-heavy game plan. “Just grit and grinding up … grinding meat that whole time.”

The Wolverines rushed for 290 yards, including 79 on the final drive. Mullings got all eight carries and broke through a pair of tackles for a 63-yard run that put Michigan in the red zone. He finished off the drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge on fourth-and-goal with 37 seconds remaining.

“A will to not give in,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said of his senior back. “A will to want it more than them. To want it more than the man who’s trying to tackle him.”

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

“Love it,” said Moore, a former college offensive lineman at Oklahoma. “You want to throw the ball, but when you can run the ball effectively, you bring [the defense] down.”

Mullings finished with a career-high 159 yards on 17 rushes, scoring another touchdown in the first quarter with a 53-yard dash through the middle of the USC defense.

Donovan Edwards added 74 yards on the ground, including a 41-yard touchdown run. But his fumble in the fourth quarter gave USC (2-1, 0-1) the ball deep in Michigan territory, and Miller Moss’ 24-yard touchdown toss to Ja’Kobi Lane handed the Trojans their first lead of the game with just over 7 minutes to go.

Michigan turned back to Mullings the rest of the way. And Moore said the Wolverines put the game in the hands of Mullings and the offensive line, especially on fourth-and-goal.

“The game’s on the line,” Moore said, “whatcha gonna do?”

Mullings followed fullback Max Bredeson, who delivered the kickout block, clearing the way for Mullings to barrel in for the winning score.

“We knew we were going to get it,” quarterback Alex Orji said. “That was just confidence. Do or die, backs against the wall.”

The Wolverines changed starting quarterbacks this week, moving from Davis Warren to Orji. Warren had thrown six interceptions in three games, including three last weekend against Arkansas State. Orji had only seven career passing attempts coming into the game, and attempted only 12 passes against USC, completing seven of them. But Orji rushed for 43 yards, giving the Wolverines an offensive identity they had been lacking, especially in a 31-12 loss to Texas in their second game.

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

“Schematically, we knew they were going to run the ball,” USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold said, “and it was just mano a mano who could win — and they just did.”

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

“The guys responded,” Moore said. “So proud of what they did and how they played.”

ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti contributed to this report.