U-M diminishes USC, wins with 32 passing lawns

• Jake Trotter, ESPN Elder WriterSep 21, 2024, 09:42 PM ET Close Jake Trotter covers college football for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him @Jake_Trotter.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.– Michigan kept pounding the ball and pounding the ball. And when it mattered most, No. 11 USC could not stop it.Powered by running back Kalel Mullings, who scored the winning goal in the final seconds, the defending nationwide champion Wolverines rumbled to a 27-24 victory in their Huge 10 opener Saturday. “That’s a representation of who we are,”Mullings stated of Michigan’s run-heavy strategy.” Simply grit and grinding up … grinding meat that entire time.”The Wolverines rushed for 290 yards, consisting of 79 on the last drive. Mullings got all 8 carries and broke through a pair of deals with 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.Editor’s Picks 1 Related”A will to not give up,”Michigan coach Sherrone Moore stated 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 10)dominated in spite of passing for only 32 lawns, their least in a game given that 1987, according to ESPN Research. Michigan’s 32 yards through the air were the least by any FBS group in a win over a top-15 opponent because 2014, when Florida beat Georgia with 27 hurrying backyards.” Love it, “stated Moore, a previous college offending lineman at Oklahoma. “You want to throw the ball, however when you can run the ball effectively, you bring [the defense]

down.” Mullings ended up with a career-high 159 lawns on 17 rushes, scoring another touchdown in the very first quarter with a 53-yard dash through the middle of the USC defense.Donovan Edwards included 74 backyards on the ground, including a 41-yard

goal run. But his fumble in the 4th quarter offered USC( 2-1, 0-1)the ball deep in Michigan area, and Miller Moss ’24-yard touchdown toss to Ja’Kobi Lane handed the Trojans their first lead of the game with simply over 7 minutes to go.Michigan reversed to Mullings the rest of the method. And Moore stated the Wolverines put the game in the hands of Mullings and the offending line, particularly on fourth-and-goal.”The game’s on the line,”Moore stated, “whatcha gon na do?” Mullings followed fullback Max Bredeson, who delivered the kickout block, clearing the method for Mullings to barrel in for the winning rating.” We understood we were going to get it,”quarterback Alex Orji said.

“That was simply confidence. Do or die, backs against the wall

.”The Wolverines changed starting quarterbacks this week, moving from Davis Warren to Orji. Warren had tossed 6 interceptions in 3 games, including three last weekend versus Arkansas State. Orji had just seven career passing efforts entering into the game, and attempted only 12 passes

against USC, finishing seven of them. But Orji hurried for 43 lawns, providing the Wolverines an offensive identity they had actually been doing not have, 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 given up in a very first half because Lincoln Riley became its coach in 2022. “Schematically, we understood they were going to run the ball,” USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold stated, “and it was simply mano a mano who could win– and they simply did.”With an unskilled quarterback, Moore stated he challenged his team to be more physical versus the Trojans. The Wolverines didn’t have All-America tight end Colston Loveland, who missed the game with an undisclosed injury. That put much more onus on the running game. “The guys reacted,”Moore said.”So proud of what they did and how

they played.”ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti contributed to this report.