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    • Michigan Wolverines Come Back to Stun Southern California Trojans in Final Seconds
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    Michigan Wolverines Come Back to Stun Southern California Trojans in Final Seconds

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    Ann Arbor — One more yard to go, one more to get it, only one way to do it. In case anyone was wondering, the Wolverines still know how to smash.

    And so they ended one of their most improbable victories much as it began. It was ugly at times, often bizarre, and oh-so-familiar in the end. Kalel Mullings plowed in 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 necessary. USC brought its vaunted quarterback and speedy receivers, and Michigan brought its hammer. Sherrone Moore vowed to preserve Michigan’s smash-ball identity, and on this day, he was forced to push it to the limit.

    How do you not throw 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. Apparently, incredibly, you can do it when you reload an offensive line and give the ball to the last in a growing line of power backs. Mullings racked up 159 yards, averaging 9.4 per carry, and looked more and more like a starter and a star.

    How do you not get picked apart by a quarterback, Miller Moss, who throws 51 times? You let him pick himself up off the turf over and over again. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale alternated coverages and blitzes, and Michigan sacked Moss four times and hit him about a dozen more. Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham were giants as usual, Will Johnson had a 42-yard TD interception return and Josaiah Stewart had two sacks. It was just enough, just not enough.

    ‘Grinding meat’

    Now 3-1, the reigning national champions alternately confirmed their concerns about their revamped roster and reaffirmed what they stand for. It was a signature victory for first-year head coach Moore, who won by any means necessary but still relied on traditional means.

    There were more obstacles than usual. Orji was making his first start at the college level and star tight end Colston Loveland was injured. Semaj Morgan was UM’s leading receiver in the game with three catches for 6 yards.

    In the first half, the Wolverines outgained USC, 199 yards to a minus-16, and that’s probably not how they win every game. But it was how they had to win this one.

    “We just played Michigan football in every way possible,” Moore said. “Played detail, played fast, played extremely physical on both sides of the ball. I’m so proud of these guys.”

    The Wolverines were home underdogs for the second time in three weeks, which is understandable. The Trojans (2-1) had won twice and were determined to prove they could play Big Ten bullyball, which they did for most of the second half after Michigan blew an early 14-0 lead and a 20-10 third-quarter lead.

    When the Wolverines took over at their 11 with 4:02 left in the game, trailing 24-20, they had zero first downs and a paltry 13 yards in the second half to the Trojans’ 261. The Michigan Stadium crowd grumbled about the stopped runs, even as a completion — Orji finished seven of 12 — seemed impossible.

    And then on third-and-1 from UM’s 20 with 2:21 left, Mullings found an opening, got a run going, shook off a couple of defenders and rolled to the Trojans’ 17, a gain of 63 yards. From there, it was all yard and clock consumption, as Mullings ran 1, then 8, then 2, then 3. Surprisingly, Orji threw an incompletion on second down, and Mullings then ran 2 yards to the 1.

    On fourth down, Michigan loaded the left side with extra blockers and fullback Max Bredeson, and Mullings pounded into the end zone. With 37 seconds left, all Moss had to do was get blown down a few times to send the California boys home.

    “I think that’s just a reflection of who we are, always pushing through to the end, to the last drive,” said Mullings, a 6-2, 233-pound senior. “Just pushing through, grinding it out, as we like to say, grinding out the meat.”

    Proven and true

    It’s the identity Jim Harbaugh has created, ground meat by the pound, even as the defense knows it’s coming and prepares to stop it. You knew Moore would keep it up after his stint as interim head coach last season, when the Wolverines reeled off 32 straight second-half wins at Penn State.

    At some point, they’re going to have to dig out some semblance of a passing game. Moore had benched Davis Warren for six interceptions in three games, and while it was tempting to go back to the passing quarterback as that fourth quarter began, Moore relied even more heavily on the offensive line and Mullings.

    It’s a formula that has led to 26 consecutive Big Ten victories, including three championships, and one that is 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 yeah, 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 made some adjustments to make it a little more competitive and physical. They really took it to heart.”

    It wasn’t about significant personnel changes, it was about a line with five new starters growing together. Oh, there will be more tough moments, especially if Michigan can’t make some deep passes to make defenses flinch.

    The physically tough Wolverines have a way of dragging opponents into the mud and wearing them down. They did a great job of outplaying the Big Ten rookies from the start. Mullings’ 53-yard touchdown burst in the first quarter, followed by Donovan Edwards’ 41-yard score, built a cushion, but Orji couldn’t find much room to run.

    Of course, he’ll need to develop a passing touch, and that should help when Loveland returns. For a guy who had thrown seven passes in two seasons plus before Saturday, Orji was just grateful for the opportunity, and he leaned on his faith and his line.

    “It really felt like divine intervention, God was on that field with us,” Orji said. “And the big guys up front, and when I say that, it’s not five, it’s seven sometimes, it’s eight with a tight end, it might be 10, I don’t know. … If we threw 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 takes 100, I don’t care.”

    With new starters at 18 of the 22 positions, the margins will be tight all season, and the Wolverines are strongly advised to be careful with the ball. Grant fumbled a USC fumble back to the Trojans, and Edwards had a costly fumble at UM’s 18, helping USC take its first lead, 24-20.

    It set up a turf-pounding finish, predictable for Michigan but still baffling 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 to recognize the potential. Is it sustainable without an effective passing game? Maybe not, but Moore knows the formula well, in case anyone forgot.

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    @bobwojnowski

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