ANN ARBOR, Michigan — It took 60 minutes and Michigan gave it their all on the field to pull off a big win against the USC Trojans. The Wolverines came out of the Big House with a 27-24 victory. Running back Kalel Mullings led the Michigan offense. He carried the ball 17 times for 159 yards and two scores. His final score sealed the deal for the Wolverines. Mullings had a 63-yard run to get Michigan into the red zone and then the team chopped until Mullings scored from one yard out with 37 seconds left.

Michigan’s defense was great in the first half and honestly the front four was great the entire game. There were some mistakes in the secondary in the second half but the Wolverines finally made plays when they had to against a very good USC offense. You’re never going to stop a Lincoln Riley offense but slowing them down is key and the Wolverines did that. Miller Moss got hot in the second half when he threw for three touchdowns but Will Johnson intercepted him and ran him back for a touchdown.

After Michigan’s big win, here’s what the national media is saying about Michigan.

According to Auerbach, Michigan appears to be content with the win without throwing the ball.

“I don’t think this is a great strategy if you want to win meaningful college football games on a regular basis. But this is what Michigan likes to do with its personnel, and there aren’t many other options for this team right now. Quarterback Alex Orji, making his first career start, completed 7 of 12 passes for 32 total yards in the Wolverines’ wild home win over USC. Michigan’s 32 passing yards today were the fewest in a game since Oct. 31, 1987. And Sherrone Moore was happy about it! He said he loved winning this way — a sentiment I truly believe. And Michigan can probably win most games with a reliable run game (led by Kalel Mullings, who is clearly the best running back) and a frugal defense. But I don’t think the Wolverines are going to sniff a Big Ten championship game or the College Football Playoff without some semblance of a passing attack.”

Dinich has Michigan at No. 12 in her CFP rankings, but if they were at No. 12, the Wolverines would be out of the Playoffs because the team must play in the highest Group of Five.

“The Wolverines are the only team in the top 12 with one loss, and that’s because they beat a ranked USC team and showed noticeable improvement on both front lines since the home loss to Texas. The win boosts Michigan’s playoff résumé, but it also helps the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings, since USC is now a conference opponent. The selection committee isn’t looking ahead, but it knows that a playoff team has to be able to pass the ball to compete for a national title. While the one-dimensional offense worked against the Trojans, some committee members will ultimately want to see more from the passing game.”

“But in an era of rapid change, 40 seconds is an eternity. It was long enough for Michigan to turn back the clock for at least one weekend — back to 2023, when the Wolverines were dominant, or maybe back to 1900, before the forward pass was legal and USC could play a Midwestern team only after sitting on the track for a week.

“Kalel Mullings capped a 10-play, 89-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to lead the Wolverines to a 27-24 victory over USC in a game in which Michigan threw for just 32 yards. Instead, Michigan relied on its power running game, repeatedly between the tackles, and amassed 290 yards on the ground, including 159 by Mullings. All that was missing were leather helmets and concerns about looming war with the Prussian Empire.”

“The actual action on the field was the furthest thing from new and modern. This was a Big Ten game from the 1970s. Michigan, unable to complete a forward pass this season, ran the ball and ran some more. USC’s defense, which has improved light years under new coordinator D’Anton Lynn, played admirably most of the day, but the Wolverines managed a couple of big runs, most notably Kalel Mullings’ 63-yard dash to set up the go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds left. USC quarterback Miller Moss, who managed to throw for three TDs despite constant pressure, couldn’t get within field goal range.

“Trojans fans should still feel encouraged. They now have a legitimate defense, one that had eight tackles for loss on Saturday and made numerous open-field tackles. Their two biggest games of the season, Penn State and Notre Dame, are at home. Michigan, meanwhile, salvaged a season that was in danger of being ruined if the Wolverines lost twice in September.”

“The Wolverines fell in the rankings after losing at home to No. 1 Texas in Week 2, but Michigan proved it’s still a force to be reckoned with. Playing No. 11 USC in the latter’s first Big Ten conference game, Michigan showed the Trojans what playing in this conference means. The Wolverines hit a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with under a minute left in the game to completely change their position in the Big Ten pecking order and launch themselves back onto the national stage. Quarterback Alex Orji didn’t do much, throwing for just 32 yards, but the lack of mistakes and threat of the quarterback run opened the door for Kalel Mullings to feast. The Wolverines have a game plan against the middle of the Big Ten and should be taken seriously as a top 15 team. It turns out that Texas going to Ann Arbor and beating Michigan said more about Texas than it did about the Wolverines.”

Patterson moves Michigan up to No. 11 in the CFP rankings.

“The expectation is that the vote for Michigan will be all over the place after Saturday’s win over USC. The Wolverines were as high as No. 13 last week as a 2-1 team with the best win coming against Fresno State, but they were also left off the ballot entirely by five voters and No. 20 or lower by 19 voters. Those lower ratings will shift after they handed the Trojans their first loss of the season, and voters who were higher on Michigan before the game will likely put the Wolverines in the top 10.”

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