ANN ARBOR – Michigan’s Big Ten season opener against No. 11 USC was a rollercoaster, but the 18th-ranked Wolverines left the stadium happy Saturday after a thrilling 27-24 victory.

Sherrone Moore’s team ran over the Trojans’ defense in the first half, racking up 199 yards on the ground and taking a 14-3 lead into halftime. But USC (2-1, 0-1) stormed back, taking a 24-20 lead at the 7:01 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines (3-1, 1-0) moved the chains for the first time in the second half on their next drive, with Kalel Mullings bursting through a hole and making a tackle before firing off a 63-yard run. He capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal with 37 seconds left, and Michigan’s defense held firm in the final moments to close out both teams’ conference opener.

Mullings finished with 159 rushing yards and two scores on 17 attempts.

This is what is being said nationally about Saturday’s match:

STORIES

Michigan vs. USC score, takeaways: Wolverines lean on ground game, physicality to disrupt Trojans’ Big Ten debut (CBS SPORTS)

Kalel Mullings gives No. 18 Michigan a 27-24 comeback win over No. 11 USC (Yahoo Sports!)

REACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic wrote: “Michigan is on the verge of beating USC by 32 passing yards and it’s not even November yet. Wolverines may never throw again.”

ESPN Radio’s Beau Bishop wrote: “The fact that Michigan can’t throw at all, while USC knows it and is so bad at tackling that it might not matter, is certainly a problem.”

NBC Sports reporter Nicole Auerbach wrote, “You can take Jim Harbaugh out of Ann Arbor, but you can’t take this ethos out of Michigan’s football program.”

Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski wrote: “Michigan turns in a stunning performance. Signature win for Sherrone Moore as Wolverines made all the big physical plays. Defense was terrific as UM defeated USC 27-24. Did anyone expect that?”

ESPN College GameDay’s Pat McAfee wrote: “WHAT A WIN FOR MICHIGAN”

Author John U. Bacon wrote: “Michigan’s surprise win over USC wasn’t complete, wasn’t pretty in places (particularly the passing game), but it was definitely gritty: defense out on the field and making stops, and the O Line getting yards when everyone knew they were running. Not glamorous, but gutsy.”

Ari Wasserman of The Athletic wrote: “I don’t even know what to make of Lincoln Riley. On one hand, it’s easy to criticize him for his defense giving up that run on Michigan’s final drive. But on the other hand, his defense has clearly improved and it’s probably not rational for anyone to fix all of its problems in one offseason.”

Clay Travis of Outkick posted: “Michigan just beat USC by 32 yards passing. And they went 89 yards on the final drive with one pass completion. Crazy ending.”

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports wrote: “Michigan is going to beat No. 11 USC. Wolverines’ defense is legit. Trojans, who opened the season with a win over LSU, lose their first Big Ten game.”

SI’s Pat Forde posted: “The Mullings Drive. The only way Michigan could go the length of the field.”

Scott Bell posted: “Kalel Mullings put the Michigan football team on his back and powered it to victory in a game where the team couldn’t get away the entire second half. An absolutely huge win over the number 11 team in America. God bless Mullings, the DL, Will Johnson and Max Bredeson.”

NFL correspondent Annie Agar wrote: “We’re getting ready to hear ‘we’ll be right back’ from every Michigan fan ever.”

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