Karel Mullins bailed out Michigan.
Mullings scored on a fourth-and-goal with 37 seconds left to give the 18th-ranked Wolverines a 27-24 victory over 11th-ranked USC.
Mullings’ TD came after a 63-yard run to energize a Michigan offense that had been completely lackluster in the second half. The Wolverines hadn’t been able to move the ball much after the first quarter, but they did get by after Mullings’ big run.
USC used its final two timeouts with Michigan close to the end zone, forcing the Trojans to play on the sideline after getting the ball back, but Miller Moss completed a pass on fourth down with eight seconds left but fell just short of the line for the score.
USC’s strong second half
The Trojans trailed 14-3 at halftime but scored 21 points in the second half to take their first lead. With 7:01 left, Moss slipped between Michigan defenders for a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jacobi Lane to put the Trojans up 24-20.
The pass was Moss’ third touchdown of the game. The second came late in the third quarter, when he passed to Jay Fair, who was completely unattended two plays after Moss had fumbled on third down. Moss’ fumble was picked up by Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, who had his pass intercepted by USC running back Woody Marks as he was running down the field.
Consecutive fumbles cost Michigan at least four points, and USC would have kicked a field goal if Moss’ arm had been in front, but the TD cut Michigan’s lead to 20-17.
However, Moss didn’t have much success against Michigan’s pass defense, throwing an intercepted pass to Will Johnson and completing just 28 of 51 passes for 283 yards.
Michigan still doesn’t have a passing game.
The Wolverines made a quarterback switch before Saturday’s game, replacing Davis Warren with Alex Orji. Orji had thrown just six passes in Michigan’s first three games and hadn’t shown to be an effective passer.
That trend continued against USC, as Orji completed 7 of 12 passes for 32 yards.
As soon as Orji was named the starter, it was clear that Michigan’s offensive strategy would be to run, run and run some more against the Trojans — Michigan rushed 46 times for 290 yards and three scores — but the offense desperately needs a threat in the passing game.
Michigan’s offense was in neutral between the 96-yard first-quarter drive and the game-winning drive engineered by Mullings. USC knew its downfield passing options were nearly nonexistent and played accordingly.
Mullings finished with 17 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns, thanks to a 63-yard run, while Donovan Edwards had 14 carries for 74 yards and one score, but Edwards committed a key fumble that led to USC’s comeback score.
Michigan will likely stick with Orji as its QB with a matchup against a run-loving Minnesota team coming up in Week 5. But it’s fair to wonder how much success Michigan can have over the course of an entire season with such a drab offense.
Meanwhile, USC missed a golden opportunity to pull off a decisive win in its Big Ten Conference opener as the Trojans were pushed forward by the Wolverines in the first half but bounced back after.