Michigan knocks off USC in classic Big Ten showdown: What this means for both teams

By Antonio Morales, Austin Meek and Chris Vannini

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan’s recipe for success was simple: Run the ball and play defense. And the Wolverines did just enough of both to knock off USC 27-24 in the Trojans’ first-ever Big Ten game.

Michigan quarterback Alex Orji, making his first career start, accounted for only 65 yards of total offense (32 passing, 43 rushing) as the Wolverines’ offensive struggles continued. But when it mattered most, Michigan drove 89 yards on 10 plays and reclaimed the lead on a 1-yard run from Kalel Mullings on fourth down with under one minute to play.

Miller Moss, Orji’s counterpart, completed 28 of 51 passes for 283 yards with three touchdowns and one interception (a pivotal pick six in the third quarter).

Here are some takeaways from Michigan’s win.

Michigan should feel good

It wasn’t pretty, but Michigan did just enough to win a game few people thought it would win. The Wolverines also seemed to finally realize that Mullings is the best running back on this roster.

Up until the final drive, when Mullings’ 63-yard run set up his winning 1-yard score on fourth down, Michigan had fewer than 20 yards of offense in the second half as USC’s defense toughened up. It’s hard to say this Michigan offense is sustainable or in a good place moving forward, and this still doesn’t look like a team that can win the Big Ten, but few teams on Michigan’s schedule can match what the Wolverines have in the trenches.

For USC, to lose that way after playing so well in the second half is a gut punch. The Trojans seemed to have fully turned the corner, until last year’s problems showed up at the worst time. This is the kind of result that can make a big difference in who plays for the Big Ten championship. — Vannini

!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/HMTgB8YgGI

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 21, 2024

Winning ugly

It’s hard to win a game with 32 passing yards. Especially against an opponent of USC’s caliber. Somehow, thanks to Mullings, Michigan found a way. The decisive drive came down to a fourth-and-1 play with 41 seconds remaining, and Mullings plowed into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

Mullings finished with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and the Wolverines ran for 291 yards as a team. Michigan needed every one of those rushing yards to pull out a win on a day when the passing game produced practically nothing.

A run-heavy offense was expected after Michigan made the switch to Orji at quarterback, especially with star tight end Colston Loveland not playing. In his first start, Orji went 7-for-12 through the air and rushed for 43 yards. That’s not a sustainable formula for the Wolverines moving forward, but all that mattered Saturday was finding a way to win. Michigan did, thanks to Mullings. — Meek

USC has itself to blame for this loss

The Trojans displayed some toughness but will be kicking themselves for losing this one. USC tackled well for most of the second half, but crucial misses by John Humphrey and Kamari Ramsey led to the big run by Mullings, which set up Michigan for the game-winning score. The Trojans did little on offense when they got the ball back with the lead with five minutes remaining. The pick-six by Moss loomed large in the grand scheme of the outcome, and the offense’s inability to do anything in the first half was costly. The Trojans did some good things but did a lot of things to contribute to the loss. It’s hard not to win when the opponent throws for 32 yards. — Morales

Dang, that was pretty 😍 pic.twitter.com/F6ILFsYsn7

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 21, 2024

Defense gets it done

On a day when Michigan knew it would need to lean on its defense, the Wolverines stars came to play. Will Johnson had a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, and Josaiah Stewart spent much of the game in USC’s backfield with two sacks and three tackles for loss. The Wolverines weren’t perfect — one of USC’s touchdowns came on a busted coverage that left Jay Fair wide open — but the defense did its part.

Michigan was able to hold on despite an apparent injury to Johnson, who jogged up the tunnel in the fourth quarter and wasn’t on the field for USC’s final three possessions. USC had one last shot to drive for a field goal after Mullings’ go-ahead touchdown, but Michigan’s defense slammed the door, even without its star cornerback on the field. — Meek

Woody Marks’ big play

Michigan, specifically Kenneth Grant, had control of the game. It was in his hands. The Wolverines sacked Moss on third-and-goal and forced a fumble. Grant, the Wolverines’ All-America defensive lineman, recovered the loose ball and ran down the field until Trojans running back Woody Marks dashed in front of him and ripped the ball from his hands to give possession back to USC. It was a tremendous football play that kept the Trojans alive. Michigan was up 20-10 at the time and would’ve had possession in a huge momentum swing. A couple of plays before that, Marks found a hole and tore off a 65-yard run on a critical third-and-2 to get USC down to the 2-yard line. That almost went to waste with the fumble, but Marks ensured it didn’t. A few plays later, Moss found a wide-open Fair for a 16-yard touchdown. — Morales