In its first ever Big Ten game, No. 11 USC held Michigan to its fewest passing yards this century -- and lost 27-24 at the Big House.
The Wolverines went nowhere in the second half, until they went 89 yards on their final drive, punctuated by the go-ahead touchdown by Kalel Mullings on 4th and goal from a yard out with 37 seconds remaining.
No. 18 Michigan stopped the Trojans on downs on the ensuing drive and escaped with the win, leading to what head coach Sherrone Moore called an "insane" celebration with his players in the locker room.
"They were throwing me around," he said with a laugh. "I’m not a small dude, so for them to throw me around took a lot of force and power. I’m a little sore right now, but it was incredible."
In his first career start, Michigan quarterback Alex Orji completed just seven of 12 passes for 32 yards, the program's lowest total through the air since 1987. But the Wolverines piled up 290 yards on the ground, getting back to the ground-and-pound style that served them so well the past three seasons.
"All I know is, when it comes down to it and we're trying to move the ball, that's what Michigan football is all about," said Orji. "The 4th down, we knew we were going to get it. That was just confidence. At that point, it's do or die, backs against the wall. And we're not just dogs -- we're wolves. Let's go do this thing. We all knew what was about to happen."
Mullings led the way with 159 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-saving 63-yard rush on third down from deep in Michigan territory with a little over two minutes remaining. Donovan Edwards had a 41-yard touchdown that staked the Wolverines to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
"That's just a representation of who we are, always straining until the very end," said Mullings. "Throughout that (final) drive, it was just grit, and as we like to say, grinding meat. We were just grinding meat that whole time, killing clock and getting down there. At the end of the day, a lot of football is about what you do when you face adversity, so it feels good to be able to overcome it."
Despite its second half struggles on offense, Moore said Michigan executed its plan to "possess the ball, be successful in the run game and keep (USC's) offense off the field. We knew we could generate some yards on the ground and we wanted to control the clock."
It was a tale of two teams, with USC's Miller Moss attempting as many passes in the first half as Michigan had passing yards. He wound up throwing 51 times for 283 yards and three second-half touchdowns, but Michigan star corner Will Johnson changed the game with a pick six in the third quarter when he stepped in front of a route and took it 41 yards to the house. It was his third career pick six, a Michigan record.
Moore said defensive coordinator Wink Martindale called Johnson's pick six two drives before it happened: "Wink’s like, 'They’re gonna test him, he’s gonna get one.' And all I saw was Will -- like a missile -- pick it off and he was gone. He’s an incredible player. Works his tail off, doesn’t say much, just wants to be the best and did what he does."
The Wolverines' aggressive defense also sacked Moss four times and had pressure in his face most of the afternoon. Moore gave Martindale a game ball for his various fronts, blitzes and coverages that kept USC from finding a steady rhythm on offense.
"It was a great job, great game plan by the defense," said Moore. "Proud of them."
On their first five drives in the second half, the Wolverines totaled nine yards and didn't gain a single first down. On their sixth and final drive, they went 89 yards to win the game.
"Whether you run it, whether you throw it — some say you should throw it more — we won," said Moore. "We beat a good team. For us, that’s what it was all about."
Local News
Comments / 0