What they’re saying after Michigan’s win over USC in Week 4

The Michigan Wolverines grabbed a 27-24 win in the final moments over the USC Trojans, giving themselves a signature victory in the early stages of the Sherrone Moore era while also getting Big Ten play off on the right foot.

There were plenty of takeaways from the local and national media. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say following U-M’s season-saving victory.

Ryan Van Bergen, The Wolverine postgame show

Michigan vs. USC reaction: Wolverines find identity in Big Ten opener

“I think we finally have an identity to what our team is and what we can be this year. It’s not the same team we were last year. And there’s some things that carry over from last year, but this team has its own identity and its own ways to find success. And I think today we saw some glimpses of what our team could look like this year.

“Was it pretty at all times? Absolutely not. But it got the job done and it got the job done in a way that I feel like fits what we want to see from Michigan football. Physical and it was tough. It was disciplined. It was consistent and I feel like that’s something that we’ve been missing.

“I think it invigorates myself and I think a lot of the other fan base because, at one point, we’re kind of feeling pretty desolate about what our team may do this year, but I still think USC is pretty solid as a team and for Michigan to bully them and kind of execute at will in a game of with an opponent that caliber to me, that says that there’s still some good life left in this team and there’s still the potential for this team to get better and be around at the end for the purposes of Big Ten because that’s all I’m focused on is Big Ten.”

Chris Balas, The Wolverine

Michigan 27, USC 24: Notes, quotes, and observations on a season saver

Before Saturday’s Michigan 27-24 stunning win over USC, one person with knowledge of the U-M program sent us a text we won’t soon forget …

“I’m not one to turn down free money,” he said. “Vegas has Alex Orji passing yards at 129.5. He’ll be lucky to get half that.” 

As it turned out, it was about a quarter — 32 yards on 7-of-12 passing for 2.67 yards per attempt for the junior quarterback. They didn’t ask him to throw much, and once more than they should have, probably. A second and goal pass with the game on the line was a play call Michigan offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell would probably like back.

We’re not betting men, regardless, but we would have taken the “under,” too. And if you’d given us Orji’s passing numbers before the game and told us he’d be the only Michigan quarterback to play, we probably would have bet the house on USC to win.

“That was a weird game,” one Michigan staffer laughed while making his way down from the press box to the locker room after the game, shaking his head.

And that’s probably the best way to describe this one, a throwback to the 1970s in which the Wolverines weren’t all that interested in the forward pass, but used defense and the running game to gut out a win that essentially saved the season.

The Wolverines could afford one early loss, and Texas showed it was miles ahead of them in week two. They couldn’t survive two and keep the goals alive, especially if the second was to conference foe USC. They turned to senior Kalel Mullings (better late than never), and he literally carried the team to a huge home win.

Austin Meek, The Athletic

Michigan proved it can win ugly against USC. That’s all that matters — for now

Nothing’s going to come easy for Michigan this season. The Wolverines are going to have to get comfortable with winning ugly. They don’t have a great answer at quarterback, and their best hope is to put their trust in Orji and help him out however they can.

Giving the ball to Mullings is a great way to do that. As good as he’s been, he could still use more touches. The Wolverines are a tough team to play when Mullings is breaking tackles and Michigan’s defense is flying around, as USC discovered in its first taste of Big Ten football.

Beating a ranked team with 32 passing yards isn’t something Michigan is likely to replicate. But success on the ground with Mullings is repeatable, and Michigan’s final drive was perfect repetition.

“Whether you run it, whether you throw it — (people) say you should throw it more — we won,” Moore said. “We beat a good team. For us, that’s what it was all about.”

Stewart Mandel, The Athletic

Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Remember Travis Hunter’s dominance. Plus, ‘new’ CFB is here

The actual action on the field was the furthest thing from new and modern. This was a circa 1970s Big Ten duel. Michigan, incapable of completing a forward pass this season, ran the ball and ran it some more. USC’s defense, which has improved light years under new coordinator D’Anton Lynn, played admirably for most of the day, but the Wolverines popped a few big runs, most importantly Kalel Mullings’ 63-yard dash to set up the go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds left. USC quarterback Miller Moss, who managed to throw three TDs despite facing constant duress, could not get into field-goal range.

Trojans fans should still feel encouraged. They have a legit defense now, one that had eight tackles for loss Saturday and made numerous open-field tackles. Their two biggest games down the stretch, Penn State and Notre Dame, are at home. Michigan, meanwhile, salvaged a season that threatened to turn dire if the Wolverines lost twice in September.

David Hale, ESPN.com

College football Week 4 highlights: Top plays, games, takeaways

But in an era when change comes rapidly, 40 seconds is a lifetime, and 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 perhaps back to 1900, before the forward pass was legal and USC could only play a team from the Midwest after spending a week riding the rails.

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 win over USC in a game in which Michigan threw for just 32 yards. Instead, Michigan relied on the power running game, barreling between the tackles again and again, racking up 290 yards on the ground, including 159 from Mullings. The only things missing were leather helmets and worries about imminent war with the Prussian Empire.

Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News

Wojo: Wolverines smash their way back, stun Trojans in final seconds

One yard to go, one down to get it, only one way to do it. In case anyone was wondering, the Wolverines still know how to smash.

That’s how they finished one of their more improbable victories, pretty much the way they started it. It was occasionally ugly and often bizarre, and then at the end, oh so familiar. Kalel Mullings plowed in from the 1 on fourth down with 37 seconds left Saturday, giving Michigan a 27-24 victory over USC in a conference opener that felt more important than most.

It was the Trojans’ Big Ten debut, and no introductions were necessary. USC brought its touted quarterback and speedy receivers, and Michigan brought its hammer. Sherrone Moore pledged to maintain Michigan’s smash-ball identity, and on this day, he was forced to take it to the extreme.

How do you not throw interceptions? Don’t throw passes!

New starter Alex Orji showed toughness and leadership but threw only 12 times for 32 yards — UM’s lowest passing total since 1987 — while he ran for 43. Apparently, incredibly, you can pull it off when you reload an offensive line and hand the ball to the latest in a growing line of power backs. Mullings piled up 159 yards, averaging 9.4 per carry and looking more and more like the starter, and a star.

How do you not get picked apart by a quarterback, Miller Moss, who throws 51 times? You make him pick himself up off the turf again and again. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale mixed coverages and blitzes and Michigan sacked Moss four times and hit him about a dozen more. Will Johnson had a 42-yard TD interception return, Josaiah Stewart had two sacks and it was just enough, just barely.

Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

College football winners, losers in Week 4: Clemson, Michigan return to form, North Carolina makes it weird

The Wolverines were pushed down 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. Michigan played No. 11 USC in the latter’s first ever Big Ten conference game, and showed the Trojans just what playing in this conference means. The Wolverines converted a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with under a minute remaining to completely change their place in the Big Ten’s 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 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 squad. It turns out Texas going to Ann Arbor and smacking Michigan said more about Texas than the Wolverines.

Nick Bromberg, Yahoo Sports

College football winners and losers: Clemson and Michigan keep themselves in the playoff picture with big wins

Michigan has long been a team that values running the ball over passing it. But this is a new extreme. Michigan QBs have thrown for 491 yards on 90 attempts over the first four games of the season.

Is it sustainable to keep winning with passing numbers like that? The Wolverines certainly hope so, but there’s plenty of reason to question if it’ll work. There were surely plenty of Michigan fans pessimistic about the team’s chances of a comeback before Mullings broke off the big run. This is a team that’s clearly not built to trail in late-game situations.

But it’s also a philosophy that could work through the month of October. Michigan’s next four games are against Minnesota, Washington, Illinois and Michigan State before No. 9 Oregon visits Ann Arbor to start November. With the way the Michigan defense played on Saturday, it’s not inconceivable to think Michigan’s offense does enough without substantial passing improvement to put the Wolverines at 7-1 over the first two months of the season.

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