Michigan scores late to defeat USC in physical Big Ten opener

It seemed, at first, like just the sort of old-fashioned Big Ten welcome that would have made Bo Schembechler swoon. Two defenses swarming to the ball. Two rushing attacks grinding away, one yard, two yards, three yards at a time. Two coaches wary of the forward pass. And in the wreckage stood USC, the new Big Ten team on the block, forced into a foreign style of football at the start of a new era.

This was not, however, the sort of game Lincoln Riley had hoped to wind up in for USC’s Big Ten debut, with his new quarterback under heavy attack and his new defense barely holding on from behind. But as the final seconds ticked away, Riley watched from the sideline as Michigan’s Kalel Mullings rumbled 63 yards into scoring position, and USC buckled under the weight after taking a late lead.

Instead, here was Michigan inside the two-yard line with 37 seconds left. And here was USC, huffing and puffing at the line of scrimmage, unable to hold any longer, as Mullings burst through to spoil USC’s Big Ten debut, which ended in a 27-24 defeat, the Trojans’ first of the season.

Only a few minutes earlier, it seemed like its second-half effort might be enough for USC to survive its first true Big Ten test. Until Mullings burst through the second level on that final drive, the Trojans had shut down Michigan’s offense in the second half, holding it to seven total yards. But a big play once again derailed a mostly stifling second-half defensive performance. Mullings already had sprinted 53 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, only to be followed shortly after by fellow back Donovan Edwards, who broke off a 41-yard score.

The two big runs were nearly all the offense Michigan could muster. But as USC stumbled out of the gate, it was enough to hold the Trojans off most of the game.

A pick-six from Miller Moss put USC even further behind, even as Moss tried his best to will the Trojans back into the game.

Moss threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns, but found himself under constant assault by Michigan’s defensive front, which kept him uncomfortable all game. Still, he managed to thread the needle between two Michigan defenders late to find Ja’Kobi Lane for a go-ahead touchdown that seemed like it could put the Wolverines away.

After all, Michigan had given USC the benefit of a full five days to plan for a new quarterback who’d thrown only seven total passes coming into Saturday. It still took the Trojans a whole half to adjust to a one-dimensional Michigan offense, which managed a paltry 32 yards through the air.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.