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The Michigan football team needed to get a win against USC last weekend, and they got it thanks to running back Kalel Mullings. Mullings carried the ball 17 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. He was especially crucial for the Wolverines on the final drive of the game as Michigan was trailing by four with just a few minutes left, and the Trojans had all the momentum.
In the first half, the Michigan football team was running the ball well and they jumped out to a 14-0 lead. However, USC's defense tightened up in the second half, and the Trojans ended up taking a 24-20 lead in the fourth. The Wolverines scored on a pick-six from Will Johnson in the third quarter, but their offense had gone stagnant.
Michigan needed to go over 80 yards in under four minutes, and their offense hadn't done anything all half. Enter Kalel Mullings. Mullings busted one huge run early in the drive to set the Wolverines up in the red zone, and then he punched it in himself on fourth and goal to get Michigan the big win. The Wolverines want their identity to be running the football, and that's how they won last week.
“I just feel like that's just a representation of who we are, you know?” Mullings said after the game, according to an article from Fox Sports. “Always straining until the very end. Throughout that drive, you know, it was just grit and grinding out. We like to say, ‘grinding meat.' We were just grinding meat that whole time, killing the clock and getting down there. Shout out to the O-line, shout out to [H-back Max Bredeson], shout out to everyone, man, clearing out holes. And we were just able to execute. 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 face some adversity and overcome it.”
Sherrone Moore raves about Kalel Mullings
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Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore is very happy to have Kalel Mullings. Mullings came to Ann Arbor as a linebacker, and he is now the best RB on the team.
“He can take it the distance, as he's shown,” Sherrone Moore said. “He can run you over. He's just done everything for us. He's a great pass protector. He's been incredible. Last year he averaged 6 yards a carry. So it's not a surprise with how good he is and what he's done. But to see him take the next steps and really make those explosive plays [is awesome]. And when the game is on the line, he wants the ball in his hands and he makes plays happen. He's a star. He's a game-breaker.”
Next up for Michigan is Minnesota, and you can definitely expect to see a lot of Mullings in that one.
The Wolverines and Golden Gophers will kickoff from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor at noon ET on Saturday. Michigan is currently favored by nine points.
