While his number of carries might not rival those of Blake Corum or Donovan Edwards, Kalel Mullings has quickly built the trust and goodwill of the Michigan coaching staff as the big back who can pick up the tough yardage when needed.

He proved just that on Saturday as he ran for 43 yards on five carries, including a 20-yard touchdown run during the Wolverines' 45-7 victory over Nebraska.

“Just these past couple weeks I’ve been feeling really comfortable running the ball again,” Mullings said after the game. “Just transitioning to full-time offense this off-season, I’ve just been feeling more and more comfortable as time has gone on and right now I feel the most comfortable I’ve felt.”

For Jim Harbaugh, he has a knack for finding roles that make sense for his players, even if that means switching from one side of the ball to the other.

What Mullings has been building this season is what he imagined when approaching Mullings with the switch to running back.

While it took some time, Harbaugh is finally seeing it all come together and hopes that Mullings continues to build on what he's capable of.

"He's just really putting it all together," Harbaugh said after the game. "Putting the leg cycle together. The downhill running together. To be able to lower his pads at the line of scrimmage, keep the legs going, as well as you can run through arm tackles. Didn't look like those arm tackles were there on the 20-yard run. There was probably four to eight arms that he ran through on that run. Like an arrow through snow is what it looked like to me.

"He's just really hitting it. Really running good. I think his confidence is right there. He can write the book on what a big back is supposed to be doing. Striking while the iron is hot, let's go Kalel. I'm all about it. Saw it coming the last few weeks. Now it's here. Bodes well for us."

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