With 4:02 left in the top-20 matchup between No. 18 Michigan and No. 11 USC, Michigan had the ball on its own 11 yard-line. Down by four and needing a touchdown, the Wolverines had to somehow march 89 yards on one drive when they had only accumulated 9 yards in the second half.
Donovan Edwards was in the doghouse after having fumbled two drives prior; Alex Orji had only attempted 10 passes through 56 minutes of football, and there the Michigan offense stood, a daunting 89 yards away from potential victory.
Enter Kalel Mullings.
On 3rd down and 1, Mullings burst through the offensive line for a first down. But as Mullings broke into the second level of the defense, two USC defenders failed to bring him down. What was once just a first down and an extended drive soon turned into the most memorable play of the season for Michigan.
Mullings ran 63 yards and set up Michigan in the red zone, where he would eventually cap off the 10-play, 89-yard drive with a touchdown on 4th and 1 at the goal line.
The graduate student's efforts won Michigan the game and perhaps saved its season. Head coach Sherrone Moore discussed with reporters after the game what he saw from Mullings.
"A will to not give in," Moore said. "A will to want it more than them — want it more than the man that was trying to tackle him on that big play for Kalel. The guy is on top of him, dragging him, and he just runs, and he breaks another tackle and another tackle, and he's gone. And then the 4th and 1 to win the game, we challenged the o-line, 'It's on you. It's 4th and 1, the game's on the line; what are you gonna do?' That's the situation that we have in practice throughout camp, and they all go to the bell, and I'm proud of them."
Mullings had a career game last week against Arkansas State with 15 carries for 153 yards and two scores, but he one-upped last week's performance with a 17-carry, 159-yard, two-touchdown showing in an even bigger contest.
"He can take it the distance; he's shown; he can run you over; he's just done everything for us," Moore said. "He's a great pass protector; he's been incredible. Last year he averaged 6 yards a carry, so it's not a surprise how good he is and what he's done. To see him take the next steps and really make those explosive plays, and when the game's on the line, he wants the ball in his hands, and he made plays happen. He's a star. He's a game-breaker."
Had Edwards not fumbled earlier in the fourth quarter, perhaps Mullings wouldn't have had his opportunity to shine. Michigan was giving Edwards the slight edge in number of carries, but after the fumble, it was all Mullings.
The conversation regarding snap share between Mullings and Edwards will only get louder following Saturday's game, and Moore admitted afterward that Mullings has proven that he should be the No. 1 back.
"Donovan, before the fumble, he broke out for an electric [41]-yard run," Moore said. "So, yeah, we're gonna need both those guys. We're gonna need more guys; it's just how it is in college football, especially with how long the season can go. I mean, Kalel obviously played a heck of a game, so we'll just keep using him how we need to, and Kalel obviously showed that he should be the No. 1 guy. So we'll use both of them; they'll both play a tremendous amount."
So far this season, Mullings has 53 carries for 429 yards and four touchdowns, compared to Edwards' 50 carries for 224 yards and two scores.
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