At first, it looked like the kind of old-style Big Ten welcome that would have made Bo Schembechler faint. Two defenses charging at the ball. Two running attacks moving at a slow pace, one yard, two yards, three yards at a time. Two coaches wary of the forward pass. And in the middle of it all was USC, the Big Ten’s newest team, forced to adopt a foreign style of football at the dawn of a new era.
This wasn’t the kind of game Lincoln Riley expected to play in USC’s Big Ten debut, though, 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 drove 63 yards into scoring position, and USC buckled under the weight after taking a late lead.
Instead, Michigan was inside the two-yard line with 37 seconds left. And there was USC, huffing and puffing at the line of scrimmage, unable to hold on any longer, as Mullings stormed in and ruined USC’s Big Ten debut, which ended in a 27-24 loss, the Trojans’ first of the season.
Just minutes earlier, it looked like their 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, limiting it to seven total yards. But one big play once again derailed a mostly stifling defensive performance in the second half. Mullings had already run 53 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, only to be followed shortly after by teammate Donovan Edwards, who broke through for a 41-yard score.
The two big runs were about all Michigan could do on offense, but USC struggled getting off the field and that was enough to keep the Trojans at bay for most of the game.
A Miller Moss pick-six put USC further behind, even as Moss did his best to get the Trojans back into the game.
Moss threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns, but found himself under constant attack from Michigan’s defensive front, which kept him uncomfortable throughout the game. Still, he managed to weave through two Michigan defenders late to find Ja’Kobi Lane for a go-ahead touchdown that looked like it could put the Wolverines ahead.
After all, Michigan had given USC the benefit of five full days to plan for the arrival of a new quarterback who had thrown just seven total passes before Saturday. Still, the Trojans needed an entire first half to adjust to Michigan’s one-dimensional offense, which managed just 32 yards through the air.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.