ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football was on its proverbial death bed (OK, not really) but needed a win against No. 11 USC in the worst way. And much to the surprise of the college football landscape, the Wolverines eked out a victory, 27-24, over the Trojans.
There are a lot of interesting facts, stats, and tidbits that came from the win. That’s where MGoBlue.com has helped us out with some game notes that you might not have known about if you were at the game or watched it on TV.
Facts/tidbits:
• Today’s announced attendance of 110,702 marks the 319th consecutive crowd of 100,000-plus at Michigan Stadium.
• Today’s honorary captains were two of the winningest coaches in Michigan Athletics history: Coaches Lloyd Carr (football) and Carol Hutchins (softball). Carr, after whom the Lloyd Carr Tunnel is named outside Michigan Stadium, coached his teams to five Big Ten titles and the 1997 National Championship. Hutchins, after whom Carol Hutchins Stadium is named at U-M’s Alumni Field, coached her teams to 32 Big Ten titles (including 10 tournaments), and the 2005 College World Series. She is the winningest coach in U-M history (1,707 wins) in any sport.
• In the 11th all-time meeting between these historic programs and the first since 2007, U-M improved to 5-6. Eight of the previous 10 match-ups have come in the Rose Bowl. Michigan is 3-0 in regular season match-ups (1957, 1958, 2024).
• The Wolverines opened Big Ten play today against a new league opponent in USC. It is the 15th different Big Ten school that U-M has played to start conference play.
• Today’s conference opener was the 119th in program history. U-M improved to 91-26-2 all-time with victories in five straight and a 17-2 record in the last 19 Big Ten openers.
• U-M’s victory today brings the program’s streak of consecutive Big Ten wins to 26 (dating to 2021). That figure represents a program record, with the previous mark set by Gary Moeller’s 1990-92 teams (19).
• The Big Ten conference does not recognize the 2021, 2022, or 2023 title games as conference match-ups, so U-M is at 23 straight wins by the league’s record book.
• Michigan mounted a 10-play, 89-yard game-winning drive that left 0:37 remaining. Graduate student running back Kalel Mullings totaled 77 yards on eight carries and punched in a one-yard touchdown at the goal line for his second of the day.
• Quarterback Alex Orji made his first career start in today’s game. Orji is the 10th Wolverine to make their first career starts this fall, joining Kendrick Bell, Dominick Giudice, Evan Link, Marlin Klein, Peyton O’Leary, and Davis Warren on offense and Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, and Derrick Moore on defense.
• Michigan scored the first points of the game on a 53-yard rushing touchdown from Mullings in the first quarter. It was his longest career rush and U-M’s longest play this season until he broke a 63-yard run in the fourth quarter.
• Senior running back Donovan Edwards scored on a 41-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. It was Edwards’ longest run of the season.
• Mullings had another career day, finishing with 159 rushing yards on 17 carries for his second consecutive game over 150 rushing yards. He is U-M’s first rusher over 150 yards in consecutive weeks since Edwards eclipsed that mark in consecutive weeks (at Ohio State, vs. Purdue) at the end of the 2022 season.
• It was the first time multiple U-M backs scored on runs of 40-plus yards in the same game since 2022 (Penn State) when Edwards (67-yard run) and Blake Corum (61-yard run) scored less than four minutes of game time apart.
• U-M’s run game broke through in a big way, rattling off three rushes of 30-plus yards. Entering the game, U-M had five offensive plays of 30-plus yards on the year (two run, three pass).
• Michigan ball carriers combined for 27 rushing yards on 199 carries in the first half. It marked U-M’s most rushing yards in the first half since the CFP National Championship game against Washington (209 yards) last season.
• U-M’s 199 team rushing yards at the half are the most allowed in the first half by a Lincoln Riley-coached USC team, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
• With junior tight end Colston Loveland out for today’s game, U-M had a different leading receiver for the first time in four games. Sophomore wide receiver Semaj Morgan led the team with three receptions.
• The U-M defense forced the Trojans to go three-and-out on each of their first three drives to open the game. None of USC’s 10 first-half drives before this game had ended on a three-and-out.
• Five of USC’s six first-half drives resulted in a punt or end of the half (one field goal).
• Opponents have struggled to run the ball effectively against the Wolverines. Fresno State finished with nine rushing yards, Texas with 143, Arkansas State with 58, and USC was held to 96 yards on the ground. Altogether, teams have scored just one rushing touchdown against U-M this year.
• It is the third game of the season that Michigan has held their opponents to under 100 total rushing yards.
• Michigan’s -16 rushing yards allowed in the first half is the lowest amount allowed since hosting UNLV last season (-16).
• The Wolverine defense recorded a season-high eight TFL in today’s game. Senior edge rusher Josaiah Stewart was responsible for three of them, including two sacks. Stewart’s 6.5 TFLs this season lead the defense through four weeks.
• Stewart had a third-down strip-sack, forcing the fumble on his second sack of the game. It was the first forced fumble of his career. Today’s game was the third multi-sack effort of his career and his second this season.
• Defensive back Will Johnson became the first player in program history with more than two career interceptions returned for touchdowns. Johnson’s 42-yard return is the ninth interception of his career. He returned an 86-yard interception for a touchdown earlier in the season against Fresno State and returned a pick 36 yards for the score at Minnesota in 2023.
• Junior defensive lineman Kenneth Grant earned a sack for a 12-yard loss to close out the first half, his first of the season. Michigan pass rushers registered two sacks and four QB hurries in the first half.
• Junior defensive lineman Mason Graham recorded one of two second-half sacks for the Wolverines. The four-yard loss in the fourth quarter was Graham’s first sack of the season.
• Graham and sophomore defensive back Jyaire Hill each had a team-leading six total tackles, including a career-high for Hill.