No. 18 Michigan scores last-minute touchdown to hand No. 11 USC loss in Trojans’ first Big Ten matchup

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It was a tale of two halves in Ann Arbor, but it was the home team that officially welcomed USC to the Big Ten.

The reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines, ranked 18th in the country, found the end zone with under a minute to go for a 27-24 victory over the 11th-ranked Trojans.

Michigan failed to get a first down in its first five drives of the second half after racking up over 200 yards of offense in the first. However, on third and 1 with just over two minutes to go, Kalel Mullings got the Wolverines within striking distance with a 63-yard run to the USC 17. 

Seven plays later, Mullings found the end zone on a fourth and goal from the 1-yard line to put Michigan up, 27-24, with 37 seconds left. A stop would have all but given the Trojans the victory.

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Michigan running back Kalel Mullings (20) runs against USC during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Junfu Han/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

USC had no timeouts when it got the ball back, and the Trojans failed to cross the first-down marker on fourth and 9 from their own side of the field, giving Michigan the victory.

Michigan led 14-3 at the half, but USC came out of the locker room with a 12-play touchdown drive. Michigan had a pick six on USC’s next drive, but its next turnover didn’t result in a similar fate.

A Trojan fumble was recovered by Michigan inside the 10-yard line, but Wolverines’ defensive lineman Kenneth Grant lost a fumble of his own on the return. So, USC had another set of downs, and the Trojans took advantage by scoring a touchdown two plays later to make it a