2024 CFB What Ifs: What if USC tackled Michigan RB Kalel Mullings?
The senior running back broke off a monster run that broke open the game...and unraveled USC's season in the process.
College football is a game of inches, split-second decisions and unpredictable twists that can alter the trajectory of an entire season. In this new offseason series, What Ifs, I’ll dive into the sliding door moments of the 2024 college football season—the plays, calls and decisions that could’ve changed everything.
I’ll explore how the alternate outcomes might have reshaped the College Football Playoff picture, conference standings, Heisman race and more.
What might have been? Let’s find out.
With the game hanging in the balance, Michigan had USC right where it wanted ‘em.
USC quarterback Miller Moss had just connected on a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane to put the Trojans up 24-20 with minimal time remaining. Michigan got the ball back and desperately needed a spark, a big play, a moment to happen. In came senior running back Kalel Mullings.
Down four points on 3rd and 1 with 2:21 remaining on its 21-yard line, Kalel Mullings answered the bell.
The fearsome running back took the handoff and burst through the line of scrimmage, breaking one tackle to cross the line to gain. After slicing through the first wave of Trojan defenders, he broke another pair of arm tackles and later scampered down to the USC 15-yard line, capping the 62-yard breakout run. A few plays later, he surged ahead for two yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 37 seconds remaining to lift the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a massive 27-24 victory over the 11th-ranked Trojans in their Big 10 conference debut.
He finished the day with 159 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
With the loss, USC fell to 2-1 on the season but still looked like a force to be reckoned with in the Big 10. Little did we know that Mullings and the Wolverines would be the catalyst for the Trojans falling apart down the stretch.
Following the Michigan loss, USC beat a bad Wisconsin team 38-21 and then lost three straight Big 10 games to Minnesota, Penn State and Maryland. The Trojans closed out the regular season 3-2 and finished with a lowly 6-6 debut season in the Big 10. It was a far cry from the preseason projections for Lincoln Riley’s team.
What if USC tackled Michigan RB Kalel Mullings?
It’s hard to say for certain, but if USC had managed to tackle running back Kalel Mullings and had held on for that Big 10 debut victory, I feel as if the season might’ve gone a bit differently for the Trojans.
Did USC’s injury problems cause big issues down the stretch of the season? Yes.
Did Mullings or his big run have any impact on that fact? No.
Even so, Mullings’ run and that ending just had a back-breaking feel to it. USC was poised to win that game and just could not make the tackle or get a stop when it needed it most. I think that loss took a lot out of the 2024 USC Trojans’ sails.
How does that non-tackle impact USC in 2024 and beyond?
USC’s loss to Michigan certainly derailed the Trojans’ season, and I would challenge just about anyone on that. Beyond that, it’s tough to say how much that play has on the future of the USC program.
Head coach Lincoln Riley still has his job, but things look…uncertain past 2025. He needs a big year to 2025. He really could’ve used a better finish in 2024, and that would’ve started with a Big 10 debut win against defending national champ Michigan.
I sort of think the Mullings run was a microcosm of USC’s season. The Trojans were so close, yet so far. I do not doubt that if USC had tackled Mullings and defeated Michigan, things would’ve gone differently for the Trojans the rest of the way.