Leftover notes and observations from USC-UM thriller … Several things from the terrific USC-Michigan game Saturday evening that the Wolverines won 27-24 with a last minute TD. First, Michigan TE Colston Loveland, the top prospect at the position for the upcoming draft, did not play because of an unspecified injury. On the surface, comments from the program don’t suggest that it is anything serious, but it is something we’ll be watching. It also certainly appears that Wolverines’ RB Donovan Edwards, who was hoping for a break-out year now that former UM All-American Blake Corum is off to the pros, has actually been displaced as the team’s top back by Kalel Mullings. Mullings is an interesting story in his own right in that he was a reasonably well regarded RB in high school, but actually played LB in college until mid-way thru the 2022 campaign. Against the Trojans, Mullings exploded for a 50-yard plus TD early on that got the Wolverines off and running and then turned in the key play of the game when he turned a 4th and 1 into a second 50-yard plus run that set up Michigan’s game-winning TD. For the record, the 6-1, 235-pound Mullings is averaging 8.5 yards per carry this fall, almost twice Edwards’ number. A couple of other defensive players that jumped out during the USC-Michigan game were UM ER Josiah Stewart and Southern Cal LB Eric Gentry. Both are somewhat odd-sized in that Stewart is just 6-1, 245, while Gentry is an angular 6-5, 215-pounder who looks more like a basketball small forward. However, Stewart was almost unblockable as he was just exploding off the snap while also showing the ability to dip his shoulder and bend around the edge. Meanwhile, Gentry was all over the field for the Trojans and showed up well both defending the run as well as busting into the backfield. We should also note that Michigan’s DT combo – Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant – both of whom are considered to be 1st round candidates for 2025, were very stout against the Trojans.
