Wolverine Digest

Michigan Football: 2 plays that helped change the entire outlook on 2024 season

Chris Breiler

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Through the early stages of the 2024 season, the mood surrounding the Michigan Football program was trending in the wrong direction. The offense was struggling in nearly every aspect, and Michigan's once-dominant defense was getting carved up through the air. On the heels of a 15-0 season that ended in a national championship victory over Washington, it started to feel like the Wolverines were about to come crashing back down to earth.

But following a convincing home loss to No. 3 Texas and a so-so performance the following week against Arkansas State, Michigan received a jolt of life against No. 11 USC in Week 4. After taking a 14-3 lead into the half, the Wolverines allowed the Trojans to claw their way back into the game, ultimately taking a 24-20 lead late in the fourth. With one last shot at putting themselves in scoring position, the Wolverines would need to drive 89 yards with less than four minutes left in the game - a tall order for a struggling offense. That's when veteran running back Kalel Mullings pulled off one of the biggest plays of the season, ripping off an incredible 63 yard run on third down and eventually setting up the game winning score.

Later in the season, Mullings would once again pull off a magnificent run on third down to put the Wolverines in a position for the game winning score, this time against Ohio State. With 3:25 left in the fourth quarter, Mullings took the handoff, fought his way through several would-be Buckeye tacklers, and was off to the races for a 27 yard run. That effort was more than enough to put kicker Dominic Zvada in a position to nail the game winner, sealing Michigan's fourth consecutive win over the Buckeyes and seventh win of the regular season.

Without those two plays by Mullings, there's a very real possibility that the Wolverines would have lost both contests and failed to qualify for a bowl game in 2024. But thanks to his efforts, Michigan went on to have what is unquestionably one of the most successful 8-5 seasons in program history.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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