All seven meetings between Michigan and USC since 1958 have taken place either on (or one day after) New Year’s Day, because all of them have taken place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
That is, until today.
The No. 11 Trojans took a cross-country flight to Ann Arbor this week on their way to face the No. 18 Wolverines in their first matchup since January 2007 — and their first meeting as fellow members of the Big Ten. But Michigan did not give USC a warm welcome.
The Wolverines held the lead for much of the game. And while they gave up their lead to USC in the fourth quarter, they stormed back in the final minute to steal a 27-24 comeback victory.
In the first half, Michigan running backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards ran in 53- and 41-yard scores respectively to give their team the lead. The Wolverines relied heavily on their ground game as quarterback Alex Orji struggled in the air, but they maintained their lead all the way into the fourth quarter.
USC quarterback Miller Moss came out of the locker room after halftime with a vengeance, punching in his first passing touchdown to Duce Robinson and pulling the Trojans within four. But Moss’ next possession wasn’t as kind to him—Will Johnson came up with a big-time interception and returned it for a touchdown, making the score 20-10 with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Trojans didn’t give up, and Moss snuck in two more passing scores — one to Jay Fair and the other to Ja’Kobi Lane. The latter, a 24-yard touchdown reception, gave USC its first lead of the game with seven minutes to go in regulation.
It was Michigan’s Mullings, however, who delivered the game-winning touchdown after Orji engineered a 10-play, 89-yard drive with 3:25 left to score. The running back finished the day with 159 yards and two scores on 17 carries in the 27-24 win.
Welcome to the Big 10, Trojans. Here’s everything to know about the USC football score, including how Mullings and Michigan completed a last-minute comeback against Moss and Southern California.
MORE: Why USC's Miller Moss waited two years to be Lincoln Riley's QB
Michigan vs. USC final score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| USC | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
| Michigan | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
Follow SN’s live scoreboard for updated college football scores and results from every Week 4 game.
MORE: Michigan's Will Johnson exits with injury in win vs. USC
Kalel Mullings stats today
| Kalel Mullings | Carries | Yards | Average | TDs |
| vs. USC | 17 | 159 | 9.4 | 2 |
The 21-year-old bookended Michigan’s upset win over USC with two very different touchdowns — a 53-yard dash in the first quarter and a 1-yard burst in the final minute.
Mullings finished the day with a career-high 159 yards — nearly matching hist total from the 2023 season, in which he gained 222 yards total.
Miller Moss vs. Alex Orji stats today
Although the final score was close, both quarterbacks had extremely different showings under center. Leading a much more pass heavy offense today, Moss finished with 283 yards in the air and three touchdowns, all of which came in the second half. He didn’t do much on the ground, but Marks supported him adequately in the backfield.
In contrast, the Wolverines game-plan clearly did not offer Orji many chances to throw the ball. He only passed 12 times the whole game, compiling 32 yards on seven completions and no scores with mercifully no interceptions. Orji did contribute to the running game slightly, but no more than both backs Mullings and Edwards did themselves.
One thing is for sure: Michigan certainly has some things to think about when it comes to who will be taking snaps the rest of the season. Here’s a look at how both quarterbacks fared in the Saturday afternoon showdown.
| Miller Moss | Stat | Alex Orji |
| 28-51 | CMP-ATT | 7-12 |
| 283 | PASS YDS | 32 |
| 3 | PASS TD | 0 |
| 1 | INT | 0 |
| 5 | CAR | 13 |
| -27 | RUSH YDS | 43 |
| 0 | RUSH TD | 0 |
| 1 | LONG | 14 |