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Michigan RB Kalel Mullings denies he “trampled everyone” against MSU

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The short answer for Michigan football running back Kalel Mullings was “no,” but it’s not what he said.

The question for the Wolverines' leading ball carrier was: Did he get an explanation for why he received a carry in the first half of Michigan's 20-15 loss to Indiana and a carry that didn't come until the second quarter?

“I don’t know how to answer that,” the senior said Tuesday evening.

Mullings stammered for about 15 seconds before answering. He sounded as stunned as many observers did Saturday when they saw UM's top running back standing on the sideline next to assistant coach Tony Alford while senior Donovan Edwards and sophomore Ben Hall played most of the first half changed.

After the game, coach Sherrone Moore said he felt Edwards had overtaken Mullings the week before, adding that he had been wanting to get Hall some carries for a few weeks. On Monday night on the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show, Moore suggested that Mullings may have been at less than 100%.

This idea was also rejected by the running back.

“I felt like I practiced well,” he said. “I just roll with the punches and do what is asked of me. Ultimately, they are the trainers. They are the ones responsible for such decisions.

“I've been banged up and hurt all season, sure, but not hurt. There is a difference between hurt and injured. But yeah, I don’t know.”

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It was an unexpected twist in a season that began like a fairytale when he was dubbed “Superman” by Moore in late September for his game-winning touchdown and earth-shattering 63-yard carry to lead UM to a 27-24 victory then helped top-15 USC.

At the time, Mullings ranked 7th nationally in yards per carry (8.09), 12th in total yards (429) and 17th in yards per game (107.2), with four total touchdowns. He followed that up with a season-high 24 carries, 111 yards and a third straight week of multiple touchdowns as Michigan earned another decisive victory over Minnesota.

Since that day, Mullings has had a game with at least 50 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines stumbled over a 1-4 stretch. Even the only win, a 24-17 win over Michigan State, was marred for Mullings.

After the win, Mullings found himself in the crosshairs of an altercation between the two teams. It started after UM tight end Colston Loveland and MSU edge Anthony Jones engaged in a skirmish after the final whistle.

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“Obviously there was a fight, the boys are going everywhere. We were just in a crowd and I was just trying to get the guys away and finish things off,” Mullings said of that day. “Yeah, that was really it, and I think people saw that and some angles.

“Luckily I don’t pay too much attention to social media. My grandma called me because she said, 'They say things like that online and stuff like that.' But I was cool the whole time because I knew I didn't do what people said I did, I didn't trample everyone or anything like that.

It's been a trying season for the man who leads Michigan's backfield. In addition to bad publicity and the need to answer questions about questionable game decisions, his team (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) has a losing record in the league and has not yet secured a bowl berth.

This follows a national championship and a three-year run that saw as many losses as October alone. Mullings, who bounced between linebacker and running back, had been waiting his turn for years.

He leads the team in total yards (740), yards per carry (5.2) and touchdowns (8). But it might be going too far to say it's the perfect senior grade as Mullings targets his final home game at Michigan Stadium a week after Saturday (3:30 p.m., FS1) on Nov. 23 against Northwestern.

“It’s definitely hard to process,” Mullings said. “Over the course of my life, I have learned not to get too high with the highs and not to get too low with the lows. I think about the law of averages. …everything will always fall back to the mean.”

“The same applies to football. Even if things aren't going as well at the moment as in the past, you can't miss out. You have to attack every day with enthusiasm. … Of course it's hard, but at the end of the day we're blessed to be out here playing football, pursuing our goals and dreams every day and putting on the maize and blue.”

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