Michigan RB Kalel Mullings addresses lack of carries: 'I don't know how to answer that one'

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Wolverines fifth-year running back Kalel Mullings has seen his production drop off since the early stages of the 2024 season, much of that having to do with running into loaded boxes and teams throwing everything they have at stopping the run game.

Mullings has 31 carries for 64 yards in the last three games and did not get his first carry of last Saturday’s loss to Indiana until halfway through the second quarter. Head coach Sherrone Moore cited Donovan Edwards’ practice performance and a desire to get sophomore Ben Hall some more carries.

Last week, Moore said that it’s been hard to get Mullings going when there’s a defender in his face almost immediately. But the dropoff in production and carries is still tough to reconcile from the outside looking in. Especially when a pair of 27-24 wins over USC and Minnesota in September came in large part due to a combined 270 yards and four touchdowns between the two contests.

Mullings spoke candidly, but respectfully, about the situation on Tuesday night from Schembechler Hall.

“That’s a good question. I think the biggest thing is just finding that rhythm,” Mullings said. “I guess I don’t really have an answer, personally. I just attack, go about doing the same things every day, and attack everything with the same process. What happens on Saturday is just a byproduct of that and a byproduct of how the team is doing. Some days it’s going to be great and it’s going to look great, and some days it’s not always going to look great.

“You just never too high with the highs, never too low with the lows, and just continue to prepare and really hope for the best on Saturday.”

As far as if his box scores of late were worthy of the demotion, the Michigan back took a long pause and chose the diplomatic route in his reply.

“I don’t know how to answer that one,” Mullings said. “Banged up, obviously. It’s a long season. Hurting for sure, but not injured. You know, there’s a difference between hurt and injured.

“Playing on Saturdays and stuff, all of us want to be out there and playing and impacting, but at the same time, I was just focused on cheering on the guys. And hoping for the best. And, just hoping that we get points out of every drive, and we make every stop and just waiting for whenever my number got called.”

Mullings weighs in on Michigan State skirmish

After Michigan’s 24-17 win over the MSU Spartans on Oct. 26, an altercation broke out between both teams where skycam footage appeared to show Mullings in the middle of it. Rivals fans and media accused him of stomping on a female Michigan State staffer, but the allegations were untrue and Moore said he was in the middle of the skirmish trying to break it up.

After an investigation by the Big Ten, it was determined no further action would be taken other than whatever happened internally. Mullings’ circle was upset by the allegations and what had been said on social media, but he was not worried about it.

 “I saw my grandma was calling me and stuff, talking about what they’re saying online, and stuff like that. But I was cool throughout the entire thing, because I knew I didn’t do what people were saying I was doing.

“So, I wasn’t stomping on anybody or anything like that so it didn’t really bother me too much. It was really, I would say it was probably bothering the people around me and my family and stuff more than me, because I was just like — it’s whatever. I know I didn’t do it, and I’m not on (social media) that much anyway, so didn’t really bother me.”

So what did happen in the pile that cameras could not accurately capture? The Michigan back – and his head coach recently – said that he was attempting to play peacemaker.

“Guys are going everywhere, and we’re just in the crowd,” Mullings said. “I was just trying to get guys away and break it up. So, yeah, that’s really all there was. And I guess people saw that in some angles, yeah.”