The Wolverines Finally Break Through
A week ago the college football playoff semi-finals gave us one of the more memorable nights in recent memory. With number one and two facing off for only the fourth time in the playoff era would the title game be as good as the semis? The answer was not quite. Led by their strong defense Jim Harbaugh’s club finally got their title. Let’s break it down as Michigan wins the national championship 34-13.
Getting off to a Hot Start
Michigan took the opening kick and scored in less than five minutes. While Blake Corum did some damage on the first drive it was Donovan Edwards who did the heavy lifting. Taking the ball virtually untouched 41 yards to the end zone and it was quickly 7-0.
On Washington’s first drive the usual quick strike Huskies held the ball for almost seven minutes. After driving down to the Michigan eight. The nation’s second-best red zone defense held forcing a 25-yard Grady Gross field goal.
From reading our title game preview you know the Wolverines like to control the clock by running the ball. However, their second drive took barely a minute and a half. It was Edwards again this time going 46 yards for his second score. In a little over a quarter Edwards nearly equaled his season touchdown total of three. A 31-yard James Turner field goal made it 17-3.
Dominating Everywhere but the Scoreboard
After that, the defenses took over for a while before the Huskies finally got something going late in the second half. Michael Penix Jr. led Washington into Michigan territory. Unfortunately on fourth down, he overthrew a wide-open Rome Odunze who may have scored.
The Huskies needed a break and they got it late in the second quarter. On a fourth and two, J.J. McCarthy‘s pass to Roman Wilson was incomplete and Penix and company started in great field position. This time they converted and the Heisman runner-up found Jalen McMillan and it was 17-10 at the half.
Just by looking at the stats, the game shouldn’t have been that close. Michigan outgained Washington 290-160 with 61 coming on that last drive. In addition, the Wolverines had 209 yards on the ground and 17 first downs. However, the game turned when Harbaugh went away from their running game.
Defense Takes Over
If you are a Huskies fan the second half couldn’t have started any worse. On the first play, Will Johnson intercepted Penix at their own 32. However, this time Washington’s defense held forcing a 38-yard field goal by Turner.
Aided by an unnecessary roughness penalty Washington again drove it deep into Michigan territory. Once again the Wolverines held strong and a Cross 45-yard field goal made it a one-possession game again.
Washington had a chance early in the fourth quarter when Penix hit Odunze on a big play. Unfortunately for the Husky faithful, it was called back by a holding penalty forcing a punt. Michigan took full advantage going 71 yards in 2:30. This time Corum took it in from 12 yards out and it was 27-13.
Penix and company had one final chance taking the ball once again into Michigan territory. Once again the top defense held strong. On fourth and 13 Mike Sainristil picked it off taking it 80 yards to the Washington eight-yard line. Two plays later Corum scored again and what was a close game turned into a blowout. For Corum, it was his 27th rushing touchdown of the year adding to his all-time lead. That put the exclamation point on things as Michigan wins the national championship 34-13.
Bookend Championships
With the win Michigan finishes 15-0 and captures their first title since 1997 and 10th overall. In the process, they become the fourth team in the playoff era to go 15-0. They join Clemson in 2018, LSU in 2019 and Georgia last year. In addition, they become the second Big Ten team to win the title. Ohio State won the inaugural championship following the 2014 season.
On the other side of the ball, Washington finishes at 14-1, a school record for most wins in a season. They fall just short in what is the final attempt for the Pac-12 to win the playoff. Oregon lost to Ohio State in the aforementioned title game from nearly a decade ago. The loss snapped a 21-game winning streak dating back to October 8, 2022, when Arizona State beat them 45-38. Of course, they are off to the Big Ten next year and will host Michigan on October 5th.
Final Thoughts
The old adage says “A good defense will beat a good offense.” That certainly turned out the be the case in the title game. While the Michigan defense only sacked Penix once he was on the ground numerous times. In addition, they forced him out of the pocket, and as a result, he missed several throws he’d normally make. He finished with 255 yards and the two interceptions. They also held the normally strong running game to only 46 yards.
As they’ve done all year Michigan won with the running game. Corum finished with 133 yards and two touchdowns while Edwards added 104 and two more scores. All totaled they had over 300 yards on the ground.
IT’S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/g81DFBZuH6
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 9, 2024
Now that Harbaugh has his title, speculation naturally goes to his future. Pretty much every year his name comes up in NFL talks and rumors already started before the game. With two NCAA investigations hovering over the program, one for alleged sign stealing and the other for alleged recruiting violations. That’s certainly one story to watch in the off-season.
But for tonight it’s all smiles in Ann Arbor as Michigan wins the national championship 34-13. Thanks for checking out our title game recap here at Last Word On College Football.
