HOUSTON — Michigan used a big-play running attack and a relentless defense on Monday to defeat Washington 34-13 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The victory at NRG Stadium gave the Wolverines (15-0) their first national championship since 1997 and their 10th overall. Washington (14-1) was gunning for its first national title since sharing it in 1991 with the University of Miami.
It was the perfect ending after a turbulent season in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended twice, keeping him off the sidelines for six games.
Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards rushed for two touchdowns apiece, and the Wolverines ended any comeback hopes by Washington when Mike Sainristil intercepted a fourth-down pass by Michael Penix Jr. with 4:29 remaining and returned it 81 yards to the Huskies 8-yard-line.
Corum scored from a yard out two plays later to ice the game with 3:37 to play.
“Michigan — we did this for you,” Corum said during the postgame trophy presentation.
Corum, who was named the offensive player of the game, finished with 134 yards rushing, while Edwards gained 104. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy rushed for 31 yards, including a 22-yard scamper. The quarterback completed 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards.
Michigan’s Will Johnson, who had an interception on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, was named the defensive player of the game.
IT’S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/g81DFBZuH6
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 9, 2024
“It’s pretty great,” Harbaugh said. “You watch this confetti come down; it’s like thousands of pieces. It tells a story. There was a story in every one of those pieces of confetti to me, maize and blue confetti. Just so proud of our team.”
“Fifteen-and-oh, took on all comers, and we’re the last one standing. It’s such a glorious feeling. I don’t have any more words than that.”
Michigan’s 15 wins were the most by one team in a season in Big Ten history.
Washington, which saw its 21-game winning streak snapped, hung tough after Michigan’s fast start. Penix completed 27 of 51 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown. The left-handed star, who finished second in this season’s Heisman Trophy voting, threw a pair of interceptions.
Penix also completed only one pass for more than 15 yards and the Huskies were held to 301 yards of total offense, MLive.com reported. Their 13 points were the lowest of the season.
Held without a touchdown since the first quarter, the Wolverines hit paydirt midway through the fourth quarter when Corum scored on a 12-yard run.
The teams traded field goals in the third quarter.
At first, it appeared that Michigan was going to run the Huskies out of the building, capitalizing on two long scoring runs to take a 14-3 lead.
The Wolverines struck first, as Edwards skirted around left end for a 41-yard touchdown with 10:14 left in the first quarter. The extra point made it 7-0.
Washington then put together a 14-play, 67-yard drive that ended with Grady Gross’ 25-yard field goal to narrow the gap to 7-3 with 3:56 left in the first quarter.
Edwards then broke free for a 46-yard rushing touchdown with 2:23 left in the period, giving him two carries for 87 yards and two scores. Edwards started left, then cut to the right and ran through a gaping hole, helping the Wolverines take a 14-3 lead.
Corum broke off a 59-yard run to the Washington 20 as the first quarter ended. That led to a 31-yard field goal by James Turner with 13:28 left in the half.
Washington missed a scoring opportunity on a 4th-and-7 play from the Michigan 47 when Penix overthrew a wide-open Rome Odunze.
But the Huskies got back into the game with 42 seconds left before halftime when Penix threw a 3-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Jalen McMillan. That completed an 11-play, 61-yard drive that consumed more than four minutes off the clock and was aided by a pass interference call against the Wolverines.
Any momentum the Huskies felt at halftime was quickly erased on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, as Penix was intercepted by Johnson at the Washington 32.
That led to a 38-yard field goal by Turner, giving Michigan a 20-10 lead.
Washington came right back with a 45-yard field goal by Gross that capped a seven-play, 47-yard drive and trimmed Michigan’s lead to 20-13.
It was the 14th meeting between the two schools. The Wolverines now own a 9-5 lead in the series.
Michigan entered the postseason as the top seed in the playoffs even though Harbaugh was suspended twice. Nevertheless, the Wolverines went unbeaten and won their third straight Big Ten title, Sports Illustrated reported. Then, they held off Alabama in just the third overtime game in CFP history, rallying to tie in regulation before winning the semifinal game 27-20 in overtime.
Harbaugh was suspended for three games to begin the season after university officials imposed the benching following an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic dead period, ESPN reported. He was suspended for the final three regular-season games by the Big Ten after Michigan became the subject of another NCAA probe, a sign-stealing scheme, according to the cable sports network.
Washington won the Pac-12 title and had to survive a last-minute scare in its CFP semifinal against Texas (12-2). The Huskies appeared to have the game wrapped up, but the Longhorns got the ball back with a minute left and drove to the Washington 12 with 15 seconds to play. The Longhorns had one last chance with one second to play, but Quinn Evers’ pass to Adonai Mitchell at the right corner of the end zone was incomplete, giving Washington a 37-31 victory.
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