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By Lauren Merola, Max Olson, Austin Meek, Jim Trotter and Nicole Auerbach
It’s been 26 years, but ultimately, no one has it better than Michigan.
The Wolverines rushed for 303 yards and a touchdown with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to emerge as College Football Playoff national champions with a 34-13 defeat of the Huskies on Monday night at NRG Stadium in Houston. The win marked Michigan’s first national title since 1997 and culminated a long-awaited return to the top of college football under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The Wolverines, who entered the night ranked second in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game, held Heisman Trophy runner-up Penix to 255 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 27-of-51 passing, which was typical. The output was well below. Nation’s passing yards leader (4,648). Washington’s explosive attack finished with only 301 yards, as injuries to Penix and running back Dillon Johnson limited the Huskies’ effectiveness.
At Michigan, Blake Corum set the school’s single-season touchdown record (28) with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns, with backfield partner Donovan Edwards scoring his first two touchdowns of the game, nearly doubling his own season total. . one fourth. By the time Michigan took a 14–3 lead with 2:23 left in the first quarter, he had 115 rushing yards. Washington had allowed only two rush plays of more than 40 yards all season before Monday, when it had three such rushes in the first half, including two touchdowns by Edwards.
41 yards from home🏠
Michigan’s Donovan Edwards made the first strike. #National championship
@ESPN pic.twitter.com/SCuRDbtWRV
– The Athletic (@TheAthletic) 9 January 2024
Washington appeared to have regained some momentum by cutting its deficit to 17–10 before intermission, but Penix threw an interception to Michigan defensive back Will Johnson on the first play of the third quarter, then hit a lineman’s ankle. But after falling, he staggered towards the shore. Drama. The Huskies defense came up big, allowing only one field goal, with the help of two Michigan penalties, keeping the game within reach. Trailing 27–13 with less than five minutes left in the game, Penix tried to throw a pass to wide receiver Jalen McMillan on fourth down, but was intercepted by Michigan defensive back Mike Senristil, who was tackled by Corum on the final play. Ran it back 80 yards before punching it in for the score. Of night.
“I feel like it comes down to execution,” Penix said. “I missed some throws, just had some reads on routes and things like that. It’s just the little details in our system that we do very well all the time.”
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After the game, Penix had notable trouble walking off the field, but said “No matter what, I was going to make sure I finished it for the guys.”
“I am not healthy, but I will be there. I am good. it’s not a big deal. I know that for sure,” he said. “I talked to doctors and things like that. it’s not a big deal. If I have to play tomorrow, I will play.”
He added: “I am very proud of this team and how far we have come despite always being at a disadvantage. This is the only time you all were right, but we were able to fight and move forward against so much adversity and all season long people were doubting us and not believing in us. To reach this point is a blessing.”
What does the title mean for Michigan
Ultimately Michigan prevailed and brought home a national championship in a year that sometimes felt like a wild season of reality TV. This team had the right stuff to finish the job after consecutive CFP semifinal losses in 2021 and 2022, winning its third consecutive Big Ten title thanks to blowout wins over Penn State and Ohio State, followed by an overtime win against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Kept struggling for. And, in his biggest test yet, shut down Washington and his prolific offense. This was a special team following the path of destiny.
And that path was filled with drama, from a three-game suspension for Harbaugh to start the season to a season investigation into Connor Stallions’ unacceptable signal-stealing operation to another three-game suspension for Harbaugh when his team went to state. I got down. College, PA. Throughout it all, it didn’t matter who was coaching or who they were playing, these Wolverines were fearless. They had the No. 1 defense in college football, experienced leaders who refused to lose and were willing to play their best in their biggest games. , Max Olson, college football senior writer
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Edwards is known for coming up wide in big moments. Averaging just 3.5 yards per carry in a limited role, he wasn’t much of a factor for most of the season. But in the national championship game, the big-game Edwards was in great form again.
Edwards opened the game with a 41-yard touchdown burst and scored again with a 46-yard run on Michigan’s next drive. Edwards laid the groundwork for Michigan’s victory and Corum completed it, diving into the end zone from 12 yards out to give the Wolverines a two-touchdown lead.
The two-pronged offensive attack that Michigan envisioned with Corum and Edwards did not materialize for most of the season, but it showed in the biggest game of the year. Both players rushed for 100 yards on the ground, with Edwards rushing for 104 and Corum rushing for 134. When the Wolverines run the ball like this, no one can stop them. , Austin Meek, Michigan beat writer
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What happened to Penix?
Statistically, this was not the worst performance of Penix’s stellar season. But considering the stakes, it felt that way.
A week after having a stellar performance in the College Football Playoff win over Texas, Penix suffered a concussion. The pinpoint accuracy and explosive play that surprised observers against the Longhorns was nowhere to be found Monday night.
By the end he appeared to be in physical pain, although the loss of a perfect season probably caused more pain. There were opportunities for big plays, but Penix was uncharacteristically deprived on several occasions. And while he was on target, he was hit by a dropped pass. , Jim Trotter, Senior Writer
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Credit to Washington’s defense
It looked like Michigan would run away with the game – literally, after two Edwards touchdown runs of over 40 yards. But Washington’s defense deserves credit for its resiliency and toughness in allowing the Huskies to stay in this game, even if Penix wasn’t as crisp as he was in the Sugar Bowl a week ago.
After all the fireworks in the first 17 minutes of the game, Michigan went punt, turnover on down, punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt; The longest drive mounted by the Wolverines lasted only 41 yards… until that touchdown drive at the midpoint of the fourth quarter, which resulted in a Quorum touchdown and put Michigan up by two scores. , Nicole Auerbach, college football senior writer
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A Pac-12 Swan Song
Monday night’s game was a bittersweet moment for the Pac-12 Conference. The Huskies finally managed to reach the CFP and end a seven-year drought for the conference, then won a thrilling semifinal to reach a national championship game…and it’s the last game for the Pac-12 as we always As we know, 10 of its 12 teams are set to depart for other power conferences next season. This Washington team has been a blast to watch all season, as has the entire Pac-12, with rising teams like Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona, and the national phenomenon of Colorado. It’s a hard pill to swallow because it feels like if the Pac-12 season had been this fall a year or two ago, it never would have ended. regret.
But the Big Ten is excited that it will boast both title game participants when league members visit in August. A national championship game rematch on October 5 will be a Big Ten Conference game. , Auerbach
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(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
