Photo credit: Aaron J. Thornton
Michigan Running Back Blake Corum said the job was not done after beating rival Ohio State. Well, now, he can officially say it is after the No. 1-ranked Wolverines moved to a perfect 15-0 record on the season with a National Championship game victory, to bring the trophy back to Ann Arbor.
Maize and Blue fans flocked to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Monday Jan. 8, to cheer on their team in their first ever College Football Playoff National Championship appearance against the No. 2-ranked Washington Huskies.
The Huskies have one of the best quarterbacks in the game in Michael Penix Jr. leading their offense. Paired with Rome Odunze, one of the best receivers in college football, some said before the game that the duo was unstoppable thanks to some stellar numbers they posted throughout the season. However, Michigan bolstered the nation’s top defense and were up to the challenge of at least containing Washington’s offensive attack. The Wolverines did just that as Penix Jr. completed only about half of his game-high 51 pass attempts for just one touchdown and two interceptions on the night.
Michigan scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game, both by Donovan Edwards who broke away for a 41-yard touchdown and then a 46-yard touchdown that set the tone for Wolverines all night. In between those two touchdowns, Washington was able to get on the board with a 25-yard field goal by their kicker Grady Gross. At the end of the first quarter, the Wolverines led 14-3 and were driving down field again behind a Corum 59-yard run. It did not look good for the Huskies and many started to feel the game might be a blow out. However, Washington’s defense stepped up in the second quarter, holding Michigan to just three points on that drive. The Huskies offense found the end zone as well and at halftime, Washington found themselves down only by one touchdown with Michigan leading 17-10 at the break.
But Washington’s first play of the second half resulted in an interception from Michigan’s stellar cornerback Will Johnson, as Penix Jr. was pressured and hit as he released the ball, resulting in a short filed for Michigan. Although they didn’t turn the turnover into six points, they managed a field goal to extend their lead to 20-10.
Washington managed just one field goal in the third quarter, and they held Michigan scoreless after the early field goal to stay in the game trailing by just one score, 20-13.
The Huskies needed to find a way to break down the Wolverines defense, but the Michigan D fired up even more on the Huskies in the fourth quarter, and were able to get enough pressure on Penix Jr. to force some hurried throws that came up short of the line to gain. That, alongside the loud cheer from the Michigan fans, forced a couple of false starts didn’t make it any easier for Washington.
The Wolverines received the ball back and proceeded to march down field and score another touchdown with 7:15 left. The touchdown was the first of the game by Corum, adding to his 55 career rushing touchdown record at Michigan, but most importantly increasing the Michigan lead to 14 points. Washington still had a chance, but would need some big plays as time was now running short. The Huskies got that big play when Penix Jr. connected with Odunze for a 44-yard reception, putting them within Michigan territory at the 27 yard line.
A couple plays later, Penix Jr. stepped back and threw the ball toward the end zone where he had a receiver, but over threw him and Michigan’s Mike Sainristil intercepted the ball, running it back 81 yards inside the Washington 10 yard line. That set up first-and-goal situation for Michigan who was now looking to close the door on any comeback hopes Washington may have had. The Wolverines proceeded to hand the ball off again to their all-time, record-holding running back and Corum knew just what to do.
In just two plays, Corum had his second touchdown of the game (57th of his career), scoring on a one-yard run and Michigan could start to smell victory with just under four minutes left. Washington’s next possession ended with four straight incomplete passes, the last on fourth down giving Michigan the ball back just under two minutes left. J.J. McCarthy would kneel twice and the celebrations could begin. The Michigan Wolverines were the 2024 College Football National Champions, ending a 26-year period without winning the title. It marked Michigan’s third national championship in the AP Poll era (1948, 1997).
Just like most of the other games this season, Michigan’s ground attack and defense were key in the win. Edwards and Corum both finished the game rushing for over 100 yards (Edwards for 104 yards with two touchdowns, and Corum for 134 with two touchdowns). McCarthy passed for 140 yards completing 10 passes on 18 attempts. The defensive unit was led by eight tackles, along with an interception from Sainristil. Junior Colson and Keon Sabb had six tackles each.
Final Score: Michigan 34 – Washington 13
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