National Championship Game Review – Michigan Crowned Champions After Running Over Washington
Washington 13 – 34 Michigan
NRG Stadium – Houston
The college football season came to a close as the two remaining undefeated teams faced off in an epic clash is Houston. In a game that was billed as a battle between the unstoppable force of Washington’s number one ranked passing offense and the immovable object of Michigan’s top-ranked defense it was the Wolverines who came out on top as Washington’s 21-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the FBS, was finally broken.
JJ McCarthy recorded a modest 140-yards passing and no touchdowns, but that was all that was required as Michigan asserted their dominance on the ground from the offset with Donovan Edwards bouncing off of the pile and finding a gap for a 41-yard touchdown run. After Washington settled for a field goal, Edwards struck again on Michigan’s next offensive drive as he found another gap, this time for a 46-yard rush to the endzone. Edwards’ two touchdowns were the second and third longest rushing touchdowns in championship game history, trailing only Derrick Henry’s 50-yard score in 2016. To illustrate how dominant they were on the ground, Michigan totalled 303 rushing yards, more than Washington’s total offensive yardage of 301.
The Huskies’ passing attack was a shadow of what it had been all season, with the team struggling to put points on the board. Michael Penix Jr. was sacked only once but faced constant pressure throughout the game as Mason Grant and Kenneth Graham penetrated Washington’s top-ranked offensive line. Penix’s targeting system seemed off as the laser-guided missiles he usually sends his receivers kept missing their targets. Most notably, Penix appeared to overthrow Rome Odunze on several occasions, including in the endzone on third and goal where Odunze was well covered by the defender. Penix also missed a wide-open Odunze on fourth and seven attempt that would have kept a possible scoring drive alive.
Washington was able to find some rhythm towards the end of the second quarter, playing with tempo and moving up the field with a series of quick mid-range passes. The Huskies benefitted from a pass interference penalty on Mike Sainristil as he attempted to cover Jalen McMillan on a third and ten pass. Washington found themselves in the redzone but Penix was stopped on a designed QB run short of the line. Kalen DeBoer decided to stay aggressive and went for it on fourth down and Penix hit McMillan in the endzone for the team’s only touchdown of night, reducing the deficit to seven as they entered the half.
Penix opened the second half with an interception as both teams settled for a field goal apiece in the third quarter as both defenses stood firm. As they entered the fourth quarter the game was still in reach for the Huskies as they continued to pursue a game tying touchdown that never materialized. A 32-yard pass to Odunze that would have put them within reach was called back for a holding penalty on Roger Rosengarten. This gave Michigan the opportunity to start putting nails in the coffin. Corum, Michigan’s record setting running back, took his turn to find the endzone on a twelve-yard rush meaning that he had scored a touchdown in every one of the Wolverine’s fifteen games this season.
Washington could feel the game slipping away from them as they had to go all out to stay in touch. Penix found Odunze on a busted coverage that brough them within the thirty-yard line but soon found themselves facing fourth and thirteen with the game on the line. Washington was given a
reprieve as offsetting penalties following Penix’s incomplete pass meant they could replay the down. Then disaster struck as Sainristil picked off the subsequent pass and returned it for an 81-yard gain and all but crushed Washington’s hopes of lifting the trophy. Corum punched it in from a yard out, giving Michigan an insurmountable 34-13 lead.
Washington turned the ball over on downs and Michigan were able to drain the clock as head coach John Harbaugh did his best to avoid a Gatorade bath on the sidelines. In a controversy filled season that saw the head coach banned for six games, Harbaugh has managed to deliver Michigan’s first national title since 1997. As the curtain closes on the college football season, speculation about Harbaugh’s future is rife. Will he come back to the program he has brought to glory, or will he seek a new challenge in a return to the NFL?