HOUSTON – Michigan football defeated Washington on Monday night to win its first national championship in 26 years.
Michigan led the entire way, opening up a 14-3 lead early in the game. Washington would cut the lead to seven at halftime, but never got any closer. The Wolverines pulled away with two touchdowns from Blake Corum in the fourth, and never looked back. The final score was 34-13.
The Michigan defense stepped up to the occasion, snagging two picks from Michael Penix Jr., including a big one from Mike Sainristil on a fourth down play late in the game, and holding the high-powered Huskies offense to fewer than five yards per play.
The trophy presentation was a huge celebration, with several players talking about the amazing season by the Wolverines.
“Michigan, we did this for you,” Blake Corum told the crowd, talking about his decision to come back because of unfinished business. “I’ll leave ya’ll with this, business is finished.”
This felt like a title run three years in the making for Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, and this Wolverines core. It was their third-straight trip to the College Football Playoff, but the first time they managed to advance past the semifinal round.
The path wasn’t easy. To get to the mountaintop, Michigan had to overcome Nick Saban and Alabama in the Rose Bowl and then the only other remaining unbeaten team in the nation.
Michigan and Washington both came into Monday’s game with spotless 14-0 records -- the Wolverines champions of the Big Ten and the Huskies winners of the final Pac-12 title. Michigan had to knock off Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, and Alabama, while Washington beat Oregon twice and Texas in the Sugar Bowl semifinal.
But in the end, it was Michigan that earned a rare 15th victory and put their stamp on the sport forever.
The Wolverines overcame an unusual amount of adversity this season. They had to prove they could win a playoff game. They had to prove they could hang with an SEC powerhouse. And they had to validate years worth of accomplishments due to the sign-stealing saga.
Michigan survived the toughest stretch of their schedule without Harbaugh, beating Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State under the gameday leadership of Sherrone Moore.
When Harbaugh returned, they blasted Iowa for a third consecutive Big Ten title and then eliminated Alabama in one of the most thrilling semifinal games of the playoff era.
Michael Penix and Washington provided the final, most difficult hurdle, but this Michigan team wasn’t going to be denied its ultimate goal.
Corum, Kris Jenkins, Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan, Mike Sainristil, and a host of veteran Michigan players returned to Ann Arbor for one more year just to have a chance to play in this game. They ultimately accomplished all of their goals in what was perhaps the most successful season in Michigan football history.
This was the first time the program has played in a national championship game. It’s the first time it reached 14 wins, let alone 15. This Wolverines team went from decades of misery against Ohio State to three consecutive wins and Big Ten titles.
There will be a time in the near future when questions about Harbaugh and McCarthy and the rest of Michigan’s draft-eligible players need to be answered. But for now, the Michigan fan base can celebrate an accomplishment that four years ago would have sounded completely absurd.
Today, the Wolverines are the ultimate Victors. The conquering heroes.
National champions.
