In a thrilling display of skill and determination, the Michigan Wolverines emerged victorious over the Washington Huskies in a resounding 34-13 victory to claim the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship. This triumph marks a significant milestone for the Wolverines, as they secure their first national title since 1997.
From the opening kickoff, it was evident that Michigan came prepared to dominate. The team's offense showcased its prowess with a balanced attack, led by quarterback Joe Milton's exceptional performance. Milton's precision passing and ability to extend plays proved too much for Washington's defense to handle. Additionally, running back Hassan Haskins displayed his agility and power by consistently breaking through tackles and finding open lanes.
The Michigan defense didn’t crack against a team that went into the game with a top 10 offense and the best passing offense in the country, led by Michael Penix Jr. Washington entered Monday averaging 37.6 points per game, but were held to a season-low in points, while Penix and company were never able to recover from playing-from-behind. Washington hung around for a majority of the game before the Wolverines pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Washington plays Michigan on Monday evening, with the Huskies looking for their first national title since 1991 and the Wolverines going for their first since 1997.
Both teams are in their first CFP title game. It will be only the third time that a pair of 14-0 teams have met. The Huskies have won 21 straight games, including each of the last 10 by 10 points or less. The Wolverines lost in the CFP semifinals the last two years and are the first Big Ten team since Ohio State in 2015 to reach the final.
With 10:27 remaining in the first half, Rome Odunze, one of the top receivers in the country, was wide open and within scoring range when Penix Jr. overthrew him on a daring fourth-and-seven, a play the Huskies desperately needed to swing the momentum.
At one point in the fourth quarter, he had completed just 26.7% of his passes thrown at least five yards (4-of-15) and had thrown one interception. With 4:29 left in the game, he threw another interception, and Mike Sainristil ran it back 81 yards to Washington's 8-yard line. The play set up Corum's touchdown that sealed the win and put the Wolverines ahead 34-13.
Corum surprisingly started the game playing second fiddle to Donovan Edwards, but the first-team All-American handled the work down the stretch. Corum scored twice and finished with 134 rushing yards. The senior running back scored a touchdown in each of Michigan's 15 games this season.
Johnson was part of a Wolverine secondary that held Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to just 255 passing yards. Johnson grabbed one of the two interceptions Penix threw on the night, coming just as the momentum seemingly had turned to Washington to start the third quarter.
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