Recap: Michigan wins national championship, beating Washington, 34-13
FINAL: Michigan wins national championship, beating Washington, 34-13
This is why Blake Corum came back, to be standing on the field at NRG Stadium in Houston at the end, having maize and blue confetti rain down upon him as a national champion.
The Michigan Wolverines held Michael Penix Jr. and the Washington Huskies to just 13 points in a decisive 34-13 victory Monday night.
"Last year I wasn't here," Corum told ESPN on the field after the game. "We came back as a team, we came back as brothers. This is what we came back for. We came back to win the natty, we came back to win for Michigan, we did it."
The players might have missed coach Jim Harbaugh with the Gatorade bath, but they did not miss much else.
"It's such a glorious feeling," Harbaugh told ESPN on the field after the game. "I don't have any more words than that -- 15-0, we took on all comers, the last ones standing, champions."
J.J. McCarthy, who finished 10-18 for 140 yards and ran four times for 31 yards, was grinning from ear to ear.
"It's glorious," McCarthy told ESPN on the field, echoing his coach. "I just love my team so much, I love the coaches. It's bittersweet because it's the last time we get to play together. I love these guys so much. It's such a special group.
"No better way to end it."
Corum had 21 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns and Donovan Edwards had six carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Corum was named Offensive Player of the Game.
"I love this team with all my heart," Corum said. "I'm gonna miss it. We just stood together as brothers. When we faced adversity, we just looked to our left, looked to our right, knew we couldn't let our brothers down. We locked arms and just kept moving forward.
"Now we're national champions."
3:37 4Q: Sainristil pick, Corum TD, Michigan up 34-13
Now that is a huge play by Mike Sainristil, picking off Michael Penix Jr. and returning it 80 yards to Washington's 8.
Of course it was going to be Blake Corum to run it one yard for the touchdown.
Derek Jeter, who is in the house, was celebrating.
7:09 4Q: Corum finds the end zone, Michigan up 27-13
Now that is the drive that Michigan was looking for -- 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:35.
No play was bigger than J.J. McCarthy's pass to tight end Colston Loveland for 41 yards. The stat they showed was Loveland had three receptions for 64 yards with 41 yards coming after the catch.
Blake Corum finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run.
This just in: Blake Corum is pretty, pretty good.
End 3Q: Michigan 20, Washington 13
Michigan and Washington traded field goals in the third quarter and we head to the fourth with the Wolverines leading by just seven points.
It was a good idea to add J.J. McCarthy to the running game and now it's time to see if they can get some more space for him, Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings.
3:40 3Q: Let McCarthy be McCarthy
If the Wolverines were checking social media, and we hope they were not, they would have seen the calls for J.J. McCarthy to keep the run-pass option as an option.
McCarthy responded with a 22-yard run for a first down, taking the ball to the Michigan 31.
Unfortunately, the drive stalled but it will give the Huskies a few more things to think about moving forward.
Meanwhile, some stars are in the house in Houston.
8:58 3Q: Gross kicks another FG, Michigan now up 20-13
It's the battle of the kickers here in the third quarter.
After James Turner kicked his second field goal of the game, Grady Gross matched him with a 45-yard field goal.
The Wolverines hurt themselves on the drive with Makari Paige's unnecessary roughness call, which gave the Huskies the ball at Michigan's 34.
11:55 3Q: Turner kicks another FG, Michigan leads, 20-10
Sure, it would have been nice to get a touchdown after Will Johnson's interception but three points is better than no points.
James Turner kicked the 38-yard field goal, his second of the game.
14:55 3Q: Michigan gets interception to start the quarter
Mason Graham got some pressure on Michael Penix Jr, who threw a pass that Will Johnson picked off and managed to hang onto as he went to the ground.
Meanwhile, Penix got stepped on by one of his own lineman and is getting attention on the sidelines.
Halftime: Michigan 17, Washington 10
The Michigan Wolverines were getting some unbelievable runs in the first half.
Donovan Edwards had a 41-yard touchdown run and a 46-yard touchdown run and has three carries for 93 yards.
Blake Corum had a 59-yard scamper and has eight carries for 84 yards.
J.J. McCarthy is 5-11 for 81 yards.
Michael Penix Jr. is 13-21 for 128 yards, which is not much by his standards. Dillon Johnson has nine carries for 26 yards.
But Washington gets the ball first in the second half.
:42 2Q: Washington gets TD, Michigan leads, 17-10
It was bound to happen. You aren't going to keep the No. 1 offense out of the end zone for the entire game.
On 4th and goal from the 3-yard line, Michael Penix Jr. found Jalen McMillan for the touchdown.
5:45 2Q: Brotherly love!
Sometimes you just need a hug from your brother.
9:29 2Q: Sometimes luck is a factor; Michigan still leads, 17-3
The Huskies decided to go for it on 4th and 7 from the Michigan 47 and Michael Penix Jr. had his man, Rome Odunze, wide open but couldn't complete it.
But the Wolverines were unable to do anything with the good field position and had to punt.
13:28 2Q: Turner kicks FG, Michigan leads, 17-3
It would have been nice to capitalize on that long Blake Corum run with another touchdown, but a field goal will do.
James Turner kicked a 32-yarder to give the Wolverines the 14-point edge.
13:35 2Q: Edwards has already had a day
The second quarter has just begun and Donovan Edwards has already had a good game.
End 1Q: Michigan 14, Washington 3
After the Wolverines forced the Huskies to punt, on the first play Blake Corum took the ball 59 yards to Washington's 20-yard line.
Michigan has 229 yards of offense, 174 on the ground and they're setting some records.
2:23 1Q: Edwards breaks free again, Michigan leads, 14-3
Michigan fans are all asking, "Where was this Donovan Edwards all season?"
Edwards broke free for his second 40-plus yard touchdown run, this one for 46 yards, making quick work of the Huskies' defense.
The key play of the drive, besides Edwards' touchdown, was J.J. McCarthy's 37-yard pass to his favorite target, Roman Wilson, giving the Wolverines a first down at the Washington 46.
3:56 1Q: Washington kicks FG, Michigan leads, 7-3
The Michigan defense is going to have to consider that a victory, holding that Washington offense to a 25-yard Grady Gross field goal.
It was a 14-play, 67-yard drive that took a whopping 6:18 off the clock. The Huskies did have to use two timeouts already.
4:46 1Q: Edwards scores, Michigan leads, 7-0
Coach Jim Harbaugh couldn't have drawn it up any better.
The Wolverines kept the ball mostly on the ground, with J.J. McCarthy throwing it a few times to Cornelius Johnson when he had to.
Donovan Edwards completed the 8-play, 84-yard drive with a 41-yard run in which he bounced off the line to the left and took the ball to the end zone.
The drive took 4:46 off the clock.
Coin toss: Washington wins toss, defers
Washington got to pick, chose tails, won the toss and elected to defer to the second half.
So J.J. McCarthy and company will start things off in this National Championship Game.
What a scene
This is the game that college football fans deserve, featuring two undefeated teams with plenty of star players.
It is also refreshing to have a championship game that does not involve the SEC.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is a special, special player and he has thoroughly demonstrated that when he has been healthy, including when he was at Indiana.
It's no surprise Penix Jr. was the Heisman Trophy runner-up, considering he threw for 4,648 yards and 35 touchdowns and led the country in passing yards and passing yards per game. He had just nine interceptions.
But Michigan has several special players on defense and while they may not get through Washington's stellar offensive line as often as they did Alabama's, they could create enough pressure to bother Penix and force him into some mistakes.
As Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil told the Big Ten Network, "How else would you want it? Who else would you rather play than the No. 1 offense in the country in the national championship, knowing that you're the No. 1 defense in the country?"
The Huskies' defense is nowhere near the Wolverines' defense and Michigan will rely on running back Blake Corum, who now holds the Michigan record for most career touchdown runs with 56.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Dana Wakiji.
National Championship Game
MICHIGAN VS. WASHINGTON
▶ When: 7:30 p.m. Monday, NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
▶TV/radio: ESPN/950
▶ Records: Both teams are 14-0
▶ Line: Michigan by 4½