PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Jalen Milroe caught a low snap on fourth down in overtime in the Rose Bowl and ran straight into the wall of blue and maize.
This wall of Michigan defenders had been hardened by the Wolverines' violent practices. Hardened by two previous losses in the College Football Playoff. Made impenetrable by months of turmoil that rocked the program and its beloved head coach, Jim Harbaugh.
Alabama's quarterback wasn't going anywhere.
The Wolverines travel to Houston.
Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown in the second period of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first CFP championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday night.
Harbaugh's Wolverines (14-0) will play Washington or Texas on Jan. 8 for their school's first national title since 1997 – but only after a fourth-quarter comeback and a hair-raising finish as the two winningest programs in college history -Footballs played only the second overtime game in the 110 editions of The Granddaddy of Them All.
“Splendid. “That was wonderful,” Harbaugh said. “It was a great football game.”
Roman Wilson made a 4-yard TD catch with 1:34 left for the Wolverines, who hadn't scored in the second half until that difficult 75-yard drive led by JJ McCarthy.
Corum, who caught an early TD pass and rushed for 83 yards, needed just two snaps to score in the first overtime, breaking tackles and spun wildly into the end zone.
After Milroe was stopped two yards short of the end zone on the final snap, the entire Wolverines sideline sprinted onto the field and tossed a few helmets into the air as fireworks went off behind the Rose Bowl scoreboard.
“Everything we went through all year made us unbreakable, and in the biggest moments we wanted to show up,” said McCarthy, who rushed for 221 yards and three touchdowns to win Offensive Player of the Game honors.
Jase McClellan rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama (12-2), heartbreakingly missing a chance to play for Nick Saban's seventh national title at the school. The Tide led 20-13 on Will Reichard's 52-yard field goal with 4:41 to play, but their defense couldn't hold it.
“We just didn't finish the last four minutes of the game the way we would have liked and we're all very disappointed,” Saban said. “But one thing I told them in the locker room: This is one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history given where this team comes from and what they've been able to accomplish.”
Milroe passed for 116 yards and rushed for 63 for the Tide, whose 11-game winning streak ended.
Michigan became the sixth consecutive No. 1 seed to win its semifinal game in the CFP's 10 years of existence – but only after surviving just its third playoff game in overtime. After everything that has happened to Michigan in the last few months, Harbaugh believes his team is ready to keep fighting.
“If a game is ever going to be won on the front foot, it’s going to be with toughness and physicality,” Harbaugh said. “Our guys were just there in the rhythm and did it. Epic game. Epic game. The cohesion – I think what people don't know, how could they know what the cohesion is like? There’s just nothing that can separate these guys.”
Michigan is one win away from achieving the main goal set by Harbaugh when he returned to his alma mater in 2015 to restore its dominance. The former Wolverines quarterback didn't win a Big Ten title in his first six seasons, but Michigan has been among the elite since 2021, winning three straight conference titles and advancing to three playoffs.
“We broke through after the COVID year and got here,” linebacker Michael Barrett said. “We came up short a few times, man, but to finally get that done, especially against Alabama, especially with a great coach like Nick Saban, great athletes that they have, just that tone-setting win, that's definitely a turning point for the program.” .”
The Wolverines' unblemished record masked a deeply chaotic season that ended with two three-game suspensions for Harbaugh – the first preemptively imposed by the school as part of an investigation into possible recruiting violations, and the second imposed by the Big Ten over allegations of sign stealing arranged scouting in the game.
“It was almost an unfair advantage, all the things the team went through,” Harbaugh said. “We dont care. I don't care what people say. Don't worry about anything that comes up. We just know we can do it.”
Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter admitted that the program's extremely difficult 9-on-7 tackling drills will “definitely” be done for moments like the end of this Rose Bowl.
“You trust your players and trust their training, and when the game is on the line, you let them play fast and don’t think about it too much,” Minter said. “The game comes down to the last move. We're going after him and that's what we can do. I’m so proud of our boys’ win.”
Michigan was the dominant team for much of the first three quarters of the Rose Bowl, but Alabama held its own impressively with big plays and just enough defensive stops.
The Wolverines ended their six-bowl losing streak and survived a handful of potentially disastrous mistakes that eroded their long dominance in this matchup. The biggest thing was a botched punt by Jake Thawwho was attacked at Michigan 1 with 43 seconds left in regulation time and narrowly escaped one of the most spectacular safeties in the history of football.
McClellan made an untouched 34-yard TD run in the first quarter, and Michigan responded with Corum's 8-yard catch for its FBS-leading 25th TD – its first on a reception. Corum played three straight times in the CFP at Michigan, but he barely played two years ago when the Wolverines were defeated by Georgia and he was injured when they were defeated by TCU last year.
The Wolverines took the lead just before halftime when Tyler Morris made a 38-yard TD catch, but McClellan gave the Tide a 17-13 lead with a 3-yard TD run on the second snap of the fourth quarter. Seven moments later, Michigan was on the ground and finally got moving as Corum and Wilson made big plays before Wilson tied the touchdown.
“It’s very frustrating, man,” Alabama defensive lineman Malachi Moore said. “We always preach the goal of finishing and at the end of the day we are competitors. So when things like that come down to it, it really eats you up.”
THE TAKING AWAY
Alabama: The Tide will go three straight seasons without a national title for the first time in Saban's tenure, but there's no reason to be embarrassed about this well-played game against an elite opponent. The low point on the final play will be devastating for center Seth McLaughlin, who didn't want to talk to reporters afterward.
Michigan: The Wolverines broke the second-to-last hurdle of Harbaugh's tenure with a win that underscored the benefits of everything their coach teaches.
NEXT
Alabama: The Tide will return with another touted recruiting class. Saban's program remains a premier powerhouse, and will likely remain that way as long as he wants to continue coaching.
Michigan: The College Football Playoff championship game in Houston on Jan. 8.
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