National Champions: Wolverines Use Strong Start and Finish to Beat Washington, 34-13

Michigan is sparked by Donovan Edwards, who discusses his struggles this season, and led throughout by a dominating defense. The 15-0 season has Harbaugh getting his first tattoo.

Photos Courtesy of College Football Playoff

Wolverine coach Jim Harbaugh was all smiles after winning his first national championship.

Tailback Donovan Edwards and tight end Colston Loveland celebrate Edwards’ 46-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

By Steve Kornacki

HOUSTON – The Wolverines are national champions, and they claimed their first title in 26 years for many reasons.

But here is the main one: Michigan is a team that has it all.

The Wolverines – with their suffocating defense, dominant run game, clutch passing and undeniable spirit -- became the fourth 15-0 champion of the College Football Playoff era here Monday night with a 34-13 win over No. 2 Washington (14-1).

“Glorious win,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I could not be prouder or happier of our team, 15-0. Took on all comers. Last one standing. It's a great feeling.”

He singled out his coaching staff, players and family members before adding, “For me, personally, I can now sit at the big person's table in the family. They won't keep me over there on the little table anymore. My dad, Jack Harbaugh, won a national championship [with Western Kentucky] and my brother [John Harbaugh] won a Super Bowl [by beating Jim’s San Francisco 49ers]. It's good to be at the big person's table from now on.”

Harbaugh, 60, despite a lifetime in football, had never won the ultimate game in college or the pros until now.

Blake Corum (134 yards rushing and two short touchdowns) and Donovan Edwards (104 yards and two long touchdowns) became the first teammates to reach 100 yards in the CFP.

“I want a record sticker on my helmet for that,” said Edwards. “If you break a record, you get a record sticker. So, I want a record sticker.”

He laughed.

“Man, this team is such a blessing,” added Edwards. “It means a lot for the coaches as well as personally for everybody.”

And as for being a national champion?

“I’m still soaking it in,” said Edwards. “You’re going to have to ask me a week from now.”

The Huskies brought the nation’s leading passing offense – rolling up 350 yards a game via the air with Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix, Jr. – and Michigan held them to only about one-third of its 37.6-point scoring average. Penix needed 51 attempts to get 255 yards and one touchdown, but got picked off by Will Johnson and Mikey Sainristil at critical junctures.

Washington didn’t have one run as long as 10 yards and had only 46 total, averaging 2.3 yards to the 8.0 of Michigan which totaled 303.

Yet, the Wolverines were hanging onto a 7-point lead and riding the nation’s leading scoring defense (10.4 per game) until quarterback J.J. McCarthy put together the fourth-quarter drive that put Michigan up by two touchdowns with 7:09 remaining.

McCarthy hit tight end Colston Loveland for 41 yards on what just might have been the key play in the game. It ignited the drive the Wolverines had to have, and two plays later he hit Roman Wilson for 12 yards. Corum took it the last 12 yards into the end zone.

Sainristil’s 81-yard interception return on the Huskies’ next possession resulted in the 1-yard Corum TD run – the 58^th of his record-breaking career – that was the icing on the cake.

Edwards set the tone in the first quarter.

Michigan’s backup junior tailback was electric on his first two carries of the game – which covered 87 yards and produced two touchdowns for a 14-0 lead.

Edwards had 18 carries for 70 yards in the last three games combined against Ohio State, Iowa and Alabama. He entered the game with 393 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and much had been made of how the game-breaker couldn’t come close to the 991 yards he rolled up last season.

“I was frustrated and upset,” said Edwards. “But I’m also looking at it as, ‘We’re winning. We are on a destiny and a journey to be able to win a national championship.’ So, I believe everything this year has brought upon us, the adversity that we went through, it’s all just going to speak to us on our voyage as men[SK1] .

“I want to spread a light, spread wisdom to people, like, it’s OK. You’re going to be able to get through it. Everybody goes through tough times, and I believe it’s how you deal with those, how you deal with the adversity that builds who you are. Adversity builds character and shows who you truly are. I’m blessed that God has allowed me to rise through it, and see it’s not all about me. It’s about the people around me to be able to uplift other people.”

Corum, who finished the season with 1,245 yards and a school-record and nation-leading 27 rushing touchdowns, added, “I was so excited for Donovan because I just felt like he needed that. He needed it. He's back. Dono is back. And I don't know what he's going to do after this. I hope he just celebrates and doesn't think about what decision [regarding leaving for the NFL] he's going to make.

“But I was happy for him. That's something Donovan, he was praying for. He talked to the media the other day. I listened to the interview. He said he's working on growing. He said he went to a therapist and just talking and talking. But Donovan, he puts in the work. He's always there. I love that guy. Don, the Don.”

Edwards took his first carry up the middle before popping back and out to the left side of the line, where tight end A.J. Barner and offensive tackle Trente Jones had opened up a huge lane. Edwards hit it and was gone to the left corner of the end zone on a 41-yard scamper.

“It was a blessing,” said Edwards. “I practice hard every week, and today it paid off.”

His next carry was déjà vu all over again.

Edwards cut to his left with the handoff, but quickly reversed field, found an open seam and was gone again for the goal line and a 46-yard touchdown. Loveland held his block on safety Dominique Hampton, and Edwards left linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, the last man to beat, in his dust.

Those were the second- and third-longest touchdown runs in CFP championship games. Only a 50-yarder by Alabama Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry against Clemson in 2016 was longer.

Corum had the longest run from scrimmage on the next possession – a 59-yarder that he nearly broke all the way. He went up the middle, cut left, and streaked down the sideline. Then he cut back up the middle before being taken down.

However, the Wolverines had to settle for a 31-yard James Turner field goal for a 17-3 lead.

Michigan, which had 174 yards in the first quarter, struggled to put together drives after that.

When cornerback Will Johnson made an acrobatic interception on the first play of the second half to regain momentum, the Wolverines again had great field position.

But once again, they settled for a field goal from Turner – this one from 38 yards out for a 20-10 lead.

Johnson fought for the ball near the sideline and bobbled it before securing it prior to hitting the ground. The play was made possible by defensive tackle Mason Graham pushing his blocker into Penix and forcing an errant throw.

Third downs were a struggle for Michigan, which carried a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter. The Wolverines were 1-for-9 in that department through three quarters.

“We started off really hot,” said McCarthy. “Everything was clicking. But I feel like we got to points in the game where we were beating ourselves. I was missing throws. I was missing some reads. And it just comes down to moving on to the next play, flushing the last play, and just staying in the present moment and just trying to attack one play at a time.”

But they dominated the fourth quarter, and along with the early Edwards spark, that was enough for a convincing victory – one that Michigan will never forget.

Corum said, “When we needed a play, someone made it -- whether it had been myself or whether it had been Will or J.J. or Donovan, Colston. I could keep going on just because so many guys made plays. But when the play needs to be made, playmakers make them. And we have a lot of them.”

Too many for Washington, too many for any opponent this year,

“It couldn't have gone better,” said Harbaugh. “It went exactly how we wanted it to go to win every game. The off-the-field issues, we're innocent and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent. And I'd like to point that out. And these guys are innocent, and overcome that. It wasn't that hard because we knew we were innocent.

“So, yeah, that's really what I wanted to say. It went exactly how we wanted it to go. It went exactly how we wanted it to go.”

Now, all that is left for Harbaugh, who said he’s moving the start of spring practice back a month from the usual Valentine’s Dayu start, is to find a tattoo parlor. He promised to get one if his team ran the table.

“I said that I would get a tattoo,” said Harbaugh. “I have no ink on my body. No tattoos anywhere, but I did say that to our players. I said if we go 15-0, I'm getting a tattoo. I'm going to put it on my shoulder -- I don't know if it's my left or right yet. I'm a right-handed quarterback, I'll probably get it on my right.”

So, this was a game to remember, in many ways.

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