Wolverines Pull Out 'Glorious' Rose Bowl Win Over Alabama to Face Washington for College Football Championship

Michigan covered 100 yards on its final 10 plays after sluggish start to second half, then win game with goal-line stand in OT

Photo Courtesy of the Rose Bowl Game

Offensive guard Karsen Barnhart (No. 52), who had a big block on tailback Blake Corum’s (No. 2) game-winning, 17-yard touchdown run in overtime, celebrates with Corum and the Wolverines.

By Steve Kornacki

PASADENA, Calif. – Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had this to say about his team’s 27-20 overtime win over Alabama: “Glorious. That was glorious. It was a tremendous football game…It was an epic game. Glorious is how I feel. That was a tremendous win.”

Now, I have never heard him use that word – “glorious” – to describe a victory. So, when the Rose Bowl locker room had pretty much emptied, I approached him and asked why that was his operative adjective for the game that catapulted the No. 1 Wolverines (14-0) into next Monday’s national championship game against No. 2 Washington (14-0) in Houston.

“I don’t know,” Harbaugh said, pausing to ponder. “It was just the whole journey. It’s been a spiritual journey, a physical journey. And then there has been adversity with guys overcoming injuries and training, and all kinds of stuff.

“And it’s almost been an unfair advantage because everybody has unanimously been together. Whatever happens to someone, someone in their family has their back and supports them. At a game, at a practice, as a teammate, this team just has such togetherness. It’s a happy mission. It’s love and support – unanimous support.”

His team was down to its last chance on offense in the final minutes, and scored on a 4-yard pass from J.J. McCarthy to Roman Wilson to knot the score at 20-20. A great play fake to tailback Blake Corum saw to it that the fiery Wilson was wide open, and then Corum put his team ahead in overtime with a dynamic 17-yard run into the end zone that gave him the school record with his 56^th career rushing touchdown.

His team had to stop the No. 4 Crimson Tide (12-2) on fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line to avert a second overtime, and edge rusher Derrick Moore and tackle Kevin Grant stuffed dangerous quarterback Jalen Milroe for a 1-yard gain.

The game was over, and Grant ran toward midfield, both arms extended high, along with tackle Mason Graham, who was named the Rose Bowl’s Defensive MVP.

Linebacker Junior Colson said defensive coordinator Jesse Minter huddled the unit before the final play, and said, “It’s going to come down to us. The quarterback’s going to start running it. One last play! What will you do for one last play?’ ”

Moore was credited with the tackle in the final statistics, but I asked tackle Kris Jenkins about the stop because it was so jammed up in the center of the line. He said it was Moore, Grant and Graham. But Graham overheard and corrected it, saying, “It was K.G. and Derrick.”

Grant nodded and said that was correct.

Jenkins felt his team was slighted by the national media in giving the nation’s top scoring defense – 9.5 points entering the game – its due respect.

“All we heard all week was about how they’re so huge,” said Jenkins, who had one of the team’s six sacks. “ ‘They’re so huge!’ But that’s how it is: ‘Y’all don’t play nobody.’ We played Penn State. ‘Y’all don’t play nobody.’ We played O-State [Ohio State]. Now we play them, and it’s, ‘Alabama wasn’t that good this year.’ ”

The Wolverines could not sustain drives in the second half of the Rose Bowl after moving the ball so well in the first half with 197 yards for a 13-10 lead. They had just a meager 41 yards in total offense and two first downs in the first 25 minutes of the second half.

Michigan trailed by a touchdown, and had 75 yards to cover in the last 4:41 of regulation or itd season was over.

McCarthy completed a 27-yard pass to Corum, who was wide open on fourth-and-two. And that seemed to get the train back on track – even with Wilson drawing a 10-yard penalty for an illegal block on that play. It kept the chains moving.

Then McCarthy – the Rose Bowl’s Offensive MVP with 221 yards through the air and three touchdown passes with nary an interception – ran right for 16 yards.

He then immediately completed a 29-yarder to Wilson, who went high to make the grab. Two plays later, Wilson caught the game-tying touchdown.

“J.J. told [the offense] to block that play a certain way,” said Wilson, “and it was crucial. You can not dream it up any better.”

How did the Wolverines respond with such precision with their backs to the wall?

“It’s just a connection – something we have,” said Wilson. “We just knew we were going to march down there. We kept saying, ‘Someone’s going to make a play.’ And somebody did, and [then in OT] we went down and Blake made two unbelievable runs to score.

“That’s the definition of this team. They just wanted it. It’s unreal. There’s a difference between playing your heart out, and really playing your heart out. You’ve got to want to make blocks. You’ve got to want to make plays. And if someone on the other team doesn’t want to make a play, you’ve got to go after them.”

I also asked Harbaugh and McCarthy about what allowed them to respond so well with everything on the line.

“I would just say that it's just the way this team depth is built and how connected they are as players and we are as a team,” said Harbaugh. “It's unanimous support for each and every guy. It's almost been an unfair advantage, all the things that the team has gone through. We don't care anymore. Don't care what people say. Don't care about anything that comes up.

“We just know we're going to overcome it because it's unanimous support from every single guy on the team.”

McCarthy said, “We weren't really getting things going, but that never bothered us because it is all in the past and we are focusing on staying in the present and controlling the future.”

The quarterback also gave significant credit to the defense for assuring there was an opportunity for a comeback. Edge rusher Braiden McGregor had two of the six sacks –with one in each half. Linebacker Michael Barrett and linemen Josaiah Stewart, Moore and Jenkins all had one.

Offensive guard Karsen Barnhart said, “It’s nothing new. We’ve been doing it all season. We went six games without our coach [who was suspended]. I actually love this team, and I’m so proud of this team.”

Including overtime, Michigan went 100 yards on its final 10 plays.

The last offensive play was a thing of beauty. Tight end Colston Loveland sealed off the left edge for Corum, and pulling guard Barnhart made perhaps the biggest block on the run. Receiver Cornelius Johnson ran interference to cut off the angles of a few defenders.

“I saw a hole going through on the power,” said Barnhart, “and saw a safety [approaching] and had a good block. The next thing I know, I see [No.] 2 running next to me and then surpassing me. Then he makes a hell of a move on another safety, and, man, just seeing him get in that end zone was awesome.

“It’s just…It’s just…I can’t believe it right now. This is amazing.”

Barnhart moved from right tackle to right guard when All-American and captain Zak Zinter broke two bones in his left leg against Ohio State, and has stepped up big-time – including on the biggest offensive play of the game.

Zinter, offensive guard Trevor Keegan, McCarthy and Corum – who had 19 carries for 83 yards and that touchdown as well as two catches for 35 yards and another touchdown – all exited the post-game on-field stage with red roses on long stems dangling from their mouths.

“Glorious, epic,” and so joyous, too.

Michigan tied Ohio State for the most Rose Bowl wins by a Big Ten team, garnering No. 9. Southern Cal of the Pac-12 has the most with 25.

And the Wolverines have won 14 consecutive games for the first time since 1949.

Saying it was a “game for the ages” gets overused.

It should be saved for games like Monday night’s Rose Bowl, when Michigan (1,003 wins all-time) and Alabama (965 wins) – the two winningest teams in college football history – put on a show of true grit and big plays.

However, when it counted most, the Wolverines made the plays that determined the outcome.

“We're going to deal with adversity here,” said Corum. “We had some adversity today, a little sloppy, but we came together as one. I'm my brothers' keeper, and I know my brothers had my back, and I told them, ‘If we score this thing and go to overtime, we're going to win.’ And we came out on top, and I'll see you in Houston.”

Photo Courtesy of the Rose Bowl Game

Alabama receiver Jermaine Burton (No. 3) hauled in an 11-yard pass from Jalen Milroe on third-and-goal at the 14. Defensive backs Rod Moore (No. 9) and Josh Wallace (No. 12) saw to it that he didn’t reach the end zone on the game’s next-to-last play. That’s cornerback Mikey Sainristil (No. 0) approaching.