Michigan to face Washington in college football national title game

Blake Corum led Michigan into their first college football playoff championship game with victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl

Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, as top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first College Football Playoff championship game with a 27-20 victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday.

Michigan’s defense ended only the second overtime game in the 110 editions of the Rose Bowl when Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was emphatically stopped as he attempted to sneak up the middle on fourth down from the Michigan 3.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines (14-0) will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 against Washington on Monday night in Houston, but only after a late comeback and a dramatic finish.

Roman Wilson made a four-yard TD catch with 1:34 left in regulation for the Wolverines, who had not scored in the second half until that gritty 75-yard drive led by JJ McCarthy.

Corum needed only two snaps to score in the first overtime period.

Milroe found Jermaine Burton at the Michigan 3 on third-and-goal in OT, and Alabama turned to its quarterback on the final play call. But, Milroe ran into a waiting Michigan defense and was stopped two yards short of the goal line.

Jase McClellan rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama (12-2), which fell short of the 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 could not preserve the lead.

McCarthy passed for 221 yards and three TDs for Michigan. Milroe passed for 116 yards and rushed for 63 for the Tide, whose 11-game winning streak ended.

Sugar Bowl – Washington 37-31 Texas

Michael Penix Jr passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington held off Texas in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game, earning both the sixth-year quarterback with two surgically repaired knees and the beleaguered Pac-12 one more game this season.

Michael Penix Jr was the star as Washington secured the Sugar Bowl, setting up a national final date vs Michigan

The second-ranked Huskies (14-0) will face No. 1 Michigan next Monday night in Houston, looking for their first national championship since 1991 and the Pac-12’s first since Southern California in 2004. Washington is one of 10 schools fleeing the Pac-12 for other Power Five conferences next year, with the Huskies headed to join Michigan in the Big Ten.

No. 3 Texas (12-2) had four shots at the end zone after getting to the UW 12 with 15 seconds left, but Quinn Ewers missed on the last three. The final throw was a fade to a well-covered Adonai Mitchell that sailed long.

In Texas’ first CFP appearance and final football game as a member of the Big 12 before it goes to the Southeastern Conference, Ewers passed for 318 yards and a touchdown. But it was not enough against Penix and his array of talented receivers.

Fiesta Bowl – Oregon 15-6 Liberty

Bo Nix threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns to cap a recording-breaking career, and Oregon closed out a season that started with national title expectations by rolling over Liberty.

Nix played like a Heisman Trophy finalist after opting to join his teammates on the field one last time, throwing for 257 yards and four touchdowns as the Ducks built a 31-6 halftime lead. Nix finished 28 of 35 in just over three quarters and completed 77.44 per cent of his passes this season, breaking the NCAA record of 77.36 per cent, set by Alabama’s Mac Jones in 2020.

Tez Johnson had 11 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown, part of a 584-yard afternoon by the Ducks (12-2).
Liberty (13-1) overcame the death of freshman offensive lineman Tajh Boyd early in camp with the best season in the program’s short FBS history.

Keidon Salter finished 15 for 24 for 126 yards with a touchdown and interception and Quinton Cooley rushed for 79 yards on eight carries. CJ Daniels had eight catches for 79 yards and Bentley Hanshaw caught a 17-yard touchdown pass.

Citrus Bowl – Tennessee 35-0 Iowa

Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for one in his first career start, and Tennessee shut down Iowa’s Division I-worst offense in the largest shutout in Citrus Bowl history.

Iamaleava, a prized recruit for the Volunteers, stepped in for senior Joe Milton, who opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL draft. The 19-year-old threw for 151 yards, and his 27 rushing yards included three scores.

Dylan Sampson rushed 20 times for 133 yards for the Vols (9-4), and Tennessee’s defense did the rest against an Iowa offense that came in averaging 16.6 points per game and 238.8 yards.

The Hawkeyes (10-4) were blanked in consecutive games to close the season. Iowa finished with 173 yards of offense. Deacon Hill threw for 56 yards, was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. The Hawkeyes crossed midfield only once in the first three quarters, and that drive concluded when Andre Turrentine intercepted Hill in the end zone.

Reliaquest Bowl – LSU 35-31 Wisconsin

Garrett Nussmeier threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns, helping LSU launch its post-Jayden Daniels era with a come-from-behind victory over Wisconsin.

Making his first college start after Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, opted out to begin preparing for the NFL draft, Nussmeier completed 31 of 45 passes and tossed TD passes of 14 yards to Chris Hilton Jr and 38 and 4 yards to Brian Thomas Jr., whose second score put LSU ahead with 3:08 remaining.

Nussmeier rallied the Tigers (10-3) from a 14-point second-half deficit and overshadowed Wisconsin’s Tanner Mordecai, who threw for a season-high 378 yards and three TDs for the Badgers (7-6), who played without star running back Braelon Allen.

Nussmeier set up the winning touchdown with completions of 37 yards to Kyren Lacy and 43 yards to Hilton. Thomas finished with eight catches for 98 yards, while Lacy had six receptions for 97 yards for the Tigers.

Mordecai, a sixth-year senior playing his final college game, finished 27 of 40 passing without an interception for the Badgers, who had more than 500 yards of total offense without Allen, who opted out of the bowl game because he’s declaring for the NFL draft.