What can anybody say about Michigan now? Wolverines stars stepped up when it mattered most

PASADENA, Calif. — For every magical finish at the Rose Bowl, there is a team that wants to forget.

Michigan has been that team, haunted by failure and burdened by the past. On the other sideline was Alabama, a program that eats other teams’ dreams for breakfast. As the sun went down Monday night, a familiar pit settled into the stomachs of Michigan fans who could sense where this was all going. Michigan had outplayed Alabama for much of the night, but the Wolverines were watching their national championship dreams slip away. They needed their stars to step up and save them from a lifetime of regret.

Step up they did. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy guided Michigan on a game-saving drive, hitting Roman Wilson for the touchdown that forced overtime. Blake Corum, the running back who has dazzled everywhere but the College Football Playoff, weaved through Alabama’s defense for the go-ahead score. And Michigan’s defense stuffed Jalen Milroe on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, releasing a deep well of emotion that was building throughout Michigan’s long, strange journey to Pasadena.

What can anybody say about Michigan now? The Wolverines are 14-0 and heading to Houston to play Washington for the national championship. They just beat Alabama, the most successful program of the CFP era, and rallied in the final minutes of regulation to do it. With a 27-20 victory in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines conquered their CFP demons and quieted anybody who still believed their success was a product of stolen signs or unfair advantages.

“FAIR AND SQUARE AGAINST BAMA!” defensive tackle Kris Jenkins shouted, clutching a rose and sitting between the flattened goal posts in the end zone. “No more excuses! Stop trippin’, man! Talking about film, iPads? Better not be none of that today. I’ll be checking the comments.”

As Jenkins celebrated, his mother, Shay Delotch, wrapped her arms around his neck, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You’re going to cry more than me,” Jenkins said.

“Because I know how hard you worked for this,” she said. “It’s not just a game. I’m crying about a stupid football game because I’m so proud of you.”

Across the field, a mob of cameras surrounded McCarthy. On the back of his arm, peeking out from beneath his shoulder pads, was a tattoo that says, “Attached to nothing, connected to everything.”

McCarthy has been working on his mental game, sharpening his mind for moments just like this one. The game couldn’t have started much worse for him, with an errant throw to the sideline that was nearly intercepted. Entering the final full drive of regulation, Michigan’s offense was in a prolonged funk, having picked up only two first downs in the second half. Yet McCarthy was able to clear his head and complete three of the biggest passes of Michigan’s season: to a wide-open Corum on fourth-and-2, to Wilson for 29 yards, to Wilson again for a 4-yard touchdown.

As McCarthy finished his postgame TV interview, coach Jim Harbaugh barged into the scrum and showered his quarterback with high-fives.

“The last two years being able to watch the opposing team celebrate, it’s just different when I see the maize and blue confetti on the field,” McCarthy said. “I’m nothing without this head coach, nothing without my teammates, nothing without that defense. Everything was so amazing.”

In the tunnel outside Michigan’s locker room, athletic director Warde Manuel relived the game with Jack Harbaugh, Jim’s father. Manuel has been in the middle of Michigan’s tumultuous season, steering Michigan’s athletic department through a pair of NCAA investigations and a public clash with the Big Ten.

Michigan stood by its coach in the face of controversy, and Harbaugh rewarded the program with a victory on college football’s biggest stage.

“He’s everything that you want in a leader of a group of young men and a staff,” Manuel said. “I love him. He’s just awesome.”

Speaking of which, how’s that contract extension coming along?

“Hey, brother, I’m working on it,” Manuel said. “Believe me.”

Blake Corum scored Michigan’s winning TD in overtime. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Inside the locker room, Corum was looking for his helmet, having ended up with Will Johnson’s instead. Corum’s rushing touchdown in overtime was the 56th of his Michigan career, breaking Anthony Thomas’ school record. It’s fair to say there’s never been a bigger one in Corum’s career, nor in the careers of most other players who wore a Michigan uniform.

Corum has been the backbone of three teams that won the Big Ten and appeared in the CFP. But heading into Monday’s game, his CFP stats consisted of three carries for 13 yards and a fumble against Georgia in the 2021 Orange Bowl. With one last chance at a signature moment in the CFP, Corum made it count with 83 rushing yards, a receiving touchdown and his 21-yard run in OT.

“When we scored and we forced overtime, I knew it was over,” Corum said.

Manuel thought the same, though his head and his heart rate might have told different stories.

“My heart inside was going fast,” Manuel said. “I was trying to walk it off a little bit. I saw our strength coach and looked at him when this overtime started. I smiled, and he smiled back. We both knew this would happen.”

Strength coach Ben Herbert is a pivotal figure in Michigan’s program, credited with instilling the mental and physical toughness that helped the Wolverines go 39-3 over the past three seasons. The burly man with the bald head and the icy stare had tears streaming down his cheeks after the game. Teaching a team how to finish is part of a strength coach’s task, and Michigan’s defense answered the bell.

“The look in their eye, the anticipation they had — there was no sense of uneasiness,” Herbert said. “They had full confidence. You could tell they were looking forward to it. They were smiling. They were like, ‘Let’s go finish this thing.’ That’s what they did.”

GO DEEPER

What happened on Alabama’s last play? Inside Michigan’s OT stop of Jalen Milroe

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On the game’s final play, everybody on Michigan’s sideline expected Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to keep the ball. The teams called consecutive timeouts before Milroe finally took the snap and plunged into the middle of Michigan’s defense. The Wolverines collapsed the play and buried Milroe at the line of scrimmage. A delirious celebration ensued as players rushed the field to celebrate the program’s first Playoff victory.

Losing this game would have haunted Michigan even more than the previous two CFP defeats. After bitter losses to Georgia and TCU, the core of Michigan’s team returned for one more run at a national championship. The players who came back were the ones who powered through when Michigan needed it most. One week from Monday night, the Wolverines hope to do this all again in Houston.

“This is the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” Wilson said. “Now I’m going to one-up it.”

(Top photo: Harry How / Getty Images)