Before the College Football national championship game, it was clear that Michigan’s offense, and more especially the Wolverines’ rushing attack, would be successful.
With Blake Corum, perhaps the best running back in college football, on the team, Michigan entered the CFP championship game averaging 159 yards per game on the ground. Corum had a season total of 25 rushing touchdowns going into Monday night.
One of the key lessons learned during Michigan’s 34-13 championship victory was that the Wolverines’ rushing attack did, in fact, outclass Washington.
That was made possible by Corum’s 134 yards and two touchdowns as well as Donovan Edwards, his “backup,” who ran 104 yards and scored two huge first-quarter touchdowns.
After Michigan won its first national championship since 1997, those two will undoubtedly make the most headlines, and they rightfully will, but Michigan’s defense was the real winner in Houston.
Michael Penix Jr., the quarterback for Washington, was averaging 332 yards and 2.5 touchdown passes per game going into this one. He finished second to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels for the Heisman Trophy, and it was easily arguable that he had a chance to take home the most coveted individual award in college football.
During the regular season, Penix threw 32 touchdowns. In the final-ever Pac-12 Championship game, he scored a touchdown and ran 319 yards against Oregon. In the Sugar Bowl, he then outperformed Texas, rushing for 430 yards and two touchdowns.
Penix was brilliant during the season, but in the championship game, he was at best insignificant against Michigan’s defense led by Jesse Minter.
With just 27 of 51 passes completed, he gained 255 yards and one touchdown. Michigan only allowed him to gain five yards per completion after picking him off twice. That fact alone obviously had the Huskies shell-shocked for a normally explosive Washington offense.
Though Michigan didn’t do anything particularly impressive, Penix’s life was made miserable by a combination of strong tackling, solid fundamentals, and a tight secondary.
In relation to clamps, elite wide receiver Rome Odunze was only able to gain 87 yards on five receptions. He had five games with multiple touchdowns and an average of over 100 yards per game prior to Michigan.
In the second quarter, one of the top slot receivers in the nation, Jalen McMillan, did find the end zone. Nevertheless, he was limited to just 33 yards overall on six catches.
All things considered, Minter and his team gave a master class in defense.
This season, Michigan has seen many well-known figures make headlines. J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback, followed Jim Harbaugh and then the previously mentioned two-headed monster of Corum and Edwards.
But in the end, the Wolverines’ defense really did win them a championship.
