Things hadn't gone well for Michigan in the second half. Through 26 minutes of football, the offense hadn't scored a point and a three point halftime lead turned into a seven point deficit in the later stages of the fourth quarter. Michigan needed a drive to tie the game and as the eleven men took the field, it was fair to deem it a legacy drive for so many veteran heroes of this Michigan team, JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, and the rest of the OL. They needed to make plays and tie the game. They would. Then a little while later with the score 27-20, Michigan's defense needed to get one stop to slam the door and win the game. They did.  

Backs against the wall, this Michigan team dug deeper than they've had to all season, battling their own errors and demons to rally against #4 Alabama and win the 110th Rose Bowl Game, 27-20. Touchdowns from Wilson and Corum late put Michigan in the lead and the defense shut down two potential Alabama drives to tie or win the game as this veteran Wolverine team had the necessary answers. 366 days after the heartbreak at the hands of TCU in the 2022 semifinals, Michigan got to give the great Crimson Tide their own dose of heartbreak. Michigan is 14-0 and headed to the National Championship Game. 

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It's hard to envision a more disastrous, BPONE start to the game than what nearly occurred on the first play from scrimmage. JJ McCarthy took the snap, rolled to his right, and despite having Roman Wilson open for free yards, held the ball looking for Cornelius Johnson. Johnson was not open but McCarthy threw it anyway, right to Alabama safety Caleb Downs, who toe-tapped for an interception deep in Michigan territory. Catastrophe... or not. It was pointed out shortly thereafter that Downs had stepped out of bounds on his last step before catching the ball, never re-establishing himself in the field of play, which made the pass incomplete instead. Michigan was let off the hook. 

[Patrick Barron]

The drive that followed after the mulligan Michigan had been gifted was a dud. The Wolverines ran a quick screen to Semaj Morgan with TEs blocking in front of him and he was tackled promptly. That set up 3rd & 8 and McCarthy threw short of the sticks to a well-covered AJ Barner, which was an easy PBU by the Bama defense. The Wolverine offense was out of sorts early and needed the defense to pick them up, which happened. Michigan sacked Jalen Milroe twice on the opening Alabama drive, one from Braiden McGregor and one from Josaiah Stewart, forcing a quick three-and-out. 

Then came the deadly mistake that did count. Alabama punter James Burnip lofted a rather short kick and Semaj Morgan ran up to field it, sensing the opportunity for a good return. Perhaps Morgan had his eyes pointed downfield too early but he never secured the catch and put the ball on the ground. Alabama recovers, taking over at the Michigan 44. Gifted great field position, the Tide grinded out a first down on the ground and then hit a home run shot when the right side of Alabama's OL caved in the Michigan DL and Mike Sainristil blew a tackle on Jase McClelland, who was off to the races and into the end zone. 7-0 Alabama and about as bad of a first five minutes for Michigan as you could have imagined. 

With the team reeling, the Michigan offense needed to step up and they did, utilizing a well-crafted scripted drive from OC Sherrone Moore that used all kinds of tricks to put Alabama's defense in conflict. A neat pitch play to Blake Corum picked up 21 and then a designed run for JJ McCarthy picked up 7 on 3rd & 8. Michigan paved Bama on 4th & 1 to pick up the first down and two plays later they got Kalel Mullings running a route matched up on a LB, which McCarthy identified and targeted for 19. That got Michigan into the red zone and they needed just two plays to get it in the end zone, a jet sweep to Morgan and then a pass to Corum who was wide open underneath for a walk-in TD. 7-7 tie. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

Alabama's third drive looked a lot like their first, utter domination at the hands of the Michigan defense. The first down run was stuffed, then a quick incompletion, and finally pressure forced Milroe to scramble, falling down short of the line to gain. Three-and-out and another punt. Michigan did appear to be let off the hook on the punt when Kechaun Bennett made contact with the Alabama punter, who did his best to sell the call. Referees didn't buy it and the Wolverines took over. They had another solid drive brewing near midfield when Max Bredeson was called for a personal foul after jumping on the player he had been blocking, making helmet-to-helmet contact. That erased a first down run and turned it into 2nd & 11 for a foul unrelated to the play. Michigan ended up getting to 4th & 1 despite the setback but opted to punt on their half of midfield. 

Still no dice, for the Bama offense, though. Mike Barrett sacked Milroe on first down, then Milroe was sacked by Kris Jenkins on 2nd down. Faced with 3rd & 23, Michigan conceded the 12 yard QB draw from Milroe and forced another punt. Michigan's offense was still missing an effective McCarthy and that killed their next drive. They gained four yards on first down thanks to an Alex Orji run but McCarthy missed an open Cornelius Johnson down the field, airmailing it over his head. On 3rd & 6 McCarthy targeted Roman Wilson, who was not open, and the ball fell incomplete. Punt. 

The defensive struggle continued. Michigan shut down Bama runs on first and second down and then Mike Sainristil sniffed out a 3rd & 9 Milroe keeper to force yet another Alabama punt. Michigan took the ball back over and began what would be a much busier close to the half for the two teams after a long stretch of defensive dominance. Michigan started it on the ground, Blake Corum churning out yards and then McCarthy delivered a missile to Colston Loveland for 12 yards over the middle. Michigan then dialed up a double pass, with Donovan Edwards throwing laterally across the field to McCarthy. His throw was nearly too high for McCarthy, who had to catch it, step backwards, and throw, all with Alabama EDGE superstar Dallas Turner bearing down on him. Amazingly, JJ did so and got it complete deep down the field for Wilson into Alabama territory. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: more recap]

 

[Patrick Barron]

Calamity averted, Michigan ran it twice for no gain and were faced with a 3rd & 10. McCarthy dropped back and found his old HS teammate Tyler Morris on a crossing route matched up on a LB, getting the first down and then cutting upfield down the right sideline. Morris scampered, keeping his feet in bounds, and dove inside the pylon. Touchdown Michigan, on a play that eerily resembled Erick All's TD against Penn State two years ago. Unfortunately, Michigan's first-half special teams disasterclass continued as the extra point snap was not corralled by Tommy Doman, getting past him and kiboshing the chance for a converted PAT. Michigan led 13-7 instead. 

Alabama took the ball with just under four minutes to play in the first half and stitched together their best drive of the first half. It got going with tremendous individual efforts from Jalen Milroe and Isaiah Bond, a great throw by Milroe into a tight window and a great catch by Bond along the sideline. That netted Bama 29 yards and got them out near midfield. Three plays later the Tide were faced with a 3rd & 5 and converted it on a run by McClellan, grinding out the necessary yardage to move the sticks. Jalen Milroe's legs featured prominently on 2nd down of the ensuing series, picking up 17 yards on a scramble, but that's when the drive fizzled. Michigan would eventually force Alabama into a 3rd & 3 and Milroe dropped back to pass. This time he never saw the rush coming and got bulldozed by Derrick Moore coming off the edge unblocked. Sacked back at the 32, but Will Reichard was unbothered, as the veteran kicker threaded a 50 yard field goal between the uprights. 13-10 Michigan at halftime. 

The Crimson Tide got the ball out of halftime, pinned deep in their own territory after a questionable decision to return the kickoff. It was on this drive that Alabama's offensive line began to punch back on the ground, and the Tide started to move the ball with startling ease on the ground. Seldom used blue chip freshman back Justice Haynes, got some work on the ground and picked up nine and eleven yards on consecutive runs sandwiching a Milroe incompletion. McClellan gained nine a few plays later and got Alabama into Michigan territory. The reeling Wolverines would get let off the hook, though, as the drive would be killed by Alabama's own doing: the longstanding snapping problems of center Seth McLaughlin rearing their ugly head. McLaughlin biffed back to back snaps that lost 19 yards and Alabama waved the white flag on 3rd & 29, running the ball and punting. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

The punting of Alabama's James Burnip was a highlight in this game, as he was consistently able to flip the field for Alabama and pin Michigan deep in their own end. On this case he pinned Michigan at the 13 and for a split second it seemed like that would majorly pay-off, as a 3rd down pass for Cornelius Johnson was initially called incomplete. However, upon further review it was determined that Johnson dragged his toe on the sideline in-bounds. Michigan got a first down and a bit of breathing room, but hopes for a longer drive were done in by back-to-back miscues.

On 2nd & 7 Michigan brought Alex Orji back into the game and attempted to have him throw the ball for once, but Bama was not faked out, covering Kalel Mullings perfectly. Rather than throwing it away, Orji took a two yard "sack". Then on 3rd & 9, Michigan schemed Tyler Morris running wide open again. If McCarthy leads Morris, it's a first down and then some, but McCarthy's throw was behind him, Morris making a tough catch but falling over short of the sticks in the process. Michigan punted. 

Alabama's next drive was a quick three-and-out, two McClellan runs setting up 3rd & 3.5, but an odd swing pass playcall intended for Jam Miller fell incomplete (Michigan had it well covered even if Milroe had delivered an accurate ball). The Wolverines got the football on their own 11 after Semaj Morgan made his second error of the night in the return game, not catching the punt around the 20 and letting it roll to pin Michigan deep. It turned out to be a bad couple minutes for Morgan, as he was targeted on 3rd & 8, open on a slant route that would've gotten the first down but McCarthy's fastball whizzed between the hands of Morgan and was incomplete. Michigan's run game had slowed to a halt as the Alabama DL won more consistent snaps and the pass game was lacking execution, resulting in another punt. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

With Michigan pinned deep and punter Tommy Doman oddly struggling to get any boom on his punts, the Tide were able to start their next drive near midfield. This time they took advantage of the field position. Alabama's rushing game was imposing itself on Michigan, Milroe keeping the ball on a zone read to start the drive in between runs by Haynes. Milroe also scrambled for nine on what was a near-sack for Cam Goode and then once inside the red zone, Milroe gained 18 on 2nd & 15. That got Alabama down inside the 5 and McClellan walked in to the end zone on 1st & G. Alabama leads 17-13. 

Michigan now needed its offense to flip momentum in the game but it wouldn't happen. Corum was bottled up on first down, pressure forced an incompletion on second down, and then more pressure came on 3rd & 9. McCarthy got the pass away to a well-covered Donovan Edwards short of the sticks, but Edwards dropped the pass anyway. Another punt. Michigan's defense instead was faced with keeping the game from falling out of hand and boy would they make a play. Milroe hooked up with Kobe Prentice on 1st down to get the Tide out near midfield but on their next play, Milroe kept it off a zone read, bounced it out into space, stumbled over his feet and had the ball raked out by Quinten Johnson, recovered by Michigan's Josh Wallace just in bounds. 

It was the break Michigan needed and their offense responded well, a quick 20 yard gain to Roman Wilson who was left uncovered by the Alabama secondary. Michigan was now at the Alabama 31 on 1st down, running a screen to Cornelius Johnson that Alabama bottled up. On 2nd & 10 the Wolverines tried a flea flicker against the aggressive Alabama run defense. The play was set up well in the sense that the intended receiver was wide open, but it was not set up perfectly. Why? Linebacker Deontae Lawson sliced into the backfield and pressured Corum, forcing Blake to rush and short-arm the pitch to McCarthy, who was forced to simply fall on the fumble. Backed up on 3rd & 17, Michigan played for a long field goal, running a screen to Semaj Morgan, who was tackled at the 31. The Wolverines sent James Turner out to attempt a 49 yard field goal and the veteran kicker pushed this one wide left. No dice, a major missed opportunity. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

Alabama took over possession of the football on their own 31 with 10:30 to go in the game and decided to soak up the clock while punishing Michigan on the ground some more. McClellan gained 17 on a run thanks to some poor tackling from the Michigan defense, getting the ball out near midfield and then Miller rushed for 11 yards on 3rd & 3. Alabama had owned time of possession to this point in the second half and seemed to be wearing the Michigan defense down.

To the credit of the defenders in the winged helmets, they dug deep and came up with a stand, with a little help from Alabama miscues. The Tide put 12 players in the huddle, getting hit with the five yard penalty and thus having to play out of 1st & 15. Michigan responded by blitzing, forcing a short completion, tackling another dump-off on 2nd down, and then sacking Milroe on 3rd & 9. Again the Tide were backed up for a difficult field goal after a sack, but Reichard was money, drilling a 52 yarder to make it 20-13. 

Michigan took the football with 4:41 left in the game, needing a touchdown to tie it. The Wolverines gained eight yards on two Corum runs, but a strange 3rd & 2 play that saw McCarthy and Orji on the field together led to a batted McCarthy pass. Michigan had all three timeouts on 4th & 2 from their own 33 with 3:19 left in the game and Jim Harbaugh decided to go for it. They ran Blake Corum into the flat and McCarthy found him easily with a short pass. Corum turned it upfield and had a long way to run, but Roman Wilson committed an obvious block in the back. The 1st down stood, but the penalty moved Michigan back some. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

The ball was placed at midfield and Michigan let JJ McCarthy run it, galloping down the sideline for 16 yards and tackled late out of bounds, yet shockingly a flag was not thrown. Now on 1st & 10 from the plus 34, McCarthy dropped back to pass and looked for an open Roman Wilson. McCarthy's pass was tipped at the line and the ball lofted up in the air towards Wilson. The Hawaiian receiver leapt into the air and awkwardly snatched it away from the outstretched arms of nickel Malachi Moore, who was waiting to intercept it. Wilson snagged the ball, hit the ground running, and got down to the five before going out of bounds. Alabama spent two timeouts over the next two plays, but Michigan punched it from three yards away on a quick play-action pass to Wilson. Touchdown and a good extra point this time, 20-20. 

The game wasn't over, as Alabama would fair catch the kickoff and take the football at their own 25 with 1:34 to go in the game, one timeout in the pocket. Unfortunately for the Tide, the situation of a two-minute drill was not well suited to what they were doing well to move the ball in the second half, i.e. running the football. Milroe was forced to dropback and just like the rest of the game, he dealt with heavy pressure. A scramble helped pick up one first down, but pressure and miscommunication forced two incompletions and on 3rd & 10 Milroe dumped the ball off to McClellan, who was promptly tackled short of the sticks. Michigan used a timeout to stop the clock with 54 seconds left and Alabama punted. 

Again Burnip unleashed a tremendous punt, driving Michigan returner Jake Thaw inside his own 10. While Thaw should've just let the ball bounce given where he was on the field, he attempted to field it and Thaw, like Morgan earlier, muffed the punt. Thaw managed to jump on it at his own goal line and got to the 1 yard line when he was overwhelmed by Alabama gunners. Forward progress spotted the ball just outside the goal line, so cataclysm dodged, but it killed any chance of Michigan driving to win in regulation. They ran the ball once and then kneeled it down and the two teams went to overtime to settle the 110th Rose Bowl Game. 

[Patrick Barron]

Alabama won the coin toss, just as they had to begin the game, and again they deferred. Michigan started on offense and needed just two plays to find the end zone, suddenly running the ball better than they had the entire second half. Corum picked up eight on the first play and then on 2nd & 2, the senior running back put together a legacy defining run, weaving and cutting through traffic, spinning through a near-shoulder tackle and falling into the end zone for a TD. 27-20 Michigan. 

The Wolverine defense now needed one stop to win the football game and advance to the national championship. They stopped Alabama's first down pass but then Milroe carved up Michigan for 15 yards on a beautifully designed QB keeper with heavy misdirection along the OL. That got Alabama down to 1st & G at the 9 and they gave it to McClellan, who Michigan promptly bottled up. On 2nd down they gave it to McClellan again and he was greeted in the backfield by Mason Graham, who fired right through the line and pummeled the back for a TFL. Now on 3rd & G from the 14, Milroe found Jermaine Burton down to the 3, tackled by Josh Wallace. Burton was shaken up after the play, leading to a long layoff. 

In that layoff, time seemed to stand still. Michigan took a timeout once they got a look at the Bama offense and then Bama did the same the next time they lined up. Over those three timeouts, the medical one and each called by the two teams, fate hung in the balance as both fanbases chomped further on their fingernails. One play, three yards, to decide the Rose Bowl and a trip to the National Championship Game. 

Eventually the timeouts were over and it was time for the play to happen. Alabama came out in 11 personnel, CJ Dippre the TE to the bottom of the formation, strong-side with two WRs to the bottom (one to the top), Milroe in the gun with an RB to his right. The back started in motion to the bottom and then the snap came. Like so many times this season, it was too low and Milroe was forced to reach down to collect it, slowing him down just for a moment. The play was a QB draw and by the time Milroe grabbed the ball and looked up to see his blocking, it was a mess for the Tide. Michigan EDGE Josaiah Stewart had trampled star RT JC Latham, while the other EDGE Derrick Moore had gotten inside of Dippre. The interior was gummed up, Milroe never got close to the goal line. Ballgame, Michigan wins. Cue the field rush. 

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[Bryan Fuller]

The 2024 Rose Bowl Game was an edition for the ages. In some ways, due to their mistake-riddled performance, Michigan was lucky to walk out alive. On the other hand, Michigan was the better team, outgaining Alabama in total yardage and YPP. The Wolverines deserved to win but very nearly stopped themselves from doing so. Thankfully, there are no style points in early January... only wins and losses and Michigan got the win, all that matters. They are still standing and are one win from winning a national championship. That's all you can ask for. 

On offense, McCarthy was poor early on, bailed out on the horrible near-interception and missing makeable throws, but his final line ain't too shabby as he got stronger as the game went along. Stats: 17/27 for 221 and 3 TD + 25 rushing yards. Blake Corum didn't have tons of running room, especially in the second half, but he scored the winning touchdown on a run that will be remembered forever. 83 yards on 19 carries for 1 TD isn't flashy, but it got the job done.

The receivers made some great plays, Roman Wilson's catch on the tipped ball being a game-saving effort and Johnson's toe-tap pretty neat as well. Not to mention the Morris TD catch-and-run. However, drops by Edwards and Morgan are plays that they'd like back. The offensive line deserves praise for an excellent showing, not perfect but the protection for McCarthy was better than anticipated in the passing game against elite rushers and they did a solid job, especially in the first half, on the ground. The game-plan got a bit cute at times, particularly with the risky trick plays against such a well-coached defense, but the coaching staff also schemed receivers open and put Alabama defenders in conflict frequently. 351 yards on 5.9 YPP is nothing to scoff at against an elite defense like the one the Tide boast. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

Defensively the Wolverines put together a masterful performance. They held Alabama to 288 total yards on 66 plays, a 4.4 YPP clip. Alabama had 13 drives in this game and punted on seven of them, five of which were three-and-outs. They also forced the game-winning turnover on downs + a fumble when the Michigan offense badly needed help to flip momentum. Of the four scoring drives, two were 50+ yard FGs. Against a good Alabama offense that ranked 11th in SP+, it was a terrific outing. 

The run defense did get pushed around some in the second half, but your author was a bigger fan of Alabama's run blocking than their pass blocking. And of course there's the fact that defending a QB as athletic a runner as Milroe on the ground is not a walk in the park. The flip side is that Michigan's pass defense was plainly dominant, holding Milroe to 16/23 for just 116 (5.0 Y/A) while notching a whopping six sacks. Milroe was pressured early and often on passing downs, the Bama OL being given fits by Michigan's blitzes while Alabama's receivers were well covered. Few coverage busts and the longest passing play, the 29 yard strike to Bond, was a perfect throw and catch against good coverage. Other deep shots were completely blanketed. 

Unfortunately, special teams does have to be discussed, possibly the single-worst special teams game of the Jim Harbaugh era and yes, I know about the 2015 MSU game. While no one mistake was as terrible as the play that defined that game, special teams cost Michigan over-and-over again with mistakes of every variety. Should Michigan have lost this game, special teams would've been the reason. They missed an extra point in the kicking game, missed a FG, lost field position in the punting game due to a bad night from Tommy Doman (39.5 yard average) and shoddy returning, not to mention the fumble by Morgan that handed Bama a short field (and eventually a TD). It was a parade of errors on a unit that is normally elite in the Harbaugh era. Strange, but ultimately not deadly. 

 

[Bryan Fuller]

At the end of the day, no matter the miscues, you should never, ever apologize for winning ugly, or needing a 4th quarter comeback to win a CFP game. Michigan is now one of just nine teams to ever win a CFP game (Alabama, Clemson, OSU, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, TCU, Oregon, winner of TX/UW). It's not easy, especially not against Nick Saban and Alabama. This is only Saban's second defeat in the semifinals of the CFP, the other being his 2014 Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State. It's really hard to win one of these games and Michigan needed to get the monkey off the back. Needing a heroic, heart-stopping win to do so just makes it all the more dramatic. 

As all the players said after the game, the job is not finished. Michigan has one more game to win their first national title since 1997 and it will not be easy either. The Wolverines will be headed off to Houston to face the winner of the Washington/Texas Sugar Bowl which is going on right now. Whoever they face, Michigan can certainly win, but they could also lose. A great game-plan and better execution will be required to win that one, but previewing the title game can begin tomorrow. Tonight Michigan fans ought to celebrate winning the Rose Bowl, the best game in college football played in its holiest site, against one of the most iconic brands in the sport. That is cause for just a bit of celebration, especially when it came in such a tight game that will be remembered forever. We can talk about Washington and Texas tomorrow... for now, soak this in.