Michigan Finally Shakes Off Playoff Woes With Scrappy Rose Bowl Win

After spending back-to-back years watching their opponents celebrate, J.J. McCarthy and the Wolverines finally got a chance to watch the maize-and-blue confetti fall after a semifinal victory over Alabama.

PASADENA, Calif.—An hour after the Rose Bowl ended, with nobody in the stands and few people still on the field, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy crouched alone in the end zone to take in what had just happened. When he got up, eyes still wet with tears, he hugged a Michigan employee and headed for the exit. It wasn’t the first time McCarthy had stopped to feel the emotions that come at the end of a College Football Playoff semifinal, but it is the first time he wasn’t processing a searing defeat.

After the Orange Bowl in 2021, he stood solemnly with Andrel Anthony, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards after Georgia dismantled Michigan. Following the loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl last year, McCarthy stood alone, helmet in hand, as purple confetti rained on the team that had just upset his Wolverines. This time, the tears were anything but sad.

“It’s indescribable just because 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 after Michigan’s 27–20 overtime victory over Alabama Monday. “I’m nothing without this head coach [Jim Harbaugh], nothing without my teammates, nothing without that defense. Everything was so amazing. It’s just really, really amazing.”

J.J. McCarthy finally got to cry tears of joy after two previous losses in the College Football Playoff semifinals :: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Michigan lost two Playoff games in distinct ways, but the through line was hubris. The Wolverines came into the Georgia game thinking they were just as physical as the Dawgs. Offensive linemen even entered the game wearing shirts that said “Run the Damn Ball.” But Michigan wasn’t remotely able to and some of Georgia’s splashiest highlights came when its defensive linemen physically whipped the Wolverines in the trenches.

In the lead-up to the TCU game, McCarthy said his Wolverines were excited to “bring the Big Ten to the Big 12,” and it was clear throughout game prep that Michigan felt it could physically overwhelm the Frogs up front, despite their unconventional 3-3-5 defense. In reality, Michigan never seemed able to figure out how to block the Horned Frogs, playing sloppy football throughout.

Those two defeats—and the nature of them—were among the things Michigan players drew upon for success the third time around.

“I mean just staying out there, it gives you motivation,” Edwards says. “Throughout the whole season you remember why it is that you’re playing the game and that’s to be back in that same position. The fact that we’re able to do it again, third time’s the charm for us to be able to win a Playoff game. It means a lot because there’s been so much adversity.”

This week felt different. Despite the fact that Michigan was favored by the oddsmakers, the Wolverines were typecast as the underdog to Alabama despite this being far from the Tide’s strongest team in Nick Saban’s run. They tweaked their approach, mainly toning down the number of padded practices while preparing for Alabama in order to be fresher late in the game, which Corum credited Harbaugh for.

“We lifted a lot, had a lot of fourth-quarter finishers, which made up for not hitting all the time,” Corum said. “We play a long season. I think at this point we know how to hit. There was no need to keep banging during December camp.”

Michigan adjusted its approach and its attitude going into the matchup with Alabama :: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Michigan needed every bit of juice it could muster late in the game as a tight contest never saw either team lead by more than one score. The Wolverines actually trailed in the second half of a game for the first time this season.

The Wolverines had special teams miscues on a missed extra point and two punts muffed by two different returners, one of which nearly lost them the game at the end of regulation. There was also a missed field goal when it looked like Michigan had a chance to cut a four-point Alabama lead to one after a Jalen Milroe fumble. Michigan wasn’t able to take advantage of good field position and Bama took the ball back and went up 20–13. 

The Tide were then just a fourth-down stop away from getting the ball back with three minutes to go and a chance to ice the game. It looked like Michigan was going to find a new and inventive way to lose a Playoff semifinal, this time giving up a game after spending most of the night bamboozling the Alabama offense in pass protection. But a short McCarthy pass to Corum sprung a first down and kept the drive alive. They paid it off four plays later to tie the score. Michigan found a way to get the game into overtime, and once there, the Wolverines defense stood tall on fourth down to get the victory. They did what great teams do and won without their A game.

“We didn’t play our best football. We weren’t playing mistake-free football,” offensive lineman Trevor Keegan said. “We had a lot of mistakes. Shoot, we didn’t really deserve a win but you know our guys—we pulled through and we just played for each other. The defense had that stop. We couldn’t even watch.”

With the game on the line in overtime, Keegan huddled with offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and a few teammates, praying for their defense to get the stop they needed to send them to the national championship game. The prayers were answered, and this year there was no need to stand by and watch the opponent celebrate.