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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh holds the Rose Bowl trophy. | Photo courtesy of Michigan Athletics/X
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By Steven Herbert
Blake Corum, major college football’s leading scorer, scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime, as Michigan remained undefeated with a 27-20 victory over Alabama Monday in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl.
Monday’s victory in Pasadena advances the Wolverines (14-0), the top-ranked team in the final College Football Playoff rankings, into next Monday’s championship game in Houston against second-seeded Washington, a 37-31 winner over third-seeded Texas in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl later Monday.
Corum ran 17 yards for a touchdown on Michigan’s second play of overtime to win the game.
“Everything that I see out of Blake on a day-to-day basis and everything that Blake is, when everyone is tired, when it’s overtime, he’s going to be the guy that shows out just like he does in sprints when we run them in the off-season,” Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy said.
“It was nothing new for me. It was just amazing the world got to see it.”
The Crimson Tide’s hopes of again tying the score ended when quarterback Jalen Milroe was tackled at Michigan’s 2-yard line on a fourth-and-goal play from the 3-yard line.
The play came after each team called a time out.
“We called three plays,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “One they called time-out, one we called time-out, and the last one that didn’t work. The fact that it didn’t work made it a really bad call. You know what I mean?
“But we called time out because we had a bad look. We had a good look on the first one. They must have known it.
“But (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) Tommy (Rees) just felt like the best thing that we could do was have a quarterback run, which was kind of our two-point play, one of our two-point plays for this game.
“The ball was on the 3-yard line, which is just like a two-point play, but we didn’t get it blocked so it didn’t work. We didn’t execute it very well and it didn’t work.
“They pressured and we thought they would pressure, but we thought we could gap them and block them and make it work, and it didn’t.”
McCarthy was selected as the offensive player of the game for the 110th Rose Bowl Game after completing 17 of 27 passes, 63%, for 221 yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 168.4. He was not sacked.
McCarthy entered Monday’s play second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in completion percentage at 74.6%, and sixth in passing efficiency with a 170.3 passer rating.
Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham was selected as the defensive player of the game. He made four tackles, including three unassisted tackles and tackling running back Jase McClellan for a 5-yard loss in overtime, giving Alabama a third-and-goal from the Wolverines’ 14-yard line.
Milroe completed an 11-yard pass to former Calabasas High standout Jermaine Burton, leaving the Crimson Tide with a fourth down at the 3-yard line.
Alabama took a 17-13 lead with 14 minutes, 35 seconds left in regulation on McClellan’s 3-yard run for his second score. After Michigan failed to capitalize on a fumble by Milroe as James Turner missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, the Crimson Tide increased their lead to 20-13 on Will Reichard’s 52-yard field goal with 4:41 remaining.
The Wolverines then drove 75 yards on eight plays, tying the score with 1:38 remaining on McCarthy’s 4-yard pass to Roman Wilson.
Michigan had been held to 44 yards on 17 plays on its four second-half possessions before the touchdown drive.
The Wolverines avoided a potential disaster when Jake Thaw muffed a punt and was tackled at Michigan’s 1-yard line with 43 seconds left, barely avoiding a safety.
The Wolverines outgained the Crimson Tide, 351 yards to 288. Alabama led in first downs, 17-15, and time of possession, 32:19-27:41, in front of a crowd announced at 96,371.
The Crimson Tide converted three of 13 third downs, including failing to convert on all eight third-downs where they needed at least six yards for a first down. Michigan converted two of 11 third downs, including two of 10 where they needed at least six yards for a first down.
Milroe completed 16 of 23 passes, 69.6%, for 116 yards and was sacked six times. He passer rating was 111.9. Milroe also ran for 63 yards on 21 carries, including 49 yards in losses from sacks.
McClellan ran for a game-high 87 yards on 14 carries. Corum ran for 83 yards on 19 carries.
“One of the biggest things is we didn’t play well enough on defense when we needed to, and the second thing is we had too many drive-stopping plays on offense,” Saban said. “I mean, we shot ourselves in the foot. A sack is a drive-stopping play. Getting a penalty usually is a drive-stopping play.
“Some of those things we self-inflicted. I told the players after the game, I told them before the game it’s going to be about what we do, and when you look back at it, it’s kind of about what we did and what we didn’t do.
“Not taking anything away from Michigan. They played a great game. They’ve got a good team. They’re really well-coached and wish them the best of luck in the future, but we could have done things a little better, as well. That’s on me, on the coaches. It’s not anybody else.”
Alabama (12-2) opened the scoring on McClellan’s 34-yard touchdown run with 9:41 left in the first quarter, four plays after Semaj Morgan muffed James Burnip’s punt, with Quandarrius Robinson recovering for the Crimson Tide at Michigan’s 44-yard line.
The Wolverines tied the score on the ensuing possession with McCarthy’s 8-yard pass to Corum completing a 10-play, 75-yard drive. It was Corum’s first receiving touchdown of the season. He entered Monday’s Rose Bowl Game leading FBS players in touchdowns and running touchdowns, both 24, and scoring with 144 points.
Michigan took a 13-7 lead 3:49 before halftime when Tyler Morris took a short pass from McCarthy and turned it into a 38-yard touchdown. The Wolverines missed the conversion because of a bad snap.
Alabama, fourth in the final College Football Playoff rankings, cut the deficit to 13-10 on Reichard’s 50-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the first half.
This is the third-consecutive season the Wolverines have reached the College Football Playoff semifinals but the first that they advanced to the championship game. Michigan lost to eventual national champion Georgia, 34-11, in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, 2021, and TCU, 51-45, in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, 2022.
The No. 1 seed is 8-2 against the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The No. 4 seeds that won were Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2015, over Alabama, and Alabama over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2018.
The victory improved Michigan’s record in the Rose Bowl Game to 9-12, matching Ohio State (9-7) for the second-most victories behind USC, which has 25 in 34 appearances. The Wolverines were playing in their first Rose Bowl since Jan. 1, 2007, when they lost to USC, 32-18.
The Crimson Tide dropped to 5-2-1 in the Rose Bowl Game. Their eight appearances are the most among non-Pac-12 or Big Ten teams. It was Alabama’s first since Jan. 1, 2021, when it defeated Notre Dame, 31-14, in a College Football Playoff semifinal moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Crimson Tide last played in a Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena in 1946, when they defeated USC, 34-14, the season before the agreement between what are now the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences limited the game to teams to those conferences.
