On Jan. 8, the No. 1 ranked Michigan Wolverines defeated the No. 2 ranked Washington Huskies 34-13 in Houston en route to their tenth National Championship victory. It is their first championship title since 1997.
Michigan quarterback junior J.J. McCarthy completed 10 of 18 pass attempts for 140 yards and ran for 31 yards on four attempts. He completed a pass to four different pass-catchers, with sophomore tight end Colston Loveland catching three passes for a team high 64 yards.
Running backs senior Blake Corum and junior Donovan Edwards rushed for 134 yards on 21 carries and for 104 yards on six attempts, respectively. They each found the end zone twice.
With McCarthy declaring for the NFL draft, he finishes his college career with a 27-1 record, with his only loss coming to the TCU Horned Frogs 51-45 in last season’s Fiesta Bowl. He attributes that loss to inspiring the Wolverines to win the national title.
“I knew the guys that were coming back and I had this feeling that we were going to be where we are right now,” he said following the victory.
Washington quarterback senior Michael Penix Jr. completed 27 of 51 pass attempts for 255 yards, one passing touchdown and two interceptions. He also had three carries, losing five yards. He completed passes to eight different players, with junior Rome Odunze leading the game with 87 yards on five receptions.
Washington struggled to establish a run game, with six players, including Penix Jr., carrying the football for 47 total yards on the ground. Junior Dillion Johnson led the team with 33 yards on 11 carries.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh scheduled interviews with multiple NFL teams in regards to a head coaching opportunity following the win, including the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers. It was announced that he has been hired as the next head coach of the Chargers heading into the 2024 season.
Washington coach Kalen DeBoer has notified the University of Washington of his intentions to leave the program for a coaching opportunity at Alabama following coach Nick Saban’s retirement announcement. Washington has announced that Jedd Fisch will fill their head coaching vacancy.
