CFW Week 20 Result – Michigan is your national chamnpion
Corum, Edwards running + Defense =
Victory for the Michigan Wolverines
And throw in the reliability and dependability of quarterback J.J. McCarty to boot.
Michigan scored 14 points in the first quarter and 14 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 34-13 win over Washington. The Wolverines established themselves on their first three possessions in the first quarter. Primarily due to the running of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, Michigan scored a touchdown on each of its first two possessions and a field goal on its third possession. That put them up 17-3 over the Huskies.
With 0:42 on the clock in the second quarter, Washington got back into the game on a three-yard touchdown pass from Michael Penix to Jalen McMillan. That made the score 17-10. But that would prove to be Washington’s only touchdown of the game. A game in which Michigan never trailed.
The Huskies received the kickoff to start the second half. However, on their first play, Penix threw the first of his two interceptions in the game. Washington kept Michigan out of the end zone, but the Wolverines did kick a 38-yard field goal. That put Michigan up 20-10. Washington followed with a 45-yard field goal of their own to close the gap to 20-13. But that would be the Huskies final score of the game.
For the remainder of the third quarter (about nine minutes), and for the first seven-eight minutes of the fourth quarter, the two teams played defense. The game became a punting contest. However, with 7:09 to go in the final quarter, Michigan’s Corum broke through for a 12-yard touchdown run. The Wolverines increased their lead to 14 points – 27-13.
Then, less than four minutes later, Corum scored again on a one-yard run. With 3:37 remaining in the game, Michigan went up 34-13. When the game was over, Blake Corum had rushed for 134 yards and Donovan Edwards rushed for 104 yards. Individually, Corum and Edwards had more rushing yards than Washington had as a team. Corum was named the game’s offensive MVP. The Huskies only had 46 yards rushing.
During the season, Washington averaged 38 points a game. Michigan held the Huskies to 13 points. Much of that is due to the pressure the Michigan defense put on Washington quarterback Michael Penix. Throughout the entire game, Penix never got in sync. His specialty – downfield passes – was never a threat to the Wolverines. In the second half, Washington only scored on one of its seven possessions. And that was just a field goal. Michigan defensive back Will Johnson was named the game’s defensive MVP.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy did what he had to do – play a stable game without any mistakes. He didn’t throw any interceptions. And at the appropriate moments, he came through with a first-down pass or a first-down run when Michigan needed it.
Michigan ended up with 443 total yards to 301 for Washington. The Wolverines had 303 rushing yards. The Huskies had 255 passing yards. Rushing, Michigan averaged 8 yards per carry. Washington averaged 2.3 yards per carry.
Michigan won its first national championship since 1997. The Wolverines finished 15-0 for the first time in school history.
Attendance at the national championship game in NRG Stadium in Houston was 72,808.
Throughout the second half, my WVU Mountaineer and Georgia Bulldog friend Bob Darden and I were messaging each other after almost every play, commenting on the action.
Washington and Michigan will meet next on October 10, 2024, in Seattle, as Big Ten Conference opponents.
Charles Kelly is leaving Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado to become a co-defensive coordinator at Auburn. A native of Ozark, Alabama, Kelly is a graduate of Auburn where he played defensive back for the Tigers in the late 1980s. Also at Auburn, coach Hugh Freeze fired his offensive coordinator, Philip Montgomery.
LSU coach Brian Kelly hired Missouri offensive coordinator Blake Baker for the same position at LSU.
Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter who entered the transfer portal early last week has changed his mind and will remain at Liberty. Apparently, life in the portal didn’t provide any opportunities for Salter. Or Liberty upped his NIL money.
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has entered the transfer portal.
Former Albany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, the most prolific quarterback in FCS football this past season, is transferring to Miami (Florida). Poffenbarger passed for 3,603 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2023. Miami failed in its attempt to get former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard and former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward. Howard signed with Ohio State and Ward decided to enter the NFL draft.
Reports surfaced that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is interested in two NFL jobs – the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers. Stay tuned!
Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff revealed yesterday that he and members of the selection committee received death threats over Florida State’s exclusion from the playoff. Hancock said the threats were serious enough that he notified the FBI. He said it was the first time in the 10-year history of CFP that he or selection committee members received death threats.
Florida coach Billy Napier has hired Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. At Florida, Roberts will be a co-defensive coordinator.
Actor and singer David Soul, who became famous playing the role of Detective Hutchinson in the television series “Starsky & Hutch,” died last week in London. “Starsky & Hutch” ran from 1975 to 1979. He appeared in a number of other television shows and movies. As a singer, Soul had a No. 1 hit with “Don’t Give Up On Us” in early 1977. The song spent 19 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the winter and spring of 1977. In the fall of the same year, he had a minor hit in the U.S. with “Silver Lady.” In Great Britain, “Silver Lady” reached No. 1 on the U.K. charts. Soul moved to England in the mid-1990s, where he continued to sing and appear on television and in film. He also forged a new career in the theater. In 2004, Soul obtained British citizenship. A native of Chicago, David Richard Solberg was 80.
German soccer player and manager Franz Beckenbauer, nicknamed “Der Kaiser,” died on January 7. Beckenbauer is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cub and the Ballon d’Or. As a player, he played for Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) from 1964 to 1977 and for the New York Cosmos from (North American Soccer League) 1977 to 1980. He managed the West German national team from 1984 to 1990 and Bayern Munich from 1993 to 1996. Beckenbauer was twice named the European soccer player of the year. He is one of three men to have won the World Cup as a player and as a manager. A native of Munich, Germany, Franz Anton Beckenbauer was 78.
Touchdown Tom
January 9, 2024
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(Note: The next and final CFW of the season – CFW Farewell 2023 – will be posted Monday morning, January 15.)
Week in Review
FCS (Division I-AA) Championship Game
South Dakota State 23, Montana 3 – Attendance in Frisco: 19,512
Quotes of the Week
“They’re a good team. We just didn’t execute in the moments when we needed to. It’s just about executing. I don’t feel like they did anything. I feel like we beat ourselves,” Washington quarterback Michael Penix, on the loss to Michigan.
I know what the score looks like. But I feel like that fine line was right there again tonight and we weren’t that far off. There’s not a doubt in my mind that we’re a good enough football team to go out there and win a national championship,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer.
“I feel like this has been the perfect happy ending,” Michigan running back Donovan Edwards.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
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