(SportsRadio 610) - The top ranked Michigan Wolverines captured the 2024 College Football Playoff Championship with a dominating 34-13 victory over the No. 2 ranked Washington Huskies Monday night at NRG Stadium.
In route to securing a perfect 15-0 mark in a historic season, the Wolverines stifled one of the most methodical offenses in college football this season, holding the Huskies to a season low 13 points, giving Washington their a helluva welcome to what life is like in the Big 10 Conference.
The Big 10 boasted four of the nations top 10 defenses in 2023, with Michigan leading the pack, allowing just 243 yards per game, they held the Huskies to just 301 yards in the game and intercepted the Heisman runner-up, Michael Penix Jr. twice.
"Glorious win, I could not be prouder or happier of our team, 15-0," Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Took on all comers. Last one standing. It's a great feeling."
Michigan used an explosive ground attack led by the duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, who combined for 238 yards rushing on just 27 carries, becoming the first two-headed monster to each surpass 100-yards rushing in CFP Title game history.
Corum finished with 134 yards rushing on 21 attempts, including two touchdowns, while Edwards made the best of his seven carries for 104 yards, including touchdown runs of 41 and 46 yards in the first quarter alone.
It looked like the game was quickly going to get away from the Huskies early, trailing 17-3, Michigan came up with a fourth-down stop, taking over possession after the Huskies brazen decision to go for it on fourth-and-seven on Michigan's 47-yards line.
The Huskies defense stepped up and made it a game, holding the Wolverines to just 53 yards their final three possessions of the half, trailing just 17-10 at the break.
Holding Michigan to just three-points on the first four possessions in the second half, but unable to get anything going offensively due smothering Wolverine defense, the damn finally broke for the Huskies as Michigan scored touchdowns on two straight possessions down the stretch to put the game away.
Intercepted by Michigan's Will Johnson on the first play of the third quarter, Penix Jr. struggled the rest of the way to find anything down the field.
With Washington driving, trailing 27-13 midway through the fourth quarter and sliver of a chance to make it a ballgame again, Wolverine's defensive back Mike Sainristil helped put the final nail in the coffin, setting Michigan's final touchdown up with an 81-yard interception return to the eight-yard line.
After the game, Harbaugh made it a point to say the Wolverines accomplished this season was about nothing other than a team coming together to accomplish what they'd set out to do from day one.
"It couldn't have gone better," Harbaugh said. "It went exactly how we wanted it to go, to win every game. The off-the-field issues, we're innocent and we stood tall and strong because we knew we were innocent. And I'd like to point that out."
For a program that has recorded more wins than any other program in history, winning its 1,004th game Monday night, the title comes with a cost.
"Some day, when they throw dirt over the top of me, if somebody who is eulogizing me, who was on this team or one of my teammates when I was playing at Michigan, if they would simply say, 'he was a Michigan man,' that would mean everything. Would mean everything to me."
For the non "Michigan man," and many of those not affiliated with the Big Blue, the title will be nothing more than tainted and the end result of a sign-stealing, in-game cheating scandal that rocked college football to its core this season.
