FINALLY: Michigan Wolverines complete there awaiting $85 deal
Michigan Wolverines defeated Washington Huskies 34-13 in the College Football Playoff final game.
The No. 1 Michigan Wolverines utilized a punishing rushing assault to defeat the No. 2 Washington Huskies 34-13 in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston.
It marks Michigan’s first national title since 1997, and the 10th overall NCAA football championship for the winningest school in college football history.
Michigan (15-0), which became the first college football institution to win 1,000 games earlier this season, ran for 303 yards and four touchdowns as a team to deliver Washington its first setback of the season.
The NCAA recognizes Michigan with ten football titles, whereas Michigan claims twelve. The NCAA does not recognize Michigan’s titles between 1932 and 1947.
“It couldn’t have been better. “It went exactly as we wanted, to win every game,” Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters after the game.
In the duel of the nation’s final two unbeaten teams, Michigan got the scoring started early with a 41-yard rushing score by Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards on the first possession. On Michigan’s following offensive drive, Edwards doubled the score with a 46-yard touchdown run, putting the Wolverines up 14-3 in the first quarter.
Edwards’ two touchdowns are the second and third longest touchdowns.
Washington struggled to get anything going on offense for much of the first half, until Huskies quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. connected with Jalen McMillan for a 3-yard touchdown pass on fourth and goal with less than a minute left in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 17-10.
Both teams’ defenses stiffened in the second half, with each exchanging field goals early in the third quarter before forcing punts on six straight possessions.
Michigan extended its advantage to 27-13 with a 12-yard run by Blake Corum midway through the fourth.
With Washington needing a score to keep them in the game, the Michigan defense came up with probably the best play of the game as
Head football coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for the first three games as a self-imposed sentence by Michigan’s sports administration for NCAA recruiting infractions. The NCAA, which is now investigating the situation, may opt to impose further punishments in that scenario.
In October, the NCAA initiated a second investigation into the Wolverines for suspected sign-stealing, resulting in the suspension and later resignation of Michigan football commentator Connor Stalions, as well as the termination of linebackers coach Chris Partidge.
Harbaugh has denied knowledge of any plot to take other teams’ signs, but he accepted a three-game ban, bringing his total time away from the Michigan sideline to six.
Both NCAA investigations into Michigan are continuing.
“The off-field issues, we’re innocent, and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent,” Harbaugh told reporters following the game.
“I just want to stress out that these men are innocent. [Overcoming it] was not difficult since we knew we were innocent.”
The focus then shifted to Harbaugh’s future, and the likelihood of his one day leading an NFL club to the Super Bowl.
“I simply want to enjoy it. When questioned about his future, he said, “I hope you give me that.
Meanwhile, Washington’s loss marked the program’s final game in the Pac-12 Conference, as the Huskies will join the Big Ten next season.
Penix, a Heisman Trophy nominee who led the country in passing, completed 27 of 51 pass attempts in the championship game, but threw two interceptions.
Penix had a great final collegiate season, with the sixth-year quarterback – who had three season-ending injuries during his first four years of college football at Indiana and has two surgically repaired knees – emerging as a potential first-round choice in the 2018 NFL draft.
He became the first collegiate quarterback to pass for 4,500 yards in consecutive seasons since Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech in 2015 and 2016, according to ESPN.
“It stinks. We played well as a team. “They did some good things,” Penix told reporters following the loss.
“I believe that on the offensive side of the ball, we just lost a lot of opportunities to help our team and put our team in a better position to win this game.
“We have been through a lot together, and we are not going to point fingers or anything like that. There’s a lot of affection in the locker room.
