To make a point, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh recounted his team’s mistakes in the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines faced Alabama in the national semifinals, but they were also in pressurized circumstances of their own creation, committing costly blunders. But, in the end, it was how they responded that propelled No. 1 Michigan to a 27-20 overtime victory Monday, advancing to the national title game against No. 2 Washington on Jan. 8 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Both teams are undefeated. “The things that jump out are just how we responded in the pressure moments, in the pressure times, offense, defense, special teams, and rose to the occasion,” Harbaugh said during a College Football Playoff conference call on Wednesday. “Tremendous play during the pressure moments of the game.” J.J. McCarthy threw an interception that was reversed on the first play of the game. A bad snap by William Wagner on a missed extra point, a missed field goal by James Turner, a block-in-the-back penalty against Roman Wilson on a 35-yard play from Blake Corum, and two muffed punts, the first by Semaj Morgan and the second by Jake Thaw in the final seconds of regulation after Michigan had tied the game, were all missed. Alabama’s James Burnip punted 51 yards to the Michigan 6-yard line, and Thaw botched the grab before recovering it at the 1-yard line with 44 seconds left, averting a safety that would have been a terrible finale for the Wolverines. “I think it was tremendous the way (Thaw) handled the situation,” Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Rose Bowl offensive player of the game, said on a conference call Wednesday. “He didn’t panic. Their punter was fantastic. Some of his kicks were unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
“The way he handled it—not freaking out once the ball was in the end zone and accidentally kicking it or muffing it again, and making sure he didn’t fumble it when he got hit by those three guys.” There’s a lot of good he did in that terrible situation that I think should be recognized, and it’s just a testament to our training and the mindset we’ve developed over the previous year.” That circumstance exemplified Michigan’s ability to get out of its own way throughout the game. “I just kind of feel like those pressure situations are what make teams great,” defensive tackle Mason Graham, who was voted the Rose Bowl’s defensive player, said on the call. “I believe we faltered in that moment, but we were able to recover.” He obviously got down at 1, so we had an opportunity to continue playing. Allowing us to re-arrange ourselves. He completed his job and returned to us.” Left guard Trevor Keegan commented after the game about the blunders that cost Michigan. The players spoke about the need to pay attention to the tiny aspects in the week leading up to the game, yet this was clearly lacking as blunders were made.
“I have no idea how we won that game,” Keegan said. “We left four points on the board. But we have guys who rally around each other. We’ve been through so much, and we’re kind of just used to this moment.” After McCarthy’s overturned interception on the first play, Michigan went three-and-out that drive. He reached the sidelines and walked shoulder to shoulder with Harbaugh, and they discussed what had just happened. “I was expecting to get chewed out, but with Coach Harbaugh, it was just, ‘Hey, man, it’s good you got that out of your system. Let’s roll out,’ ” McCarthy said. From Harbaugh’s perspective, it was another example of how this group of players handles pressure.
“I have no idea how we won that game,” Keegan said. “We left four points on the board. But we have guys who rally
“A few guys had bad plays in the game,” Harbaugh admitted. “J.J., first play of the game; he’s clearly throwing the ball away, and having made a bad play in a football game is like a train going through your head.” You see red, I mean. It sounds like a siren. There are a lot of people who will hang their heads and go in the tank or get that deer-in-the-headlights look, but every guy in our game who had that happen to them came back and made a fantastic play.”(Defense lineman) Kris Jenkins made a poor decision early in the game, came back, and dominated in block destruction. Dropped punt, returns, and makes catches. We had a terrible snap, and that snap and hold have to be precise, as well as the kick, or we don’t go into overtime. There are other plays that may be mentioned. I’m simply very proud of those men. Roman Wilson had a backstop that may have cost us the big drive at the end. He returns and scores a touchdown with a spectacular catch. Just the mental toughness required for someone to be able to execute that.” Harbaugh noted the “U’s”—uncontrollables, such as officiating, and unfortunates, such as blunders—as another way the players have overcome and kept their cool this season.
“When you know that each player and each coach has your back and is going to be doing their job, doing it to the best of their God-given ability, that’s a great way to control some of the uncontrollables, which is pressure, which is some of those unforeseeable moments,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “There are ways to do it, and our team is built for them.”
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