With less than four minutes to go until halftime, the first 26 minutes of the Rose Bowl had been a defensive battle, as the Wolverines were deadlocked with the Alabama Crimson Tide 7-7. They looked to their quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, and he delivered.
McCarthy snapped the ball, pitched it to running back Donovan Edwards, who then threw back across the field and over McCarthy’s head. He reached up, grabbed it with one hand, set his feet with an Alabama defender in his face and sailed the ball 20 yards down the field to receiver Roman Wilson.
Three plays later, McCarthy found receiver Tyler Morris, who raced into the end zone to give the Wolverines the lead going into halftime.
“Credit to a great defense. [Alabama] played tremendous. They had a great game plan for us,” McCarthy said. “We weren’t really getting things going, but that never bothered us because it is all in the past and we are focusing on staying in the present and controlling the future.”
Michigan was 0-2 in the College Football Playoff era. The Wolverines hadn’t won a Rose Bowl in 26 years, which was also the last time they played for a national championship.
That all ended Monday, when No. 1 Michigan slammed the door shut on No. 4 Alabama’s season in overtime, 27-20, to secure a spot in the national championship game, thanks in no small part to McCarthy, who was selected the game’s offensive most valuable player.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
As coach Jim Harbaugh discussed what winning the Granddaddy of Them All meant to him, he took a moment and looked over to his left.
“I’ve said it before, but right here, this is the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan — college football history,” Harbaugh said, referring to McCarthy. “Got a long way to go to get to get where Tom Brady eventually got to, which is the GOAT. … But in a college career, there’s been nobody at Michigan better than J.J. I know we talk about it, an amalgamation of quarterbacks. He is that guy.”
“That guy” on defense for the Wolverines was defensive tackle Mason Graham, who grew up in Anaheim and was a key playmaker at Servite High. He was selected defensive most valuable player despite having only four tackles, but he arguably came up with the biggest one of the game. In overtime, on second and goal from the nine-yard line, Graham stuffed Alabama running back Jase McClellan for a five-yard loss to set up third and 14.
It was Graham who noted earlier in the week how the biggest challenge for Michigan’s defense would be staying consistent with its rushing attack as it got later in the game.
Now his consistent effort has Michigan in position to play for a national championship against Sugar Bowl-winner Washington.
“It’s a dream come true,” Graham said. “Even being able to play in this game is a lot. We’re happy to be here, man, but we’ve got one more to go.”
For McCarthy, Monday was the result of years of disappointment preparing himself, and Michigan, for the moment.
“I just wanted to leave no stone unturned,” he said. “Going back to 2017, 2018, 2019, all the way up until the present moment, just making sure that I was locked in on all cylinders in every situation, fourth quarter, overtime, fourth down and that big completion to Blake [Corum]. Just everything about it was just making sure I was the most prepared guy on the field so I could go out there and help my teammates as best I can.”
Next up, Michigan will push to win the 12th national title in program history. McCarthy feels as confident as ever after all the hardships and distractions his team has endured.
“It’s just amazing the way it happened, but ultimately it’s everything that coach said,” McCarthy said. “We can’t do it without the unity that we have, everything that we went through this entire year made us unbreakable, and in the biggest moments we were going to show up.”