On Monday, January 8th, the Michigan Wolverines ended their season with a final win in the College Football Playoff Championship against the Washington Huskies with 15 wins and 0 losses. The last time they won the National title was in 1997, making this their first national win of the century (NCAA). This is the fourth time in college football history where an FBS champion has gone 15-0 (Detroit Free Press). The final score was 34-13, with the Wolverines scoring 4 touchdowns and completing 2 field goals.
“Although I don’t know much about football, I heard many people around me talking about it, especially at school,” says Victoria Acunto, a junior at Ramapo. “It surely sparked a lot of excitement!”
The Michigan defensive line were extremely successful, managing 2 interceptions, 59 total tackles, and a sack for loss. This resulted in the Huskies’ total yards (301) being less than the Wolverines’ rushing yards (303). Washington’s quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., had an average of 332 passing yards and a 67% completion percentage prior to this game. However, once the championship was over, it was determined that Penix only completed 53% of his passes and passed only 225 yards (NCAA).
Not only did the Michigan offense rush more yards than the total yardage of the Huskies during the game (303 compared to 301), but they also had a total of 443 yards covered altogether (SB Nation). Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was successfully able to toss for 140 yards and carried 22 yards at a third-and-long in the third quarter (NCAA).
With his 4 TOTs and third-quarter interception, Will Johnson (defensive back) was titled Defensive MVP. Running back Blake Corrum was named Offensive MVP with his 134 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns (NCAA).
Michigan’s head coach, Jim Harbaugh, now has his first national win with Michigan. It has been suspected that he will leave this college team to join the Chargers in the NFL, however nothing has been determined (Sports Illustrated).
“Glorious win, I could not be prouder or happier of our team, 15-0. Took on all comers. Last one standing. It’s a great feeling,” says Harbaugh.
We congratulate the Michigan Wolverines on their exciting win, especially for one of our Ramapo alumni, Jack Grusser. We cannot wait to see what the future lies in store!
