Pasadena, CA- Alabama faced a fourth-and-goal in overtime and needed a touchdown to send the game into a second overtime. The call was a quarterback run by Jalen Milroe but he was stopped short by the Michigan defense. The Wolverines completed the 27-20 comeback win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Monday at the Rose Bowl Stadium.
Michigan running back Blake Corum scored on a 17-yard run for the go ahead touchdown in overtime to help the Wolverines become Rose Bowl Champions and advance to the College Football Playoff Championship game.
“It was a team effort, team effort. We’re going to deal with adversity here,” Corum said. “We had some adversity today, a little sloppy, but we came together as one. I’m my brothers’ keeper, and I know my brothers had my back, and I told them, if we score this thing and go to overtime, we’re going to win, and we came out on top, and I’ll see you in Houston.”
Michigan held the Alabama offense to 288 yards of total offense and recorded six sacks. Milroe finished 116 yards passing a zero touchdowns.
“Well, obviously we’re very disappointed about the outcome of the game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I don’t think we played great in the first half, but I was really, really proud of the way our players played in the second half. We just didn’t finish the last four minutes of the game like we would like to, and we’re all very disappointed, and the players are disappointed, as well.”
Alabama got on the board first with a 34-yard touchdown run from Jase McMcClellan. The score was setup by a Michigan turnover after the punt returner muffed the punt.
Michigan tied it 7-7 when J.J. McCarthy hit running back Blake Corum out of the backfield for an 8-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, McCarthy connected with Tyler Morris for a 38-yard touchdown to give Michigan a 13-7 lead. The extra point attempt failed after the ball got passed the place holder.
Alabama kicker Will Reichard nailed a 50-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter to give the Crimson Tide 13-10 lead into halftime. The Michigan defense recorded four sacks in the first half and held Alabama’s offense to just over 100 yards of total offense.
Both teams went scoreless in the third quarter. Alabama used an 8-play, 55-yard scoring drive that was capped by a McClellan 3-yard touchdown run. The Crimson Tide took a 17-13 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Michigan recovered a fumble at midfield but wasn’t able to capitalize on the turnover as the kicker missed a 49-yard field goal. Alabama extended the lead 20-10 on Reichard’s 52-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing drive, McCarthy drove Michigan down the field and hit Roman Wilson for a 4-yard touchdown to tie the game 20-20 with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“Great way to start the new year off,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Glorious. That was glorious. It was a tremendous football game. Congratulate Alabama on a terrific game and their great players and coaching staff and their fans. It was an epic game. Glorious is how I feel. That was a tremendous win.”
