WATCH: TCU strikes first in CFP semifinal with pick-six against Michigan

TCU struck first against Michigan on the scoreboard in a surprising way, scoring a touchdown on a pick-six thrown by JJ McCarthy. As McCarthy threw a pass to the sideline in the first quarter, Bud Clark jumped in front of the route and wrestled the ball away from his target. With nobody in front of him after the interception, Clark ran the ball back for the 41-yard touchdown to give the Horned Frogs a 7-0 lead.

The interception thrown by McCarthy was not the first score of the game that fans expected ahead of the semifinal. It was just McCarthy’s fourth interception thrown of the season, and his sixth over the past two years. McCarthy entered the game with a 1.44 percent career interception rate with the Wolverines, but the pick-six couldn’t have come at a worse time and place.