Game balls from Michigan's epic Rose Bowl win over Alabama
The Michigan Wolverines advanced to their first College Football Playoff national title game in program history with a 27-20 overtime win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday with no shortage of standout performers. The happy mission rolls on with a game against Washington in Houston on Jan. 8.
Here are the game ball selections from our staff of Anthony Broome, Clayton Sayfie and Chris Balas with the dust cleared in Pasadena.
Anthony Broome: Senior RB Blake Corum
Another game, another legacy moment for Blake Corum. This time last year, he was in Los Angeles working his way back from knee surgery. This time, he got to play in the Rose Bowl with a trip to the national title game on the line. Nineteen carries, 83 yards and an overtime touchdown run later, he has etched his name into Michigan history as a key player in the turnaround and eventual climb up the mountain for this program.
We also saw Michigan use him a few times as a receiver with 2 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, which was a tendency-breaking play call to get the Wolverines on the board in the first quarter. He came back to Michigan to win a national title, and now he’s one win away.
Clayton Sayfie: Junior QB J.J. McCarthy
Michigan junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy nearly threw an interception on the first play and misfired on a comeback route to graduate wide receiver Cornelius Johnson early in the game. He wasn’t his vintage self most of the night, until he engineered a 75-yard touchdown drive with less than five minutes to go to force overtime. Corum and the defense did the rest. McCarthy was 17-for-27 passing for 221 yards and 3 touchdowns, also rushing 3 times for 25 yards. He was special on a few plays and the last drive, just what Michigan needed, and out-played his counterpart Jalen Milroe.
Chris Balas: Sophomore DT Mason Graham
The Rose Bowl’s Defensive Player of the Game was outstanding, recording 4 tackles and a tackle for loss in the victory. Michigan was going to need strong defensive line play and discipline to win and outlast the Crimson Tide. As a sophomore, Graham still has so much more room to grow, but he is already one of the best defensive tackles in program history and one of the best in the country. His Rose Bowl award designation was well-earned.
