Michigan defeats Alabama 27-20 in overtime playoff semifinal at Rose Bowl

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Michigan defeated Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal 27-20 in overtime at the Rose Bowl - advancing to next Monday's national title game.

Blake Corum's weaving 17-yard touchdown run lifted Michigan to a 27-20 lead in the first overtime possession. A defensive stand by Michigan on fourth-and-three sealed the win - the Wolverines' first-ever win in the college football playoff.

Michigan (14-0) plays for its first national title since 1997 when it faces second seed Washington (14-0), which defeated Texas 37-31 in the late semifinal. 

"Glorious. That was glorious," Coach Jim Harbaugh said. "It was a tremendous football game."

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was swarmed by Michigan defenders on a run attempt up the middle on the Tide's final play, as the Wolverines flooded the field in celebration. 

"Everything that we went through this entire year made us unbreakable, and in the biggest moments, we were going to show up," said McCarthy, who passed for 221 yards and three touchdowns to win the Offensive Player of the Game award.

Late in the fourth quarter things looked bleak for Michigan, down 20-13. But the Wolverines marched 75 yards culminating with a 4-yard touchdown pass from JJ McCarthy to Roman Wilson with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

A key play in the drive, a 4th and 2 pass from McCarthy to Blake Corum for the first down, and a 29-yard pass to Wilson setting up the Wolverines at the Alabama 5-yard line.

Regulation ended with Michigan fans gasping, as after Alabama was held to a three-and-out with a minute left, the ensuing punt return was fumbled by Jake Thaw at the 5-yard line and recovered at the 1. 

Some nervous moments later, the Wolverines pushed out of safety territory, took a knee, and preserved their shot in overtime. 

"If ever a game was going to be won up front, it was going to be won with toughness and physicality," Harbaugh said. "Our guys were just there in rhythm and got it done. Epic game. Epic game. The stick-togetherness — I guess what people don’t know, how could they know, what the togetherness is like? There’s just nothing that can separate these guys."

McCarthy's top targets were Wilson (four catches, 73 yards) and Tyler Morris (two catches, 45 yards).  Corum rushed 19 times for 83 yards and book-ended the scoring - his eight-yard touchdown catch from McCarthy put Michigan on the board and tied it 7-7 in the first quarter.

Morris' 38-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter featured a tightrope run down the sideline that gave Michigan a 13-7 lead. 

The Wolverines led 13-10 at halftime of the Rose Bowl, but the fourth-seed Crimson Tide grabbed momentum in the third quarter - allowing just one first down.

Alabama then reeled off 10 straight points in the fourth quarter with a Jase McClellan three-yard run and a 52-yard Will Reichard field goal, building its 20-13 lead.

Michigan (14-0) was able to force and recover an Alabama fumble at the start of the fourth quarter, but a missed 49-yard field goal by James Turner kept the Wolverines down 17-13.

For the Crimson Tide, McClellan led the offense with 87 yards and two touchdowns, while Milroe completed 16-of-23 passes for 116 yards and added 63 yards on 21 carries.

The Michigan special teams were anything but - the missed field goal coming after a botched snap on an extra point in the second quarter and a muffed punt return by Semaj Morgan turned the ball over in the first quarter.

The Wolverines’ pristine record masked a messy season that included two three-game suspensions for Harbaugh — the first issued preemptively by the school amid an investigation of possible recruiting violations, and the second mandated by the Big Ten over allegations of sign-stealing and in-game scouting.

"It’s almost been an unfair advantage, all the things that the team has gone through," Harbaugh said. "We don’t care anymore. Don’t care what people say. Don’t care about anything that comes up. We just know we’re going to overcome it."

Michigan is the sixth straight No. 1 seed to win its semifinal game in the CFP’s 10 years of existence — but not many have been tested the way Alabama tested the Wolverines.

"We just didn’t finish the last four minutes of the game like we would like to, and we’re all very disappointed," Nick Saban said. "But one thing I told them in the locker room, this is one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history in terms of where this team came from and what they were able to accomplish."

Michigan is one win away from reaching the primary goal set by Harbaugh when he returned to his alma mater in 2015 after his meteoric coaching career flamed out with the 49ers. The former Wolverines quarterback was determined to restore his school to national prominence and dominance, but he won no Big Ten titles in his first six seasons amid frustration from a fan base that expected things to happen sooner.

Michigan has been elite since 2021, winning three straight conference titles and advancing to three Playoffs. The Wolverines have finally reached their sport’s biggest stage after their second consecutive unbeaten regular season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.