No. 3 TCU defeated No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in the biggest upset in college football playoff history and one of the most exhilarating semifinal games since their 2014 debut. Kicking off the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, but with the same DNA that helped them overcome a late deficit during the regular season, the Frogs went 6-1 in a 1-score game after eliminating the previously undefeated Wolverines. I am sitting on 1.
Saturday’s first CFP semi-final was not only the highest-scoring Fiesta Bowl (dating back to 1971), but also featured the highest-scoring quarter in CFP history (44 points, 3rd quarter) and the highest-scoring playoff through regulation. Standing as a game
TCU led by as much as 18 points in the first half and led 21-6 at halftime before that third quarter. Michigan not only reached the end his zone for the first time in all games, but also scored two more touchdowns and his goal on the field in 15 minutes. The biggest comeback in playoff history.
But at almost every turn, TCU responded.
TCU first scored a touchdown extending the lead down the field at about two minutes as Michigan cut the deficit to 21-16. Then UM his quarterback he intercepted JJ McCarthy and scored his second pick 6 of the game. McCarthy got off the mat and he led his drive with two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the third quarter, during which he had another TCU touchdown.
Michigan cut the deficit to 41-38. This was the closest of all games. Early in the fourth quarter, Horned his Frogs came back with his 10 unanswered points to further extend the lead. The first of those two scores, a 76-yard touchdown pass from Duggan to Quentin Johnston, gave TCU a 48–38 lead and looked like the nail in the coffin. 4th touchdown (2 passes, 2 rushes) in a game in 2020 and a Heisman Trophy finalist, he will bring yet another highlight to his season full of them in 2022. gave.
Johnston finished the game with six catches for a game-high 163 yards, 111 of which came after catches.
Of course, Johnston’s touchdown wasn’t the final twist in this thriller. Michigan used his position on the field from his stop in a critical defensive effort to set up McCarthy and the offense for a 56-yard touchdown he set up on the drive, cutting TCU’s lead to 51–45 as he cut the lead to 51–45. He had 3:18 left. However, TCU picked up the first down and was able to bleed the clock enough in the final minute to limit Michigan’s chances of snatching the win.
In one of the most exciting performances of his career, McCarthy threw for 343 yards and rushed for 52 yards, scoring three total touchdowns. Ronnie Bell and Roman Wilson both went for over 100 yards on receptions (135 for Bell, 104 for Wilson) and scored a touchdown, but ultimately missed (2 interceptions, a failure in the red zone). ) and a slow start created a deficit that they could not overcome in an impressive second half.
A few things to know about TCU’s win, Michigan’s loss, and what it means to move forward…
TCU remains one of the best stories of 2022
Sonny Dykes has taken over for a team that has lost its footing as a Big 12 title contender. (TCU last played his game in the Bowl after his 2018 season.) There have been some notable transfers, but mostly the same group of players under Dykes in his first year. and turned his 5-7 show in 2021 into his 13th win. And participating in the CFP National Championship.
TCU has been questioned and talked about illegal all season long, despite proving time and again to be one of the best teams in the country. Some also point to the frequency with which opposing starting quarterbacks are knocked out of games. However, TCU showed that they can win all ways, and that’s what led to this Storybook season.
This team won shootouts and low-scoring grinders. Overcame a late deficit and a serious in-game injury. Dykes credits the players and their belief in each other as the reason this team continues to win despite facing adversity. Their commitment to staying focused on has allowed Frog to thrive without tainting the magic that powers this amazing run.
Mistakes in Michigan set the tone
Michigan running back Donovan Edwards broke free with a 54-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. As this rumble eerily resembles the pair of long runs he had in the second half of the Ohio State game, and foreshadows the Michigan offense may continue its trend of riding explosive ground games. But the tide turned when Michigan attempted to run a version of the Philly Special and was stopped on goal in the fourth, using McCarthy as the intended receiver and tight end Colston Loveland scoring a touchdown pass. tried to throw
McCarthy got the ball back after Michigan’s defensive stop, but TCU quickly turned the entire momentum of the game with their first pick 6 of the night.
Then, early in the second quarter, Michigan was given excellent field position after intercepting Duggan. The Wolverines saw McCarthy quickly deliver a 50-yard pass to Roman Wilson for what appeared to be a touchdown, but the umpire overturned the on-field call and said Wilson was down his one yard to his line. I judged. It got worse on the next play as Michigan ran back Karel Mullings and fumbled the ensuing first-down handoff into the endzone for a TCU touchback.
Almost everything positive for Michigan seemed to be offset by negatives in the first half that initially predicted the Wolverines’ doom. The missed opportunity is approaching. After all, this is a Michigan team, and in total yardage he beats TCU 527-488, plus he has six first downs (25-19) and the same play yards-per-mark ( 7.0). The Wolverines had been in a hole in the scoreboard (often he was in the double figures) throughout the game, so the miscues piled up to make the comeback feel monumental.
TCU records Big 12’s first CFP victory
Prior to Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl victory, the Big 12 had a record of 0-4 in playoff games. TCU’s breakthrough is most notable for Dykes and the program itself, but it’s also important for the conference that will soon bid farewell to OU and Texas. Anyone who thought the absence of the Sooners (or the Longhorns) would lead to a national title win for the Big 12 should look to the field for two Mondays. Become the first Big 12 team to play in the CFP National Championship.
More hardships for Jim Harbaugh
Michigan has not won a bowl game since 2015. Harbaugh’s Bowl record as a Wolverines coach is now 1-6 on a six-game losing streak after Saturday’s loss. Michigan has been one of the most dominant teams in the regular season for the past two years, maintaining his top spot in college football with a commanding win over Ohio State, but finishing in the CFP. This is the second season in a row. loss.
Michigan fans said their patience was rewarded as Harbaugh delivered the program’s first back-to-back Big Ten title since Lloyd Carr (and a win in Ohio) and two shots at CFP’s national championship. celebrated But the next hurdle for the Michigan head coach and former quarterback to meet fans’ expectations is his six-game losing streak in the postseason, four of which are his double-digit streak. Defeat.