It was suppose to be easy. And in the very beginning, it seemed like it would be.
The opening drive of the game started off well for No. 2 Michigan (13-1), but ended in a disaster that set the tone for the rest of the night. The Wolverines found themselves battling from behind for 60 minutes in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and ultimately falling short in the final minute to third-ranked TCU (13-1), 51-45. Michigan’s season is over as the Horned Frogs prepare to take on the defending champions Georgia on Monday, January 9.
It’s difficult to pinpoint what went wrong for Michigan, because just about everything did. There were bogus decisions made in terms of play calling, costly turnovers, poor refereeing and a total mismanagement of the game clock. Despite all these issues, however, Michigan kept the game respectable. So let’s dive in:
PLAY CALLING
In truth, and likely in defiance of many Michigan fans, the play calling by head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff wasn’t actually that bad. Except on the first drive.
As hinted at above, the Wolverines started hot. With the opening drive beginning on their own 25-yard line, Donovan Edwards ran 54 yards up the middle to put Michigan just outside of the red zone. They would eventually battle all the way up to the TCU two-yard line before a terrible decision was made.
What should have happened was quarterback JJ McCarthy sneaking up the middle on 4th-and-2. Best case, a touchdown; and worst case, TCU is pinned against the goal line. Instead, Harbaugh called a trick play that ultimately lost 8 yards.
“Because we thought it would work,” Harbaugh said when asked about the decision after the game. “I take full responsibility for it not working, and should have had something different called. Put that one on me. They had it wired and they had it well-defended. Sitting here now, definitely wish I would have called a different one.”
While there are always questionable play calls in the sport of football game, this one set the tone for the night. And the night only got worse for Michigan.
TURNOVERS
After forcing TCU into a three-and-out on their first drive, things looked better for the Wolverines — until it didn’t.
On the first play of Michigan’s second drive, McCarthy was picked off by TCU’s Bud Clark, who returned the ball 41 yards to put the Horned Frogs up, 7-0. This was a sign of things to come, as in the third quarter with Michigan down, 28-16, McCarthy was picked off again. Dee Winters carried the ball home to make it 35-16, TCU.
The two pick-sixes thrown by McCarthy ultimately gave a free 14 points to TCU that they may not have had otherwise. There were fumbles and miscues as well, but nothing as costly.
After the game, McCarthy seemed to bare the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Fought our hearts out,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that we could have done better. Can’t wait to watch the tape. But we’ll be back, and I promise that.”
But there was also a costly fumble at the goal line in the second quarter. After Roman Wilson hauled in a 50-yard bomb from McCarthy and got it to the TCU one, Kalel Mullings attempted to run the ball up the middle. Instead of making the game 14-10 in favor of TCU, Mullings fumbled and it was recovered by the Horned Frogs for a touchback.
OFFICIATING
Perhaps the one element that was out of the hands of both Michigan and TCU was the refereeing. Even the television announcers seemed to disagree with many decisions from the SEC crew officiating the game. But there were two key moments that spelled doom for the Wolverines.
In the third quarter, after Wilson caught a pass for 20 yards, Ronnie Bell followed by hauling in a catch from McCarthy that was called a touchdown at the time. The officiating crew reviewed the call and ultimately overturned it, stating Bell’s knee hit the ground around the TCU six-yard line. Michigan had to settle for a field goal, making it a 21-9 game to start the third.
Then, during the final moments of the game, the officials made another blunder. It was 4th-and-10 at Michigan’s own 25 and with just half a minute left. The ensuing play resulted in what many — broadcast crew and fans alike — thought would be a targeting call. Upon review, it was determined a clean hit, ending Michigan’s chance at a miracle.
Harbaugh said he’d take a closer look at the calls: “Last play, they were looking at targeting and they ruled that it wasn’t targeting. The touchdown, Roman, that they ruled it didn’t get in the end zone.”
While these two plays cost Michigan, they certainly got away with a bit too. For example, a catch that really wasn’t a catch but officials didn’t bother to review it.
CLOCK MANAGEMENT
Despite everything discussed above, Michigan was in this game until the very end.
With 3:18 left, McCarthy and Wilson connected again to make it a six-point game, 51-45. After the ensuing kickoff, TCU had 3:14 on the game clock to kill while Michigan had all three timeouts. And then…
Harbaugh let Sonny Dykes and his TCU team run the clock all the way down to 67 seconds left before he used the first. The second was used with 64 seconds left and the final with 59 seconds. Even the broadcast crew, again, didn’t understand what was going on in this situation.
TCU ran four successful plays, all rushes, in the 2:07 before a timeout was called. Down just six points, Harbaugh gave his guys less than a minute to work with instead of potentially double that.
And more shocking is the fact that media in attendance at the Fiesta Bowl did not seem to ask the coach about this decision.
SILVER LININGS
Michigan fought all the way to the bitter end in this one. The Wolverines had plenty of explosive plays, calls go their way and momentum to carry them to victory. They fell just a little bit short in their second trip to the College Football Playoffs.
They finished with 528 yards of total offense with 342 through the air and 186 on the ground. Michigan got into the red zone seven times, scoring points on five of those trips. Kicker Jake Moody set a program record with a 59-yard field goal. Again, a lot of good in the wake of the loss.
“Obviously I feel so proud,” Harbaugh said. “Our team, they never quit, they never gave in. I feel really proud. I can’t say enough how many phenomenal plays were made in the game by our guys and I feel very proud of that, yes.”
And give credit to TCU, who managed to capitalize on turnovers and force Michigan to pass rather than rely on the run game. This semifinal matchup proved to be one of the best in the nine year history of the playoffs, with the 96 total points scored making it the highest scoring Fiesta Bowl and the highest scoring CFP game in regulation.
And finally, Michigan fans can take comfort in the fact that Ohio State lost its game, too!
